EP3138418B1 - Method for manufacturing chewing tobacco material - Google Patents

Method for manufacturing chewing tobacco material Download PDF

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Publication number
EP3138418B1
EP3138418B1 EP15803043.7A EP15803043A EP3138418B1 EP 3138418 B1 EP3138418 B1 EP 3138418B1 EP 15803043 A EP15803043 A EP 15803043A EP 3138418 B1 EP3138418 B1 EP 3138418B1
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EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
tobacco
raw material
tobacco material
oral
aging
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Active
Application number
EP15803043.7A
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German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP3138418A4 (en
EP3138418A1 (en
Inventor
Yuya SUDA
Hirokazu MIYAMAE
Michinori Yokoi
Morio Yajima
Atsuro Yamada
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Japan Tobacco Inc
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Japan Tobacco Inc
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Publication date
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Publication of EP3138418A1 publication Critical patent/EP3138418A1/en
Publication of EP3138418A4 publication Critical patent/EP3138418A4/en
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Publication of EP3138418B1 publication Critical patent/EP3138418B1/en
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    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
    • A24B13/00—Tobacco for pipes, for cigars, e.g. cigar inserts, or for cigarettes; Chewing tobacco; Snuff
    • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
    • A24—TOBACCO; CIGARS; CIGARETTES; SIMULATED SMOKING DEVICES; SMOKERS' REQUISITES
    • A24B—MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF
    • A24B15/00—Chemical features or treatment of tobacco; Tobacco substitutes, e.g. in liquid form
    • A24B15/18—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes
    • A24B15/28—Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes by chemical substances

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method for producing an oral tobacco material, and to an oral tobacco material obtained by the production method.
  • Oral tobacco products of a form in which an oral tobacco material containing moist powdered tobacco is stuffed in a moisture-permeable pouch are widely known as oral tobacco products that are inserted between the lips and the gums into the oral cavity, for enjoying the taste and scent of powdered tobacco.
  • Patent Document 1 includes a step of raising the pH of a mixture containing water and a tobacco material up to at least about 8.5, and heating thereafter the mixture at a sufficient temperature and for a sufficient time, in order to lower pH by at least about 0.5.
  • Patent Document 2 there is described the feature of adjusting the pH of an oral tobacco material using a buffer solution, to thereby increase the quality stability of the oral tobacco material that is obtained.
  • the following methods are known as methods for producing for instance snuff, as a tobacco material other than an oral tobacco material.
  • Patent Document 3 there is described the feature of using magnesium carbonate in order to increase the pH stability of a snuff product in order to suppress proliferation of microorganisms.
  • Patent Document 4 there is described the feature of blowing steam at a specific temperature onto a tobacco material having a specific pH, in order to enhance the flavor of a snuff product.
  • Patent Document 6 discloses a method for removing nicotine from tobacco comprising mixing a tobacco having a moisture level of about 25 % to about 53 % by weight with an alkalinizing agent to obtain a mixture having a pH of about 8 to about 11, and maintaining the mixture in an aerobic environment of about 4,4 °C to about 48,9 °C, at a pressure of about 1 atmosphere for a period of about 4 to about 14 weeks.
  • Moist powdered tobacco used in the production of oral tobacco materials is originally weakly acidic (pH of about 4.0 to 6.0), which is close to conditions suitable for bacterial proliferation. Therefore, the pH of the powdered tobacco is adjusted to alkalinity through addition of a pH adjuster, in order to enhance quality stability through suppression of bacterial proliferation, and in order to impart a desirable flavor. In terms of preserving the quality of the product, the adjusted pH is preferably maintained at an alkaline pH throughout the storage period until consumption of the product.
  • the addition amount of a basic substance necessary in order to bring the moist powdered tobacco to a desired pH value is determined unequivocally.
  • the pH of oral tobacco materials containing moist powdered tobacco and that are inserted into the oral cavity is preferably 8.5 or lower (Patent Document 5 and 6).
  • oral tobacco products drops quickly at normal temperature, and the adjusted pH value cannot be maintained over long periods of time, which leads to flavor degradation. Therefore, oral tobacco products must be stored ordinarily not at room temperature but at low temperature (0°C to 10°C).
  • Patent Document 1 to 4 illustrate various approaches for obtaining materials having excellent quality stability.
  • Patent Document 1 and 4 which attempt to resolve issues on the basis of processing technologies of starting materials, are problematic in that the delicate flavor of the tobacco raw material itself is lost on account of the significant modification of the starting materials incurred in the methods.
  • the inventors found that the above goal can be attained by a method for producing an oral tobacco material, the method having a step of preparing an alkaline tobacco raw material by adding a basic substance to a tobacco raw material, aging the obtained tobacco material in an environment not exceeding room temperature and for a time ranging between 0.5 hours and 48 hours and a step of, after the aging step, lowering the pH of the tobacco raw material through addition of an acidic substance to the obtained tobacco material, and arrived at the present invention on the basis of that finding.
  • tobacco raw material denotes a material that has not undergone an aging step
  • tobacco material denotes a material obtained as a result of the production method of the present invention including an aging step.
  • the invention allows obtaining an oral tobacco material of good flavor, and having yet higher quality stability. Specifically, the quality stability of the obtained tobacco material can be enhanced, and an oral tobacco material of good flavor can be obtained, even in the absence of a heating step for pH adjustment after addition of a basic substance.
  • the method for producing oral tobacco of the present invention is a method for producing an oral tobacco material, the method having a step of preparing an alkaline tobacco raw material by adding a basic substance to a tobacco raw material that contains shredded tobacco or tobacco powder, and aging the obtained tobacco material in an environment not exceeding room temperature.
  • Quality stability in the present invention is mainly brought about through stability of changes in pH over time.
  • the shredded tobacco that is subjected to the production method of the present invention is obtained through cutting of harvested tobacco leaves, in accordance with ordinary methods.
  • the tobacco powder is obtained through crushing of harvested tobacco leaves, in accordance with ordinary methods.
  • the types of tobacco leaves are not particularly limited so long as the leaves are used in oral tobacco, and various types can be used as appropriate.
  • the width of the shredded tobacco and the granularity of the tobacco can take on known values, as appropriate.
  • the moisture content of the tobacco leaves is not particularly limited.
  • the moisture content of the tobacco material obtained through cutting tobacco leaves having undergone ordinary drying may be for instance of 5 to 15 wt%.
  • the salinity of this tobacco material may be adjusted through addition of an aqueous solution of sodium chloride to the tobacco material.
  • a step of sterilizing the tobacco raw material may be included before addition of the below-described basic substance.
  • Examples of the temperature that can be set during this step include a temperature range of 105 to 110°C.
  • Examples of the duration of this step include for instance a duration of about 10 to 40 minutes.
  • alkaline tobacco raw material denotes a tobacco raw material having a pH of 7 or higher as measured in accordance with the below-described measuring method.
  • the pH of the alkaline tobacco raw material that is prepared is preferably higher than 9, more preferably 9.5 or higher, and yet more preferably 10 or higher.
  • Examples of the basic substance that is added to the shredded tobacco include for instance strong bases typified by hydroxides of alkali metals, for instance sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and the like.
  • strong bases typified by hydroxides of alkali metals, for instance sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and the like.
  • the foregoing can be used in the form of mixtures of a plurality of types.
  • Using a strong base allows eliciting more efficiently reactions with substances such as esters within the tobacco leaves, in the aging step later on.
  • the pH of the tobacco raw material (before the aging step) that is used in the production method of the present invention is worked out in accordance with the following measuring method.
  • 0.2 g of the tobacco raw material is extracted in 20 mL of water at 200 rpm for 30 minutes, the temperature is adjusted to room temperature (25°C), and the pH is measured using a pH meter.
  • the instrument used herein is LAQUA F-72 by HORIBA Ltd.
  • the production method of the present invention includes a step of aging the alkaline tobacco raw material in an environment not exceeding room temperature.
  • substances such as esters present in the shredded tobacco react with the added basic substance.
  • the temporal stability of the pH of the oral tobacco material that is obtained is enhanced by virtue of this reaction.
  • a high temporal stability of pH denotes herein a state in which the pH of the oral tobacco material is not prone to dropping during storage. That is, there is preserved a state of high quality stability.
  • the time taken by the aging step is 0.5 hours or longer from the viewpoint of conducting the above reaction reliably, and is 48 hours or shorter in terms of the plateau reached by the reaction; more preferably, the time does not exceed 24 hours in terms of work efficiency.
  • the time taken by the aging step may range from about 0.5 to 2 hours, or from about 0.5 to 1.5 hours.
  • the temperature of the aging step does not exceed the ambient temperature (room temperature) during aging, and as a result it becomes possible to prevent loss of flavor components that the oral tobacco material is to hold.
  • the upper limit of the temperature of the aging step is preferably 40°C or lower.
  • the temperature in the aging step is 40°C or lower and the lower limit of the temperature is 0°C or higher.
  • the aging step does not require heating for artificially raising the temperature of the tobacco raw material to room temperature or higher.
  • Implementations of the aging step include performing aging in a constant temperature state.
  • the environment in which aging is carried out may be for instance an environment under normal pressure; alternatively, aging can be carried out under application of some pressure (up to 0.2 MPa).
  • the aging environment may be a sealed environment or an open environment.
  • open environments include for instance natural ventilation and forced ventilation in the atmosphere.
  • the pH of the tobacco raw material virtually does not change throughout the aging step (drop of about 0.1 to 0.5).
  • the moisture content of the tobacco raw material that is subjected to the aging step is not particularly limited, and can lie in the range of about 15 to 35 wt%.
  • the tobacco raw material to be aged may be allowed to stand, or may be aged while being stirred using a stirring means.
  • the term "aging” basically denotes allowing the tobacco raw material to stand, more specifically, leaving the tobacco raw material under an environment where the temperature of the tobacco raw material does not exceed room temperature without performing any manipulation other than, for instance, an operation for adjusting the temperature or a stirring operation for promoting reactions in the tobacco raw material, as needed.
  • the aging step is followed by a step of lowering the pH of the tobacco raw material through addition of an acidic substance to the tobacco raw material that is obtained.
  • this step include for instance a neutralization step.
  • the acidic substance examples include for instance weak acids such as phosphoric acid, citric acid, malic acid and the like, and strong acids such as hydrochloric acid.
  • the pH of the tobacco material can be adjusted to lie in a range of about 7.5 to 9 by including a step of adding, to the tobacco material, a weak base such as potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate, or a strong base such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. Including this step contributes to enhancing the quality stability of the tobacco material that is obtained (by preventing for instance microorganism proliferation).
  • a weak base such as potassium carbonate or sodium carbonate
  • a strong base such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide.
  • the production method of the present invention may include a drying step for drying the tobacco material obtained as a result of the above step.
  • a drying step for drying the tobacco material obtained as a result of the above step.
  • Implementations of the drying step include instances where the moisture content of the tobacco material to be obtained is reduced down to a range of about 10 to 40 wt%.
  • Drying may be implemented for instance by raising the temperature of the tobacco material to a range of 70 to 90°C.
  • the tobacco material of the present invention Before the tobacco material of the present invention is made into an oral tobacco product, the tobacco material may have added thereto humectants such as glycerin, sweeteners for taste adjustment, and flavors for imparting characteristics to the taste.
  • humectants such as glycerin, sweeteners for taste adjustment, and flavors for imparting characteristics to the taste.
  • Water may be added to the tobacco material of the present invention for the purpose of conferring an appropriate moisture content as an oral tobacco product.
  • the moisture content when in the form of an oral tobacco product may lie in the range for instance of about 20 to 50 wt%.
  • the oral tobacco material obtained as a result of the above step is prepared by undergoing the above process, and is adjusted as appropriate to a pH (approximately 7.5 to 9) suitable for an oral tobacco product, before the oral tobacco material is made into a product.
  • the pH of the oral tobacco material obtained as a result of the production method of the present invention denotes a value obtained by extracting 0.2 g of the tobacco material in 20 mL of water at 200 rpm for 30 minutes, adjusting the temperature to room temperature (25°C), and measuring then the pH using a pH meter.
  • the instrument used is LAQUA F-72 by HORIBA Ltd.
  • the oral tobacco material of the present invention can be obtained by filling the above-described tobacco material, in accordance with a known method, into a packaging material that utilizes for instance a starting material such as a nonwoven fabric.
  • a packaging material that utilizes for instance a starting material such as a nonwoven fabric.
  • snus can be obtained by filling the tobacco material while adjusting the amount of the oral tobacco material, and by sealing the whole by resorting to a means such as heat sealing.
  • the packaging material that can be used is not particularly limited, but a cellulosic nonwoven fabric or the like is preferably used herein.
  • the oral tobacco material of the present invention is made into gum
  • the oral tobacco material is obtained by mixing the above tobacco raw material used in the present invention with a known gum base, in accordance with a known method.
  • known methods can be used to obtain chewing tobacco, snuff, and compressed tobacco.
  • known materials and known methods can be used to obtain edible films.
  • Tobacco slurries were prepared by adding 25 mL of ultrapure water (Milli-Q water) to 5 g of tobacco raw material. Sodium hydroxide was then added to the slurries, to bring the pH to 8, 9, 10 and 11, and the slurries were allowed to stand for 24 hours at 4°C. Hydrochloric acid was added to the slurries having been allowed to stand, for neutralizing the slurries to pH 6, and then sodium chloride was added as appropriate in order to equalize salt concentrations at each level. The neutralized samples were freeze-dried, and samples were obtained by adding an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, to bring moisture to lie in the range of 30 to 35% and pH in the range of 8.0 to 8.5. The samples were airtight-packaged, and thereafter storage was initiated in a constant temperature and humidity machine at 40°C, with pH measurements after 1 week and after 2 weeks.
  • a tobacco slurry was prepared by adding 25 mL of ultrapure water to 5 g of tobacco raw material.
  • the slurry was allowed to stand at 4°C for 24 hours in that state. Thereafter, 15 mL of a 3.64 wt% sodium chloride aqueous solution was added to the slurry. The slurry was dried thoroughly, until no moisture was present, in a constant temperature and humidity device at 60°C and 20% RH. Then an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide was added to bring moisture to lie in the range of 30 to 35% and pH in the range of 8.0 to 8.5.
  • the temperature of the aging step is preferably 40°C or lower from the viewpoint of changes in the quality of the oral tobacco material.
  • Example 4 influence of treatment temperature 0 days 7 days 14 days 4°C, 6h 0 -0.789 -0.864 22°C, 6h 0 -0.614 -0.618 40°C, 6h 0 -0.336 -0.444
  • Tobacco slurries were prepared by adding 25 mL of ultrapure water to 5 g of tobacco raw material. Then sodium hydroxide was added to the slurries, to bring pH to 11, and the slurries were allowed to stand for 2 hours in a constant temperature and humidity machine at 22°C, 40°C, 60°C and 80°C. Hydrochloric acid was added to the slurries having been allowed to stand, for neutralizing the slurries to pH 6, and then sodium chloride was added as appropriate in order to equalize salt concentrations at each level. The neutralized samples were dried, and were thereafter adjusted through addition of an aqueous solution of sodium hydroxide, to yield samples at each thermostatic temperature.
  • a flavor component (furfural) in the aged samples was analyzed by HS-SPME-GC/MS as described below.
  • GC column HP-INNOWAX capillary (30 m ⁇ 250 ⁇ m i.d. ⁇ 0.25 ⁇ m film thickness) SPME fiber 75 m - Carboxen/Polydimethylsiloxane fiber (Spelco) Extraction 40°C, 30 min Inlet temperature 250°C Oven heating program 40°C ⁇ 205°C at 3°C/min ⁇ 250°C at 10°C/min with a final fold time of 20 min Carrier gas He at 1 mL/min (constant flow mode) MS mode Total Ion Chromatogram
  • the production method of the present invention includes a step in which the tobacco raw material is adjusted to alkalinity, and is then aged at a temperature not exceeding room temperature; as a result, no buffering agent for adjusting the pH of the tobacco material is required, and an oral tobacco material of high quality stability and good flavor can be provided even without heating the tobacco material containing a basic substance.

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  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Toxicology (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Manufacture Of Tobacco Products (AREA)
EP15803043.7A 2014-06-06 2015-06-01 Method for manufacturing chewing tobacco material Active EP3138418B1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP2014118029 2014-06-06
PCT/JP2015/065762 WO2015186660A1 (ja) 2014-06-06 2015-06-01 口腔用たばこ材料の製造方法及びその製造方法により得られる口腔用たばこ材料

Publications (3)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP3138418A1 EP3138418A1 (en) 2017-03-08
EP3138418A4 EP3138418A4 (en) 2017-12-20
EP3138418B1 true EP3138418B1 (en) 2019-08-14

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ID=54766731

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP15803043.7A Active EP3138418B1 (en) 2014-06-06 2015-06-01 Method for manufacturing chewing tobacco material

Country Status (5)

Country Link
EP (1) EP3138418B1 (zh)
JP (1) JP6440705B2 (zh)
DK (1) DK3138418T3 (zh)
TW (1) TW201603721A (zh)
WO (1) WO2015186660A1 (zh)

Family Cites Families (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4848373A (en) * 1987-04-13 1989-07-18 Helme Tobacco Company Nicotine removal process and product produced thereby
JP5193311B2 (ja) * 2007-12-21 2013-05-08 スウィーディッシュ・マッチ・ノース・ヨーロップ・アーベー 炭酸マグネシウムを含むタバコまたは非タバコ製品
DK2529634T3 (en) * 2010-01-28 2018-06-14 Japan Tobacco Inc Tobacco product with water repellent wrapping

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
None *

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPWO2015186660A1 (ja) 2017-04-20
EP3138418A4 (en) 2017-12-20
TW201603721A (zh) 2016-02-01
JP6440705B2 (ja) 2018-12-19
DK3138418T3 (da) 2019-11-04
WO2015186660A1 (ja) 2015-12-10
EP3138418A1 (en) 2017-03-08

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