CN117098467A

CN117098467A - Tobacco material piece, method for manufacturing tobacco material piece, filter comprising tobacco material piece, and aerosol-generating article comprising filter

Info

Publication number: CN117098467A
Application number: CN202280024985.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张锡水; 郑淳焕; 金炫兑; 辛晙源; 韩大男; 金龙焕; 尹圣煜; 李承原
Original assignee: KT&G Corp
Current assignee: KT&G Corp
Priority date: 2021-04-08
Filing date: 2022-03-31
Publication date: 2023-11-21
Also published as: KR102639728B1; JP2024512549A; EP4287854A1; WO2022215945A1; KR20220139734A

Abstract

The tobacco material piece comprises: a core comprising a first tobacco mixture; and a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core, and the shell comprising a second tobacco blend, wherein the first tobacco blend comprises first tobacco particles and a flavor material, the second tobacco blend comprises second tobacco particles, and the shell has a surface roughness (Ra) of about 5.0 to about 10.0.

Description

Tobacco material piece, method for manufacturing tobacco material piece, filter comprising tobacco material piece, and aerosol-generating article comprising filter

Technical Field

One or more embodiments relate to a piece of tobacco material, a method of manufacturing the piece of tobacco material, a filter comprising the piece of tobacco material, and an aerosol-generating article comprising the filter.

Background

Recently, there has been an increase in demand for alternatives to conventional cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for devices for generating aerosols by heating aerosol-generating substances in aerosol-generating articles (e.g., cigarettes) without combustion.

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

There is a need for a tobacco material piece capable of providing a user with different flavors in the early and late stages of smoking, and a method of manufacturing the tobacco material piece.

The technical problems to be solved by the embodiments are not limited to the above-described problems, and the non-mentioned problems will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art from the present disclosure and the accompanying drawings.

Technical proposal

According to one aspect of the disclosure, a piece of tobacco material comprises: a core comprising a first tobacco mixture; and a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core, and the shell comprising a second tobacco blend, wherein the first tobacco blend comprises first tobacco particles and a flavor material, the second tobacco blend comprises second tobacco particles, and the shell has a surface roughness (Ra) of about 5.0 to about 10.0.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the filter comprises a piece of tobacco material as a filter for an aerosol-generating article.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, an aerosol-generating article comprises a filter.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a piece of tobacco material includes: a first operation of manufacturing a core by using a first composition comprising a flavour substance; and a second operation of forming a shell around at least a portion of the core on the core.

Means for solving the problem is not limited thereto, and may include all that one of ordinary skill in the art can infer from the present disclosure.

Advantageous effects of the application

The tobacco material piece according to the embodiment may be applied to a filter of an aerosol-generating article to provide a user with different flavors in the early and later stages of smoking. In addition, the tobacco material pieces have the effect of appropriately adjusting the timing (timing), the conveying rate, and the conveying rate of the flavor substance.

In addition, according to the method of manufacturing a tobacco material piece of the embodiment, the tobacco material piece can be manufactured by a simple operation and is suitable for mass production.

The effects of the embodiments are not limited thereto, and may include all effects that can be inferred from the configurations described below.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a cross section of a piece of tobacco material according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2A is a diagram schematically illustrating a filter including a piece of tobacco material, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2B is a diagram schematically illustrating a filter including a piece of tobacco material according to another embodiment;

fig. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of an aerosol-generating article according to an embodiment;

fig. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of an aerosol-generating article according to another embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of manufacturing a piece of tobacco material according to an embodiment;

fig. 5A is a diagram illustrating a first operation of a method of manufacturing a piece of tobacco material according to an embodiment; and

fig. 5B is a diagram illustrating a second operation of the method of manufacturing a piece of tobacco material according to an embodiment.

Detailed Description

Best mode for carrying out the application

According to an embodiment, there is provided a piece of tobacco material comprising: a core comprising a first tobacco mixture; and a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core, and the shell comprising a second tobacco blend, wherein the first tobacco blend comprises first tobacco particles and a flavor material, the second tobacco blend comprises second tobacco particles, and the shell has a surface roughness (Ra) of about 5.0 to about 10.0.

The first tobacco mixture can include 90wt% or more flavor based on the total weight of the first tobacco mixture.

The core may have a size of about 30 mesh to about 50 mesh, and the piece of tobacco material may have a size of about 18 mesh to about 25 mesh.

The tobacco material piece may have a hardness of 90% or more.

The tobacco material piece may include from about 5.0wt% to about 8.0wt% moisture, based on the total weight of the tobacco material piece.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a filter comprising a piece of tobacco material as a filter included in an aerosol-generating article.

The filter may include: a first filter portion including a first filter element; a flavour portion comprising a piece of tobacco material; and a second filter portion including a second filter element, wherein the first filter portion, the flavor portion, and the second filter portion may be sequentially arranged along a longitudinal direction of the filter.

According to another embodiment, an aerosol-generating article comprising a filter is provided.

According to another embodiment, there is provided a method of manufacturing a piece of tobacco material, the method comprising: a first operation of manufacturing a core by using a first composition comprising a flavour substance; and a second operation of forming a shell around at least a portion of the core.

The first operation may include: the first composition is enlarged by spraying the first composition into a fluidized bed reactor at a temperature of about 30 ℃ to about 60 ℃ and under a gas pressure of 1.5 bar or less.

The first composition may include: about 99% v/v to about 99% v/v of a flavoring; about 0.5% v/v to about 5% v/v tobacco powder; and about 0.5% v/v to about 5% v/v water.

The second operation may include: positioning a core in a fluidized bed reactor; and coating the surface of the core with the second composition by spraying the second composition in a fluidized bed reactor at a temperature of about 50 ℃ to about 90 ℃ and at a pressure of 1.5 bar or less.

The second composition may include: about 10wt% to about 20wt% tobacco powder; about 40wt% to about 60wt% water; and about 30wt% to about 40wt% ethanol.

Inventive arrangements

As terms used in describing various embodiments, general terms that are currently widely used are selected in consideration of functions of structural elements in various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, the meaning of these terms may vary depending on the intent, judicial cases, the advent of new technology, and the like. Furthermore, in some cases, terms that are not commonly used may be selected. In this case, the meaning of the term will be described in detail at the corresponding portion in the description of the embodiment. Thus, terms used in various embodiments of the present disclosure should be defined based on meanings of the terms and descriptions provided herein.

In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the term "comprising" and variations such as "comprises" and "comprising" will be understood to mean inclusion of the stated element but not the exclusion of any other element. In addition, the terms "-means", "-means" and "module" described in the present document refer to units for processing at least one function and/or operation, and may be implemented by hardware components or software components, and combinations thereof.

In addition, in the present disclosure, although terms such as "first," "second," etc. may be used to describe various components, these components are not necessarily limited by these terms. The above terms are used only to distinguish one component from another.

Throughout this disclosure, "aerosol-generating article" refers to an article for smoking. For example, the aerosol-generating article may be a conventional burning cigarette that is lit and burned, or may be a heated cigarette that is heated by the aerosol-generating device without burning. As another example, the aerosol-generating article may be an article for use in combination with a cartridge containing a liquid that generates an aerosol when heated.

Throughout the present disclosure, the "longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article" refers to the direction in which the length of the aerosol-generating article extends or the direction in which the aerosol-generating article is inserted into the aerosol-generating device.

Throughout this disclosure, "tobacco element" refers to an element comprising a piece of tobacco material.

Throughout this disclosure, "piece of tobacco material" refers to any form of material that includes components derived from tobacco leaves.

Throughout this disclosure, "tobacco particles" refer to particulate forms of components derived from tobacco plants. For example, the tobacco particles may be tobacco particles or tobacco powder.

Throughout this disclosure, "cooling element" refers to an element that cools a material. For example, the cooling element may cool an aerosol generated by the aerosol-generating element or the tobacco element.

Throughout this disclosure, "filter element" refers to an element that includes a filter material. For example, the filter element may comprise a plurality of filaments.

Throughout this disclosure, "surface roughness" refers to the roughness of the surface of an object. For example, the surface roughness may be expressed as center line average roughness (Ra) according to KS B0161 standard.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which example embodiments of the disclosure are shown so that those having ordinary skill in the art may readily perform the disclosure. This disclosure may, however, be embodied in various different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating a cross section of a piece of tobacco material 10 according to an embodiment.

The tobacco material component 10 according to an embodiment may include: a core 11, the core 11 comprising a first tobacco mixture; and a shell 12, the shell 12 surrounding at least a portion of the core 11, and the shell 12 comprising a second tobacco mixture.

Referring to fig. 1, a tobacco material piece 10 according to an embodiment includes: a core 11; and a shell 12 surrounding at least a portion of the core 11. Thus, the first tobacco mixture may be positioned in a central portion of the tobacco material piece 10, and the second tobacco mixture may be positioned in a peripheral portion of the tobacco material piece 10. That is, the first tobacco mixture may be partially or completely surrounded by the second tobacco mixture.

The core 11 may comprise a first tobacco blend. The first tobacco mixture may include first tobacco particles and a flavor substance.

The first tobacco particles may be, for example, tobacco powder having a size of about 0.1mm to about 0.3mm, but are not limited thereto.

According to embodiments, the first tobacco particles may comprise various types of tobacco powder. The first tobacco particles may comprise, for example, tobacco powder of at least one of: tobacco genus type, burley tobacco type, fire baking type, sun drying type and air drying type.

The flavoring may be a material that releases a specific odor. For example, the flavoring substances may include plant flavors such as cinnamon, sage, chinese herbal medicine, chamomile, winter hay, hydrangea, lavender, bergamot, lemon, orange, jasmine, ginger, vanilla, spearmint, peppermint, gum arabic, coffee, celery, sandalwood, cocoa, and the like.

As another example, the flavoring may include animal flavors such as musk, ambergris, muskcat, beaver, and the like.

As another example, the flavoring may be an alcohol compound such as menthol, geraniol, linalool, anisyl alcohol, eugenol, and the like. In addition, the flavoring may be an aldehyde compound such as vanillin, benzaldehyde, anisaldehyde, and the like. In addition, the flavor substance may be an ester compound such as isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, linalyl butyrate, or the like. Preferably, the flavour substance may be menthol.

The shell 12 may include a second tobacco blend. The second tobacco mixture may include second tobacco particles. The description given above of the first tobacco particles may be equally or similarly applied to the second tobacco particles.

The second tobacco mixture may be, for example, a tobacco slurry including second tobacco particles. The second tobacco mixture may be formed with a suitable viscosity by using a solvent such as water and/or ethanol. The second tobacco mixture may have moisture even after the solvent is removed. Details of the operation of making the second tobacco blend will be described below.

The tobacco material component 10 according to the embodiments may be applied to a filter of an aerosol-generating article to provide a variety of flavors to a user in an early stage of smoking and in a later stage of smoking. In the case where the aerosol of about 40 ℃ or higher is continuously delivered to the filter during smoking, fine pores are formed in the shell 12 of the tobacco material member 10 included in the filter. Thus, the flavor substance contained in the core 11 can be leaked from the core 11 to be delivered to the user. That is, the flavor substances included in the core 11 of the tobacco material member 10 may not be transferred in the early stage of smoking because the flavor substances included in the core 11 of the tobacco material member 10 are blocked by the shell 12 surrounding the core 11, but the flavor substances included in the core 11 may be transferred through the pores formed in the shell 12 in the latter stage of smoking so as to provide the user with a flavor different from that in the early stage of smoking.

Generally, in the case of an aerosol-generating article including a high-volatile flavor substance (e.g., menthol) in the related art, a large part of the flavor substance contained in the aerosol-generating article is delivered in the early stage of smoking, and thus the delivery rate of the flavor substance tends to drastically decrease in the latter stage of smoking. In contrast, according to the embodiment, the timing of delivery, delivery rate, and the like of the flavor substance contained in the core 11 can be appropriately adjusted by adjusting the physical properties of the shell 12, such as thickness, viscosity, and roughness.

Here, the period corresponding to the temporally early part of the entire smoking time, for example, about the first half of the smoking time may correspond to "early stage of smoking", and the remaining part of the smoking time may correspond to "late stage of smoking".

The shell 12 may have a surface roughness (Ra) of about 5.0 to about 10.0. Although the tobacco material piece shown in fig. 1 has a spherical shape as a whole, the shell 12 of the tobacco material piece 10 may have an atypical shape (i.e., the particles may not have a uniform shape), and may have a relatively high surface roughness. As will be described below, the tobacco material piece 10 according to an embodiment may be arranged to be embedded between acetate fibers of a filter in an aerosol-generating article. Here, the surface roughness of the shell 12 is related to the total amount of tobacco material pieces 10 that may be embedded between acetate fibers. In the case where the surface roughness of the case 12 is less than 5.0, it is difficult to fix the position of the tobacco material pieces 10 between acetate fibers due to low surface friction, and it is difficult to apply a large number of tobacco material pieces 10 into the filter. In the case where the surface roughness of the shell 12 exceeds 10.0, when a large number of pieces of tobacco material 10 are placed between acetate fibers, the acetate fibers may break due to excessive surface friction.

The tobacco material component 10 may have a generally spherical shape. The core 11 and the case 12 formed around the core 11 may have a spherical shape, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. As mentioned above, the shell 12 may have a relatively rough surface.

The first tobacco blend can include about 90wt% or more flavoring. In other words, the weight of the flavor substances included in the first tobacco mixture may be about 90% or more of the total weight of the first tobacco mixture. Where the first tobacco blend includes about 90% or more by weight of the flavoring, the flavor of the flavoring emanating from the core 11 may be provided intact without dilution by other components. In addition, in the case where a material other than the flavor substance is excessively added, the volatility of the flavor substance may be reduced, and thus the flavor may not be well transferred. In terms of improving flavor delivery, the first tobacco blend can include about 95wt% or more flavor.

The core 11 may have a density of about 0.5g/cc to about 0.7 g/cc. Preferably, the core 11 may have a density of about 0.55g/cc to about 0.65 g/cc.

Referring to fig. 1, the core 11 may have a size of about 30 mesh to about 50 mesh, and the tobacco material component 10 may have a size of about 18 mesh to about 25 mesh. That is, the core 11 may have a diameter d1 of about 0.297mm to about 0.595mm, and the tobacco material component 10 may have a diameter d2 of about 0.7mm to about 1 mm. In the case where the core 11 and the tobacco material member 10 are within the above size ranges, the formation of pores in the shell 12 can be started in the latter stage of smoking, and thus the flavor can be uniformly released in the latter stage of smoking.

In the case where the tobacco material piece 10 has a size of less than about 18 mesh (i.e., in the case where the tobacco material piece 10 has a diameter d2 of greater than about 1 mm), it may be difficult to form pores in the shell 12 due to the thicker shell 12, and thus it may be difficult to release the flavoring in the later stages of smoking. In the case where the tobacco material component 10 has a size greater than about 25 mesh (i.e., in the case where the tobacco material component 10 has a diameter d2 of less than about 0.7 mm), flavor may be prematurely released due to the relatively thin shell 12.

In addition, in the case where the core 11 has a size of less than about 30 mesh (i.e., in the case where the core 11 has a diameter d1 of greater than about 0.595 mm), the delivery amount of flavor may gradually increase with the passage of time. Thus, flavor cannot be uniformly provided during smoking. In the case where the core 11 has a size of more than about 50 mesh (i.e., in the case where the core 11 has a diameter d2 of less than about 0.297 mm), the content of the flavor substance in the tobacco material piece 10 is very small, and thus the delivery amount of flavor may drastically decrease as smoking proceeds.

The tobacco material component 10 may have a hardness of about 90% or greater. In particular, the piece of tobacco material may have a hardness of about 95% to about 99.9%. "hardness of a piece of tobacco material" is a physical property related to elasticity and restoring force, and refers to the degree of resistance to pressure applied in a direction perpendicular to the piece of tobacco material 10. "hardness of a piece of tobacco material" is measured by using a durometer and is calculated by the following formula:

hardness (%) = [ D-a ]/D100

( D: diameter of tobacco material piece, a: distance (mm) of tobacco material piece pressed by weight of 300g )

In the case where the tobacco material piece 10 has a hardness of less than about 90%, the tobacco material piece 10 may not maintain the shape of the tobacco material piece 10 and may be crushed during the manufacturing process of the filter including the tobacco material piece 10, and the case 12 may be damaged such that the core 11 is exposed to the outside. In addition, the flavour substances in the core 11 may be delivered from an early stage of smoking and thus may not provide a different flavour in a later stage of smoking.

The tobacco material component 10 may include from about 5.0wt% to about 8.0wt% moisture, based on the total weight of the tobacco material component 10. The formation of pores in the shell 12 is facilitated by the moisture contained in the tobacco material component 10 absorbing heat applied during smoking. In the case where the tobacco material component 10 includes less than about 5.0wt% moisture based on the total weight of the tobacco material component 10, pores may not be sufficiently formed in the shell 12, and thus, the delivery amount of flavor substance of the core 11 may be reduced. In the case where the tobacco material piece 10 includes more than about 8.0wt% moisture based on the total weight of the tobacco material piece 10, the tobacco material piece 10 may not be able to retain the shape of the tobacco material piece 10 due to an excessively high moisture content, or may form excessive holes in the shell 12 during early stages of smoking. Thus, the flavoring may begin to be delivered prematurely.

The core 11 may have about 8.0wt% to about 15.0wt% moisture based on the total weight of the core 11. When the core 11 includes moisture within the above numerical range, at least one of the flavor retention and the flavor expression of the core 11 can be improved. In addition, since the moisture content of the core 11 is greater than that of the shell 12, the tobacco material member 10 can be excellent in terms of hardness, flavor retention, and flavor expression.

The tobacco material component 10 can have a density of about 0.6g/cc or greater. Preferably, the tobacco material component 10 can have a density of about 0.7g/cc or greater.

The tobacco material component 10 described above may be included in an aerosol-generating article.

Fig. 2A is a diagram schematically illustrating a filter 240f comprising a piece of tobacco material 10 according to an embodiment.

Referring to fig. 2A, a filter 240f according to an embodiment may be arranged in a form in which a plurality of pieces of tobacco material 10 are embedded between filter elements. The filter element may be a cellulose acetate filter. The cellulose acetate filter may include a fiber bundle in which a plurality of cellulose acetate filaments are gathered. That is, the plurality of tobacco material pieces 10 included in the filter 240f according to the embodiment may be embedded between a plurality of cellulose acetate fibers.

The shape of the filter element is not limited. For example, the filter element may be a cylindrical rod or a tubular rod having a hollow portion therein. Additionally, the filter element may be a recessed rod. Where the filter element comprises a plurality of segments, at least one of the plurality of segments may be manufactured in different shapes.

Fig. 2B is a diagram schematically illustrating a filter 240f comprising a piece of tobacco material 10 according to another embodiment.

Referring to fig. 2B, the filter 240f may include a first filter portion 241, a flavor portion 242, and a second filter portion 243. In particular, the first filter portion 241, flavor portion 242, and second filter portion 243 may include a first filter element, tobacco material component 10, and a second filter element, respectively. The first filter portion 241, the flavor portion 242, and the second filter portion 243 may be sequentially arranged along the longitudinal direction of the filter 240f. Here, the longitudinal direction of the filter 240f may be a direction along which the length of the filter 240f extends.

The first filter element and the second filter element included in the first filter portion 241 and the second filter portion 243, respectively, may be the same as or different from each other. The description given above with respect to the filter element with reference to fig. 2A may be equally applied to the first filter element and the second filter element.

Flavor portion 242 may be positioned between first filter portion 241 and second filter portion 243. The flavor portion 242 may include a tube-type filter element having a hollow portion, and a plurality of pieces of tobacco material 10 may be disposed in the hollow portion.

Alternatively, the flavor portion 242 may comprise a piece of tobacco material 10 without a filter element. Here, the flavor portion 242 may include a plurality of pieces of tobacco material 10 inside, and may be surrounded by a wrapper of the filter 240f.

In the filter 240f according to fig. 2A and 2B, fine pores may be formed in the shell 12 of the tobacco material 10 included in the filter 240f by the high-temperature aerosol delivered to the user during smoking, and thus the flavor substance included in the core 11 may be delivered to the user. That is, in the filter 240f, the flavor substances included in the core 11 of the tobacco material 10 are not delivered at an early stage of smoking because the flavor substances included in the core 11 of the tobacco material 10 are blocked by the shell 12 surrounding the core 11. The flavourant is then delivered through the pores formed in the shell 12 during the later stages of smoking so that a user may be provided with a different flavour during the early stages of smoking and during the later stages of smoking.

Fig. 3A is a diagram illustrating an example of an aerosol-generating article 200 according to an embodiment. The aerosol-generating article 200 according to an embodiment may comprise a filter 240f comprising a piece of tobacco material 10 as described above. The aerosol-generating article 200 may generate an aerosol without burning when heated.

Referring to fig. 3A, the aerosol-generating article 200 may comprise a first portion 210, a second portion 220, a third portion 230, and a fourth portion 240. In particular, the first portion 210, the second portion 220, the third portion 230, and the fourth portion 240 may include an aerosol-generating element, a tobacco element, a cooling element, and a filter element, respectively. For example, the first portion 210 may include an aerosol-generating substance, the second portion 220 may include a piece of tobacco material and a humectant, the third portion 230 may cool the airflow through the first portion 210 and the second portion 220, and the fourth portion 230 may include a filter material. The fourth portion 240 may be a filter 240f as described above including the tobacco material component 10.

Referring to fig. 3A, the first portion 210, the second portion 220, the third portion 230, and the fourth portion 240 may be arranged sequentially along the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 200. Here, the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 200 may be the direction along which the length of the aerosol-generating article 200 extends. For example, the longitudinal direction of the aerosol-generating article 200 may be the direction from the first portion 210 to the fourth portion 240. Thus, aerosol generated in at least one of the first portion 210 and the second portion 220 may pass through the third portion 240 and the fourth portion 240, and a smoker may inhale aerosol from the fourth portion 240.

The first portion 210 may comprise an aerosol-generating element. In addition, the first portion 210 may also include other additives such as flavors, humectants, and/or organic acids. Additionally, the first portion 210 may contain a flavored liquid, such as menthol or a humectant. Here, the aerosol-generating element may comprise at least one of glycerol, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and various types of aerosol-generating elements may be used.

The first portion 210 may comprise an aerosol-generating substrate impregnated with an aerosol-generating element. Examples of aerosol-generating substrates may include a curled sheet of material and the aerosol-generating elements may be included in the first portion 210 in a state of being impregnated in the curled sheet of material. In addition, other additives, such as flavors, humectants, and/or organic acids may be included in the first portion 210 in a state of being absorbed into the curled sheet.

The curled sheet may be a sheet comprising a polymeric material. For example, the polymeric material may include at least one of paper, cellulose acetate, lyocell, and polylactic acid. For example, the curled sheet may be a paper sheet that does not generate taste even when heated to a high temperature. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The first portion 210 may extend from about 7mm to about 20mm from the end of the aerosol-generating article 200 and the second portion 220 may extend from about 7mm to about 20mm from the point where the first portion 210 ends. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this numerical range, and the length of the first portion 210 or the second portion 220 may be different according to embodiments.

The second portion 220 may include a tobacco element. The tobacco element may be a piece of tobacco material in various forms. For example, the tobacco element may be in the form of tobacco fines, tobacco particles, tobacco sheets, tobacco beads, tobacco granules, tobacco powder, or tobacco extract. In addition, the piece of tobacco material may include, for example, tobacco leaves, tobacco veins, expanded tobacco, crushed tobacco leaves, fine pieces cut from reconstituted tobacco sheet material, and/or reconstituted tobacco.

The third portion 230 may cool the airflow through the first portion 210 and the second portion 220. The third portion 230 may be made of a polymer material or a biodegradable polymer material, and the third portion 230 may have a cooling function. For example, the third portion 230 may be made of polylactic acid (PLA) fiber, but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the third portion 230 may be made of a cellulose acetate filter having a plurality of holes. However, the third portion 230 is not limited to the above example, and any other material performing a function of cooling the aerosol may be used without limitation. For example, the third portion 230 may be a tube filter or a paper tube including a hollow portion.

The fourth portion 240 may be a filter 240f as described above including the tobacco material component 10. That is, the details described above for the filter 240f comprising the tobacco material component 10 may equally apply to the filter comprised in the fourth portion 240.

As described above, the fourth portion 240 may include a filter element. For example, the fourth portion 240 may be a cellulose acetate filter. Meanwhile, the shape of the fourth portion 240 is not limited. For example, the fourth portion 240 may be a cylindrical rod or a tubular rod including a hollow portion therein. In addition, the fourth portion 240 may be a recessed-type rod (re-type rod). Where the fourth portion 240 includes a plurality of segments, at least one of the plurality of segments may have a different shape.

The fourth portion 240 may be formed to generate a flavor. For example, the flavor liquid may be sprayed onto the fourth portion 240, or additional fibers to which the flavor liquid is applied may be inserted into the fourth portion 240.

The aerosol-generating article 200 may comprise a wrapper 250 surrounding at least a portion of the first portion 210 to the fourth portion 240. For example, the package 250 may completely surround the first portion 210 to the fourth portion 240. The package 250 may be positioned on the outermost side of the aerosol-generating article 200. Package 250 may be a single package or a combination of multiple packages.

Fig. 3B is a diagram illustrating an example of an aerosol-generating article 200 according to another embodiment. The aerosol-generating article 200 may be, for example, a combustion type cigarette.

Referring to fig. 3B, the aerosol-generating article 200 may comprise a second portion 220 and a fourth portion 240. The second portion 220 may comprise a tobacco element and the fourth portion 240 may comprise a filter element. The description with reference to fig. 3A may be equally or similarly applied to the second portion 220 and the fourth portion 240.

The second portion 220 may include a tobacco element, and the tobacco element may be a piece of a particular type of tobacco material. The second portion 220 may be ignited and burned by the user.

The fourth portion 240 may include a filter element. In addition, the fourth portion 240 may also be a filter 240f as described above that includes the tobacco material component 10. That is, the details described above for the filter 240f comprising the tobacco material component 10 may equally apply to the filter comprised in the fourth portion 240.

The aerosol-generating article 200 may comprise a wrapper 250 surrounding at least a portion of the second portion 220 and the fourth portion 240. The description above with reference to fig. 3A may be equally or similarly applied to package 250.

Fig. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of manufacturing a piece of tobacco material according to an embodiment. Referring to fig. 4, a method of manufacturing a tobacco material piece may include a first operation S110 and a second operation S120.

The first operation S110 may be an operation of manufacturing the core 11 by using a first composition including a flavoring substance. The first composition may include tobacco powder, water, and a flavoring substance. In particular, the first composition may comprise: about 90% v/v (volume percent) to about 99% v/v of the flavoring; about 0.5% v/v to about 5% v/v tobacco material pieces; and about 0.5% v/v to about 5% v/v water. For example, the first composition may be a tobacco slurry comprising a flavoring.

The second operation S120 may be an operation of forming the case 12 around at least a portion of the core 11. The shell 12 may be formed using a second composition. The second composition may include: about 10wt% to about 20wt% tobacco powder; about 40wt% to about 60wt% water; and about 30wt% to about 40wt% ethanol. For example, the second composition may be a tobacco slurry. Unlike the first composition, the second composition includes ethanol, which can reduce the drying time of the formed shell and adjust the hardness and roughness of the shell. In addition, ethanol also has the effect of sterilizing the outer shell forming the tobacco material piece and removing the smell of this shell.

The first operation S110 and the second operation S120 will be described in more detail with reference to fig. 5A and 5B.

Fig. 5A is a diagram illustrating a first operation S110 of a method of manufacturing a tobacco material piece according to an embodiment.

Referring to fig. 5A, the apparatus 20 for manufacturing pieces of tobacco material may be a fluidized bed reactor. The fluidized bed reactor may include a storage unit 21, a supply unit 22, and a chamber 23. The storage unit 21 may store the first composition A1. The supply unit 22 may supply the first composition A1 from the storage unit 21 to the chamber 23. The chamber 23 may be where the first composition A1 is formed into the core 11 of a piece of tobacco material. The chamber 23 may include an inlet 24 through which air is introduced from the outside via the inlet 24.

The first operation S110 may include: the first composition A1 is moved from the storage unit 21 to the supply unit 22. Thus, the first composition A1 may be introduced into the chamber 23 from the supply unit 22.

In particular, the first operation S110 may include: growing the first composition A1 by spraying the first composition A1 in a fluidized bed reactor at a temperature of about 30 ℃ to about 60 ℃ and at a pressure of about 1.5 bar or less; and obtaining the core 11 from the enlarged first composition A1.

Physical characteristics of the core 11, such as size, shape, viscosity, density, and surface roughness, may be determined by the temperature condition and the air pressure condition of the first operation S110. In the case where the temperature conditions and the air pressure conditions within the above numerical ranges are satisfied, the core 11 having appropriate physical properties can be formed.

External air may be introduced from outside the chamber 23 through the inlet 24 to the inside of the chamber 23. The external air introduced into the chamber 23 may form a flow of the first composition A1 in the chamber 23, and thus the first composition A1 may become larger by condensation and aggregation, thereby forming the core 11 of the tobacco material piece.

Fig. 5B is a diagram illustrating a second operation S120 of the method of manufacturing a tobacco material piece according to an embodiment. The description above with reference to fig. 5A may be equally or similarly applied to the apparatus 20 for manufacturing pieces of tobacco material.

Referring to fig. 5B, in the second operation S120, the core 11 obtained through the first operation S110 may be placed in the chamber 23, and the second composition A2 may be introduced into the chamber 23 from the supply unit 22.

In particular, the second operation S120 may include: positioning the core 11 in a fluidized bed reactor at a temperature of about 50 ℃ to about 90 ℃ and at a pressure of about 1.5 bar or less; coating the surface of the core 11 with the second composition A2 by spraying the second composition A2 in the fluidized bed reactor; and obtaining a piece of tobacco material 10 (i.e. a core 11 coated with a second composition A2).

Physical characteristics of the shell 12 to be formed, such as size, shape, viscosity, density, and surface roughness, may be determined by temperature conditions and pressure conditions of the second operation S120. In the case where the temperature and the air pressure within the above numerical ranges are satisfied, the case 12 having appropriate physical properties can be formed.

In an embodiment, the first composition A1 in the first operation S110 may become larger at a temperature lower than that of the second composition A2 in the second operation S120. Because the first composition A1 includes a flavoring substance, a larger temperature than that of the second composition A2 can be advantageous for improving flavor retention and flavor expression of the tobacco material pieces.

External air may be introduced from outside the chamber 23 through the inlet 24 to the inside of the chamber 23. The external air introduced into the chamber 23 may form a flow of the core 11 and the second composition A2 in the chamber 23, and thus, the second composition A2 may form the shell 12 surrounding at least a portion of the core 11 by condensing and accumulating on the surface of the core 11.

Accordingly, the tobacco material member 10 including the core 11 and the shell 12 surrounding at least a portion of the core 11 may be manufactured through the first and second operations S110 and S120. According to the method of manufacturing the tobacco material piece 10 of the embodiment, the tobacco material piece 10 can be manufactured by a simple operation using a manufacturing apparatus such as a fluidized bed reactor, and the tobacco material piece 10 is suitable for mass production.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art relating to the present embodiment that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the features described above. The disclosed methods should be considered in descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The scope of the disclosure is defined by the claims rather than the above description, and all differences within the scope of the equivalents of the disclosure should be construed as being included in the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A piece of tobacco material, the piece of tobacco material comprising:

a core comprising a first tobacco mixture; and

a shell surrounding at least a portion of the core, and comprising a second tobacco mixture,

wherein the first tobacco blend comprises first tobacco particles and a flavor substance,

the second tobacco mixture includes second tobacco particles, and

the shell has a surface roughness (Ra) of about 5.0 to about 10.0.

2. The piece of tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the first tobacco mixture comprises 90wt% or more of the flavor substance based on the total weight of the first tobacco mixture.

3. The piece of tobacco material according to claim 1, wherein the core has a size of about 30 mesh to about 50 mesh, and

the tobacco material piece has a size of about 18 mesh to about 25 mesh.

4. The piece of tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the piece of tobacco material has a hardness of 90% or greater.

5. The tobacco material component of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material component comprises from about 5.0wt% to about 8.0wt% moisture based on the total weight of the tobacco material component.

6. A filter for an aerosol-generating article, the filter comprising a piece of tobacco material according to claim 1.

7. The filter of claim 6, further comprising:

a first filter portion comprising a first filter element;

a flavour portion comprising a piece of tobacco material according to claim 1; and

a second filter portion comprising a second filter element,

wherein the first filter portion, the flavor portion and the second filter portion are sequentially arranged along a longitudinal direction of the filter.

8. A method of manufacturing a piece of tobacco material, the method comprising:

a first operation of manufacturing a core by using a first composition comprising a flavour substance; and

a second operation of forming a shell around at least a portion of the core.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the first operation comprises: the first composition is enlarged by spraying the first composition in a fluidized bed reactor at a temperature of about 30 ℃ to about 60 ℃ and at a pressure of 1.5 bar or less.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the first composition comprises: about 99% v/v to about 99% v/v of the flavoring; about 0.5% v/v to about 5% v/v tobacco powder;

and about 0.5% v/v to about 5% v/v water.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the second operation comprises:

positioning the core in a fluidized bed reactor; and

coating the surface of the core with a second composition by spraying the second composition in the fluidized bed reactor at a temperature of about 50 ℃ to about 90 ℃ and at a pressure of 1.5 bar or less.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the second composition comprises: about 10wt% to about 20wt% tobacco powder; about 40wt% to about 60wt% water; and about 30wt% to about 40wt% ethanol.