DE102022121333A1 - Method of making cut tobacco from tobacco leaf material for use in HNB tobacco articles and HNB tobacco articles - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing tobacco leaf material and cut tobacco for use in HNB tobacco articles and an HNB tobacco article. The method for producing tobacco leaf material and cut tobacco comprises the following steps: providing green tobacco leaf material, applying a humectant to the green tobacco leaf material, the humectant having glycerin and/or propylene glycol as the vapor-forming substance, with the ratio between green tobacco leaf material and humectant preferably being between 80 :5 to 80:35, preferably between 80:15 to 80:25, cutting the green tobacco leaf material into a cut green tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form, and drying the cut green tobacco leaf material into a tobacco leaf material having a moisture content of less than 15% .

Description

The invention relates to a method for producing cut tobacco from tobacco leaf material for use in HNB tobacco articles in the tobacco processing industry. The invention also relates to a rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB tobacco article, and a tobacco mixture.

When using a heat-not-burn tobacco article, the tobacco material is heated to a temperature that is lower than the temperature at which a conventional cigarette burns. The tobacco material is not burned, but only heated. There is no combustion process, so that, unlike a conventional cigarette, no combustion products are produced. As a result of the heating of the tobacco material, flavorings and ingredients evaporate from the tobacco material and are available for consumption in a heated air flow. A heat-not-burn tobacco article shall be referred to as an HNB tobacco article in the context of the present description.

Currently, only Recon (reconstituted tobacco) is used in HNB tobacco products. Currently, Recon is a good fit because it can be infused with a vapor-generating substance that is a mixture of glycerin and/or propylene glycol. At high levels of a vapor-forming substance, the recon is very sticky and difficult to process, in particular such a material leads to errors in the processing process.

It is an object of the invention to provide a method for producing cut tobacco from tobacco leaf material and a tobacco leaf mixture for use in HNB tobacco articles and a rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB tobacco article, wherein tobacco leaf material is to be used in the HNB tobacco article.

Another object of the invention is a method for producing cut tobacco from tobacco leaf material and a tobacco mixture with a high proportion of vapor-forming substance, in particular a mixture of glycerin and/or propylene glycol, for use in smoking articles, in particular HNB tobacco articles, and a smoking article in particular an HNB tobacco article, wherein tobacco leaf material is used in the smoking article, in particular the HNB tobacco article, and this tobacco leaf material has positive processing properties.

The object is achieved by a method for producing cut tobacco for use in smoking articles, in particular in HNB smoking articles in the tobacco processing industry, comprising the following steps: a) providing, in particular fermented, green tobacco leaf material b) in particular threshing the, preferably fermented , green tobacco leaf material to threshed green tobacco leaf material, c) applying a humectant to the green, preferably threshed, tobacco leaf material, the humectant having glycerin and/or propylene glycol as the vapor-forming substance, with the ratio between green tobacco leaf material (dry matter without water) and humectant preferably between 80:5 to 80:35, preferably between 80:15 to 80:25, d) cutting the green tobacco leaf material into a cut green tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form, preferably with an orthogonal orientation of the green tobacco leaf material to a he cutting blade, e) drying the cut green tobacco leaf material to a tobacco leaf material with a moisture content of less than 15% (mass water / total mass wet tobacco leaf material).

The moisture content of tobacco leaf material is defined for the purposes of this application as the mass of the water of the tobacco leaf material in relation to the mass of the moist tobacco leaf material, namely tobacco leaf material and water.

In the context of this application, tobacco leaf material is defined as tobacco material consisting of components of the tobacco plant, in particular leaves of the tobacco plant, which are divided into sections which are in particular threshed, the sections having an area greater than 1 mm ² and/or a volume greater than 0, 1 mm ³ have. Tobacco leaf material is not reconstituted tobacco in which the components of the tobacco plant are ground into particles or fibers and processed into a sheet using binders.

Green tobacco leaf material is tobacco leaf material which, preferably after harvesting, has not been dried to a moisture content below 14%, especially not below 13%. Through this dry During the production process below a moisture content of 14%, in particular 13%, damage occurs to the cell structure of the tobacco leaves and the absorption and storage of humectants is restricted.

By moistening green tobacco leaf material with humectant, this humectant can penetrate into the cell structure of the green tobacco leaf material and be stored there. In contrast to tobacco leaf material, which has already been dried to a moisture content below 14%, in particular 13%, the humectant only lies on the surface of the tobacco leaf material. The humectant preferably has glycerin and/or propylene glycol. If such a humectant is present on the surface of the tobacco leaf material, the surface has sticky properties and the tobacco leaf material can be processed with disadvantageous properties. In particular, the tobacco leaf material sticks to the processing and manufacturing machines and/or the tobacco leaf material sticks to one another and forms sticky nests.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, the preferably fermented green tobacco leaf material, before it is threshed in particular in step b) or before it is cut in step d), in an additional step b1) and/or d1) to a moisture content of between 20 % and 30% and/or a temperature between 30°C and 50°C, preferably between 40°C and 48°C. By moistening and/or heating the tobacco leaf material, it is possible to divide it gently during the threshing process and/or during the cutting.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, the humectant applied to the green tobacco leaf material in step c) has a ratio between glycerin and/or propylene glycol and tobacco leaf material of between 90:10 and 70:30 or between 60:40 and 40:60 , further in particular the humectant being applied to the tobacco leaf material at a temperature between 40°C and 70°C, preferably between 45°C and 60°C.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, the cut tobacco leaf material is dried in step e) in at least two stages, with sub-step e1) pre-drying to a moisture content of less than 16%, preferably with a drying temperature T1 between 100° C. and 120° C. and wherein in step e2) after-drying to a moisture content of less than 12% takes place, preferably with a drying temperature T2 between 45°C and 55°C, with in particular T1>T2, preferably T1>T2+40°C. The tobacco leaf material is dried in a two-stage drying process in an energy-efficient, fast and gentle manner.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, the cut tobacco leaf material is dried with hot air in step e), the hot air in particular having a temperature between 40°C and 60°C or at least approximately 45°C, and/or preferably a moisture content of less than 17% or 16% or 15% or 14% or 13% or 12%.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, before it is cut in step d), the green tobacco leaf material provided with the humectant is heated in a further step d1*) to a temperature between 42° C. and 48° C., in particular to a temperature between 44° C and 46°C, and/or brought to a moisture content between 20% and 21%. The heated and moistened tobacco leaf material is easier to process because the tobacco leaf material is flexible and less brittle, so the cutting process causes no or less damage to the tobacco leaf material.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, the cut tobacco leaf material is dried in step e) to a moisture content between 6% and 10% or between 9% and 12% and/or the green tobacco leaf material is not dried to a moisture content less than that before cutting in step d). than 17%, preferably less than 16% or 15%, more preferably less than 14% or 13%.

In a preferred embodiment of the method, in step d) the green tobacco leaf material is cut into cut green tobacco leaf material with a width between 0.6 mm and 1.7 mm, in particular a width greater than 1.5 mm, or a width between 0, 1mm to 0.4mm cut. In order to be able to process the tobacco leaf material into rod-shaped smoking articles, it is preferable to process it using established manufacturing processes. A preferred method of manufacture is the tufting of loose tobacco leaf material onto a suction rod. For this purpose, the cut tobacco leaf material has a preferred width of between 0.6 mm and 1.7 mm. The cut tobacco leaf material preferably has a length of between 3 mm and 30 mm, preferably between 3 mm and 12 mm. Particularly preferably, the cut Tobacco leaf material and/or the tobacco blend or the cut tobacco has a fiber length of between 20 mmRe and 25 mmRe, preferably between 21 mmRe and 24 mmRe.

The object is also achieved by a smoking article, in particular a rod-shaped HNB article, comprising tobacco leaf material which is produced using the method according to the invention and/or comprising a tobacco mixture according to the invention. In order to avoid repetition, when describing the advantages of a smoking article according to the invention, reference is made to the entire disclosure of the application.

The object is also achieved by a tobacco blend which has the following: cut tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form with a width between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm, the tobacco blend preferably has more than 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% % tobacco leaf material (dry matter tobacco leaf material/dry matter tobacco mixture), - a humectant, preferably propylene glycol and/or glycerin, the ratio between tobacco mixture (dry matter without water) and humectant between 80:5 to 80:35, preferably between 80:15 to 80 :25, is,
wherein the tobacco blend has a reflection value greater than 1.2, in particular greater than 1.3 or 1.5 or a reflection value between 1.25 and 1.8, and/or
wherein the static friction of the tobacco blend µs is between 0.2 and 0.7, preferably between 0.25 and 0.5, or the static friction of the tobacco blend µs is less than 0.35 or 0.3, and/or the sliding friction µd is between 0.2 and 0.7, preferably between 0.25 and 0.5, or the sliding friction μd of the tobacco mixture is less than 0.35 or 0.3, and/or
wherein the tobacco blend has a moisture content of more than 20% at a relative humidity of 75% (mass of water/moist total mass) and/or wherein the tobacco blend has a moisture content of less than 18% at a relative humidity of 60% and/or wherein the tobacco blend has a moisture content of less than 10% at a relative humidity of 30%,
and or
wherein the tobacco mixture has cut tobacco leaf material in strip form with a strip width B and with a fiber length between 20 mmRe and 25 mmRe, preferably between 21 mmRe and 24 mmRe, and/or a ratio VFISb of fiber length and strip width between 10 mmRee/mm and 35 mmRe /mm, preferably between 12 mmRee/mm and 17 mmRe/mm or preferably between 27 mmRee/mm and 33 mmRe/mm.

A core concept of the invention is to increase the absorption of moisture-retaining agents in the tobacco leaf material. By applying the humectant to green tobacco leaf material, the components of the tobacco plant can advantageously absorb the humectant and the humectant can be absorbed into the tobacco leaf material. This increases the capacity of the tobacco leaf material and prevents the humectant from being located only on the outer surfaces of the tobacco leaf material. The material has a high adhesive strength due to the accumulation of the humectant, in particular due to glycerin and/or propylene glycol, on the outer surfaces of the tobacco leaf material. This can lead to nesting and clumping, as well as making processing of the tobacco leaf material difficult. An advantage according to the invention is the arrangement of the humectant in the tobacco leaf material, which can be described by a large number of features that are listed by one and/or combination, but form a group of inventions since they are based on the same inventive idea.

The fiber length is an important quality parameter for the cut tobacco and the tobacco blend and influences the quality properties of the smoking product, in particular the standard deviation of the weight, the hardness, the head shape, the draw resistance and the filling power. To determine the fiber length, a sieve tower with different sieve inserts is used and the fiber length is determined using the Reemtsma method (unit mmRe). The Reemtsma method is based on the basic idea of breaking down a sample in a sieve tower into percentage parts by weight and assigning each weight part to a fiber length according to the mesh size or opening size of the sieve inserts. Four different sieve inserts are to be used and arranged one below the other from coarse to fine. The sieve inserts have a mesh size or opening size of 4mm, 2mm, 1mm and 0.5mm. For example, the test screening machine JEL 200/80 from Borgwaldt Technik GmbH can be used to determine the fiber length. The fiber length FL in mmRe results from the weight proportions GA _nn (GA ₄₀ , GA ₂₀ GA ₁₀ and GA ₀₅ ) and an allocation factor: $$\text{FL}={\text{GA}}_{\text{40}}*35\text{mmRe}+{\text{GA}}_{\text{20}}*35\text{mmRe}+{\text{GA}}_{\text{10}}*15\text{mmRe}+{\text{GA}}_{\text{05}}*4\text{mmRe}$$

The measurement procedure is to be carried out under standard laboratory conditions, namely 22°C (+/-2°C) and a relative humidity of 60% (+/-5%). The required quantity of cut tobacco or tobacco mixture is 50g. For a tobacco sample, 10 sievings are carried out with the sieve inserts listed and a bowl arranged below. For the duration of the sieving, the sieve tower is set in horizontal vibration for 8 minutes. The sieve inserts with a mesh size of 4mm and 2mm are assigned a fiber length of 35mm, the sieve insert with a mesh size of 1mm is assigned a fiber length of 15mm and the sieve insert with a mesh size of 0.5mm is assigned a fiber length of 4mm. This weighted average gives the fiber length of the cut tobacco or tobacco blend. Unless otherwise stated, the principles and implementation of the sieve analysis correspond to DIN standard 66165 (1987).

The width of the fibers or strips is determined by an optical method in which a picture is taken of distributed fibers and the maximum fiber width or strip width is determined using image processing algorithms, which is also referred to as width in this application.

A DD 60 A densimeter from Bordwaldt GmbH, for example, should be used to determine the filling power. The determination or measurement is to be carried out under standard laboratory conditions. To measure the filling power of cut tobacco or a tobacco blend, use a measuring head with a suitable measuring material container (cylinder) with a diameter of d=60mm and a height of 104mm. Six samples of 20g (+/- 1g) each should be used. Two samples P1, P2 are conditioned at a relative humidity of 58% (+/-3%) and the other two samples P3, P4 at a relative humidity of 68% (+/-3%). The last two samples P5, P6 are not conditioned. All six samples are to be measured, filled into the measuring material container and loaded with a weight of 2 kg for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the density of the tobacco blend or cut is determined by measuring the volume of the compressed tobacco blend or cut. The density under load results directly from the volume and the mass of the sample, namely the filling power FK _Pn of the samples P1 to P6. However, the filling power is to be specified at a moisture content of 12%. A moisture correction term is therefore to be determined from the four samples P1 to P4 (58%, 68%) in order to convert the filling power of samples P5 and P6 to the moisture content of 12%, assuming a linear relationship. After measuring the filling power of samples P5 and P6, the moisture content of the two samples is to be determined. The moisture correction term for samples P5 and P6 is therefore the factor (FK _P1 + FK _P2 )/20-(FK _P3 + FK _P4 )/20.

The moisture content of cut tobacco or tobacco blend shall be determined by an oven method in which a 10 g sample is heated for 30 minutes in an oven with an internal air temperature of 128 °C. The moisture content is defined by the mass ratio of the water removed by the oven to the total mass of the sample. A moisture content of 20% results in a dried mass of 8g for a sample of 10g.

When moistening or conditioning for the measurement methods, the tobacco leaf material, cut tobacco or tobacco blend is stored for at least 24 hours at the specified relative humidity so that the tobacco leaf material, cut tobacco or tobacco blend can absorb the appropriate moisture from the air.

A DD 60 A densimeter from Bordwaldt GmbH, for example, can be used to determine the reflex value. The determination or measurement is to be carried out under standard laboratory conditions. To measure the reflex value of cut tobacco or a tobacco blend, a measuring head with a suitable measuring material container (cylinder) with a diameter of d=60mm and a height of 104mm is to be used. Two samples of 20g (+/- 1g) each should be used. All six samples are to be measured, filled into the measuring material container and loaded with a weight of 2 kg for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the density of the tobacco blend or cut is determined by measuring the volume of the compressed tobacco blend or cut. The 2 kg load is removed and the specimens are unloaded for 60 seconds. After the 60 seconds, the specimens are to be loaded with a weight of 0.5 kg. After 30 seconds, the density of the tobacco blend or cut is determined by measuring the volume of the compressed tobacco blend or cut. The reflex value results from the volume ratio by V _0.5kg /V _2kg . The numerator and denominator of the fraction are the arithmetic mean of the two volume values of the two samples. Analogous to determining the filling power, the measured sample is converted to a moisture content of 12% using the moisture correction term.

The static and sliding friction is to be determined using a zwickiLine Z0.5 TN. A sled with a sample is pulled across a horizontal plane by a rope using a load cell. The evaluation is carried out using the ZwickRoell testing software. A piece of paper is to be clamped onto the carriage with a double-sided adhesive tape covering the contact surface, namely Tesa 4964, in accordance with the clamping device. The tape is 6 cm wide and 6.5 cm long. The sled with the adhesive tape is to be placed in a container with the tobacco mixture or cut tobacco for 15 seconds and placed on the test track. The bottom surface of the container is completely covered with the cut tobacco or tobacco blend.

A preferred embodiment of the tobacco blend is characterized in that the filling power of the tobacco blend is between 4 cm ³ /g and 10 cm ³ /g, preferably between 5 cm ³ /g and 6.5 cm ³ /g or preferably a filling power greater than 6 cm ³ /g.

A preferred embodiment of the tobacco blend is characterized in that the cut tobacco leaf material has a strip shape, with at least 90% by mass of the cut tobacco leaf material having a length between 20 mm and 24 mm, preferably between 21.5 mm and 23 mm.

und/oder $$\text{VVHZ}=\text{GZ}/\text{PG}>10\text{ oder VVHZ}=\text{GZ}/\text{PG}>15.$$

A preferred embodiment of the tobacco mixture is characterized in that the tobacco mixture has propylene glycol PG and glycerine GZ and the following applies to the mass MVHZ and/or volume ratio VVHZ of glycerine and PG: $$\text{MVHZ}=\text{GZ}/\text{PG}>10\text{or MVHZ}=\text{GZ}/\text{PG}>15$$

and or $$\text{VVHZ}=\text{GZ}/\text{PG}>10\text{or VVHZ}=\text{GZ}/\text{PG}>15$$

The object is also achieved by a rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB smoking article, with a mouth end, a distal end and an aerosol-forming segment, the aerosol-forming segment having a tobacco mixture, the aerosol-forming segment preferably having a density of between 150 mg/cm ³ and 300 mg/cm ³ and the tobacco blend comprises cut tobacco leaf material and a humectant, preferably glycerin and/or propylene glycol, between 10% and 45% (relative to the total dry matter of the tobacco blend), preferably between 18% and 32%.

A preferred embodiment of the rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB article, is characterized in that the tobacco mixture is an embodiment of the tobacco mixture according to the invention.

A preferred embodiment of the rod-shaped smoking article is characterized in that the rod-shaped smoking article has no cellulose acetate, in particular no filter segment with cellulose acetate.

• 1 ein schematisches Ablaufdiagramm eines erfindungsgemäßen Verfahrens zur Behandlung von Tabak;
• 2a eine Darstellung einer ersten Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Tabakmischung;
• 2b eine Darstellung einer zweiten Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Tabakmischung;
• 3a eine Detaildarstellung einer ersten Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Tabakmischung;
• 3b eine Detaildarstellung einer zweiten Ausführungsform einer erfindungsgemäßen Tabakmischung;
• 4 eine Messvorrichtung zur Bestimmung der Haft- und Gleitreibung; und
• 5 ein Messverfahren zur Bestimmung des Reflex-Wertes.

The invention is explained below on the basis of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. It shows:

• 1 a schematic flow chart of a method according to the invention for the treatment of tobacco;
• 2a a representation of a first embodiment of a tobacco blend according to the invention;
• 2 B a representation of a second embodiment of a tobacco blend according to the invention;
• 3a a detailed representation of a first embodiment of a tobacco mixture according to the invention;
• 3b a detailed representation of a second embodiment of a tobacco mixture according to the invention;
• 4 a measuring device for determining the static and sliding friction; and
• 5 a measuring method for determining the reflex value.

1 shows a schematic flow chart of a method according to the invention for producing cut tobacco with the method steps from a) to e2). The provision of green tobacco leaf material takes place in step a). After step a), the green tobacco leaf material provided is optionally moistened to a moisture content of between 20% and 30%, preferably 22% or 24% or 26%, and to a temperature of between 30°C and 50°C, preferably 35°C , 40°C, 45°C or 50°C. This is done in order to ensure smooth processing and to keep the damage to the structure of the tobacco leaf material as small as possible, which occurs in particular as a result of the subsequent method step b), the threshing of the green tobacco leaf material. In step c), a humectant is applied to the threshed green tobacco leaf material. This humectant can penetrate the tobacco leaf material and the tobacco leaf material absorbs and/or soaks up the humectant. By using the green tobacco leaf material, in contrast to already pre-dried tobacco leaf material, a large amount of humectant can be absorbed by the tobacco leaf material. For example, 200 kg of humectant is to be applied to 1000 kg of tobacco leaf material with a moisture content of 20%, ie 800 kg of dry matter of the tobacco leaf material and 200 l or 200 kg of water. The humectant can have, for example, 100 kg of propylene glycol and 100 kg of glycerin or, for example, 200 kg of glycerin. Any other mixing ratios are possible. Particularly advantageously, the humectant has a higher mass of glycerol than propylene glycol. The ratio of the dry matter of the green tobacco leaf material and the humectant is 8:2 in the example given.

After the humectant has been applied, the green tobacco leaf material is to be moistened and heated in step d1) analogously to step b1) in order to prepare the tobacco leaf material for the mechanical stress in the subsequent step d), cutting. As an alternative to step d1) or in a further step d1*), the tobacco leaf material provided with the humectant is heated to a temperature between 42°C and 48°C, in particular to a temperature between 44°C and 46°C, and to a moisture content between bring 20% and 21%. The tobacco leaf material is preferably cut into strips with a width of between 0.6 mm and 1.7 mm, for example 1.49 mm or 0.71 mm. The cutting width of the strips can also be specified in CPI (cuts per inch), preferred strip widths being, for example, 15 CPI or 17 CPI, namely 1.49 mm, or 34 CPI or 40 CPI or 54 CPI or 51 CPI. The cutting can preferably be done by a straight layer cut. This cutting method is applicable to unthreshed tobacco leaf material, such as whole tobacco leaf, or precut or threshed tobacco leaf material. The tobacco leaves are to be aligned in such a way that the strong stiffeners of the tobacco leaf, for example the ribs or veins, are cut orthogonally by the cutting blades. This creates what are known as “bird eyes”, which have an advantageous structure and can be easily processed in conventional production machines. The number of larger pieces of ribs or veins in the cut tobacco leaf material is reduced by this cutting method.

After cutting, drying takes place in step e). The drying process is optionally designed as a single-stage or two-stage or multi-stage drying process. A two-stage drying process is preferred 1 represented by the method steps e1) and e2). In step e1), pre-drying to a moisture content of 16% takes place at a drying temperature T1 between 100°C and 120°C, for example 108°C. In the subsequent step e2), the after-drying takes place to a moisture content of approx. 12% with a drying temperature T2 between 45°C and 55°C, for example 46°C or 48°C.

In 2 are shown two embodiments of the cut tobacco according to the invention, which in 2a an inseam of 19 cpi and in 2 B has a cutting width of 51 CPI. The cut tobacco shown or the tobacco mixture shown has a ratio of dry matter of the tobacco leaf material to humectant of 8:2 and can advantageously be processed without the disruptive sticking of the cut tobacco strips.

3 shows a detailed view of the two tobacco blends or cut tobaccos 2 . 3a and 3b refer to the tobacco blend 2a or. 2 B . The cutting widths are accordingly 19 CPI and 51 CPI. The fiber lengths are 22 mmRee and 15 mmRee.

4 shows a measuring device for determining static and sliding friction. A zwickiLine Z0.5 TN is shown. A carriage 105 with a sample 106 is pulled over a horizontal plane 108 by a cable 101 via a load cell 100 . The evaluation is carried out using the ZwickRoell testing software. According to the clamping device with the clamping devices 109, 110, a piece of paper is to be clamped onto the carriage with a double-sided adhesive tape covering the contact surface of the carriage 105, namely Tesa 4964. The tape is 6 cm wide and 6.5 cm long. The carriage 106 with the adhesive tape is to be placed in a container with the tobacco mixture or the cut tobacco for 15 seconds so that the cut tobacco or tobacco blend sticks to the tape. Then the sled 106 with the sample is to be placed on the test track 120. The bottom surface of the container is completely covered with the cut tobacco or tobacco blend. The tensile force up to the deflection of the slide 106 is to be determined via the load cell. This tensile force is only to be set in relation to the normal force of the carriage 106, which acts on the horizontal plane 108.

5a until i.e shows the four measurement stages of the tobacco blend or cut tobacco when determining the reflex value. The container to be measured has a diameter of 60 mm and a height of 104 mm. The 20g sample is in the sample container ( 5a ). The sample is loaded with 2 kg for 30 seconds ( 5b ). The load is removed after the 30 seconds and the sample is allowed to spread for 60 seconds. The sample is then loaded with 0.5 kg for a further 30 seconds. The volumes V1 and V2 result from the heights H1 and H2. The ratio of V2/V1 is the reflex value. The reflex value is to be converted to a relative humidity of 12% in the same way as the filling power measurement using the moisture correction term for the reflex value.

All of the features mentioned, including those that can be taken from the drawing alone and also individual features that are disclosed in combination with other features, are considered essential to the invention alone and in combination. Embodiments according to the invention can be fulfilled by individual features or a combination of several features. Within the scope of the invention, features that are marked “particularly” or “preferably” are to be understood as optional features.

Claims (16)

Method for producing cut tobacco for use in smoking articles, in particular in HNB smoking articles of the tobacco processing industry, comprising the following steps: a) providing, in particular fermented, green tobacco leaf material, b) in particular threshing of the preferably fermented green tobacco leaf material into threshed green tobacco leaf material, c) Applying a humectant to the green, preferably threshed, tobacco leaf material, the humectant having glycerin and/or propylene glycol as the vapor-forming substance, the ratio between green tobacco leaf material and humectant preferably being between 80:5 to 80:35, preferably between 80:15 until 80:25, is, d) cutting the green tobacco leaf material into a cut green tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form, e) drying the cut green tobacco leaf material to a tobacco leaf material having a moisture content of less than 15%. procedure after claim 1 , characterized in that the, preferably fermented, green tobacco leaf material, before it is threshed in particular in step b) or before it is cut in step d), in an additional step b1) and/or d1) to a moisture content of between 20% and 30% and/or a temperature between 30°C and 50°C, preferably between 40°C and 48°C. procedure after claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the humectant, which is applied to the green tobacco leaf material in step c), has a ratio between glycerol and/or propylene glycol and tobacco leaf material of between 90:10 and 70:30, further in particular the humectant being applied to the tobacco leaf material with a Temperature between 40 °C and 70 °C, preferably between 45 °C and 60 °C is applied. Procedure according to one of Claims 1 until 3 , characterized in that the drying of the cut tobacco leaf material in step e) takes place in at least two stages, with sub-step e1) pre-drying to a moisture content of less than 16%, preferably with a drying temperature T1 between 100 ° C and 120 ° C, and wherein in sub-step e2) there is post-drying to a moisture content of less than 12%, preferably with a drying temperature T2 between 45°C and 55°C, with in particular T1>T2, preferably T1>T2+40°C. Procedure according to one of Claims 1 until 4 , characterized in that in step e) the cut tobacco leaf material is dried with hot air, the hot air in particular having a temperature between 40°C and 60°C or at least approximately 45°C, and/or preferably e a moisture content of less than 17%. Procedure according to one of Claims 1 until 5 , characterized in that the green tobacco leaf material provided with the humectant, before it is cut in step d), is heated in a further step d1*) to a temperature between 42°C and 48°C, in particular to a temperature between 44°C and 46°C, and brought to a moisture content between 20% and 21%. Procedure according to one of Claims 1 until 6 , characterized in that the cut tobacco leaf material is dried in step e) to a moisture content of between 6% and 10% or between 9% and 12% and/or that the green tobacco leaf material is not dried to a moisture content of less than 17%, preferably less than 16% or 15%, more preferably less than 14% or 13%. Procedure according to one of Claims 1 until 7 , characterized in that in step d) the green tobacco leaf material in cut green tobacco leaf material with a width between 0.6 mm and 1.7 mm, in particular to a width greater than 1.5 mm, or to a width between 0.1 to 0.4 mm is cut. Smoking article, in particular rod-shaped HNB article, comprising tobacco leaf material, which according to one of Claims 1 until 8th is made and / or comprising a tobacco blend according to any one of Claims 10 until 15 . Tobacco blend comprising: - cut tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form with a width between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm, preferably the tobacco mixture has more than 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% tobacco leaf material, - a humectant, preferably propylene glycol and/or glycerin, the ratio between tobacco mixture (dry matter without water) and humectant being between 80:5 and 80:35, preferably between 80:15 and 80:25, wherein the tobacco blend has a reflection value greater than 1.2, in particular greater than 1.3 or 1.5, or a reflection value between 1.25 and 1.80. and or wherein the static friction of the tobacco blend µs is between 0.2 and 0.7, preferably between 0.25 and 0.5, or the static friction of the tobacco blend µs is less than 0.35 or 0.3, and/or the sliding friction µd is between is 0.2 and 0.7, preferably between 0.25 and 0.5, or the sliding friction µd of the tobacco mixture is less than 0.35 or 0.3, and or wherein the tobacco blend has a moisture content of more than 20% at a relative humidity of 75% and/or wherein the tobacco blend has a moisture content of less than 18% at a relative humidity of 60% and/or wherein the tobacco blend has a relative humidity of 30 % has a moisture content of less than 10%. tobacco blend claim 10 , characterized in that the filling power of the tobacco mixture is between 4 cm ³ /g and 10 cm ³ /g, preferably between 5 cm ³ /g and 6.5 cm ³ /g or preferably a filling power greater than 6 cm ³ /g. tobacco blend claim 10 or 11 , characterized in that the cut tobacco leaf material has a strip shape, wherein at least 90% by mass of the cut tobacco leaf material has a length between 20 mm and 24 mm, preferably between 21.5 mm and 23 mm. Tobacco blend according to one of the Claims 10 until 12 , characterized in that the tobacco mixture has propylene glycol PG and glycerin GZ and for the mass MVHZ and / or volume ratio VVHZ of glycerol and PG applies: MVHZ = GZ / PG> 10 or MVHZ = GZ / PG> 15 and / or VVHZ = GZ/PG > 10 or VVHZ =GZ/PG > 15. Rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB smoking article, having a mouth end, a distal end and an aerosol-forming segment, the aerosol-forming segment comprising a tobacco mixture, the aerosol-forming segment preferably having a density between 150 mg/cm ³ and 300 mg/cm ³ and the tobacco blend comprises cut tobacco leaf material and a humectant, preferably glycerin and/or propylene glycol, between 10% and 45%, preferably between 18% and 32%. Rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB article Claim 14 characterized in that the tobacco mixture according to any one of Claims 10 until 13 is trained. Stick-shaped smoking article Claim 14 or claim 15 characterized in that the rod-shaped smoking article has no cellulose acetate, in particular no filter segment with cellulose acetate.

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