EP4042883A1

EP4042883A1 - Method for flavoring and aging smoking material, and smoking item manufactured using same

Info

Publication number: EP4042883A1
Application number: EP21880330.2A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Chul Hee Lee; Kwang Ho Cha; Han Jin Kim; Nae Oh Chung; Jang Mi Lee; Chang Keun Im
Original assignee: KT&G Corp
Current assignee: KT&G Corp
Priority date: 2020-10-14
Filing date: 2021-09-15
Publication date: 2022-08-17
Also published as: CN114727644A; JP2023503231A; KR102571394B1; EP4042883A4; KR20220049188A; US20230043392A1; WO2022080682A1

Abstract

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method of flavoring and aging smoking materials, the method including: adding a flavoring, which is diluted in a base solution, to a smoking material; and aging the smoking material, to which the flavoring is added, under constant temperature and humidity conditions.

Description

[Technical Field]

The present disclosure relates to a method of flavoring and aging smoking materials and a smoking article manufactured using the same, and more particularly, to a method of flavoring and aging smoking materials, which is capable of improving the favorable sensory quality and expressing a differentiated flavor as compared to existing smoking articles, flavored and aged tobacco leaves manufactured using the same, and a smoking article including the flavored and aged tobacco leaves.

[Background Art]

The taste of tobacco during smoking is determined by various factors such as the composition of a smoking material portion, a filter portion, and cigarette paper, but basically, the taste of tobacco is determined or affected by the type of composition of tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco leaves, etc. as smoking materials constituting the smoking material portion (e.g., combustion portion), additives such as fragrance components, and aging methods thereof.
Meanwhile, types of tobacco leaves used in cigarettes are somewhat limited, and the contents of flavoring materials that may be added to cigarettes are inevitably limited due to various factors such as the limited size of tobacco and some legal regulations.
Thus, in order to realize the taste of tobacco suitable for smokers' preferences and to effectively deliver fragrance components, a new method of aging smoking materials is required.

[Disclosure]

[Technical Problem]

The present disclosure is directed to providing a method of flavoring and aging smoking materials and a smoking article manufactured using the same capable of enhancing the taste and flavor of tobacco.
Objectives of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned objective, and other unmentioned objectives should be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the description below.

[Technical Solution]

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method of flavoring and aging smoking materials for constituting at least a portion of a smoking material portion of a smoking article, the method including: adding a flavoring, which is diluted in a base solution, to a smoking material; and aging the smoking material, to which the flavoring is added, under constant temperature and humidity conditions.
In the adding of the flavoring, a sum of weights of the flavoring and the base solution may be in a range of 1% to 20% of the total weight of the smoking material. Specifically, the weight of the flavoring and the weight of the base solution may each be in a range of 1% to 10% of the total weight of the smoking material.
Meanwhile, the method of flavoring and aging smoking materials may further include, between the adding of the flavoring and the aging, adjusting the moisture of the smoking material so that the moisture of the smoking material is in a range of 15 wt% to 35 wt%.
The aging may be performed for a period in a range of 7 days to 25 days under an internal temperature in a range of 60 °C to 80 °C and an internal relative humidity in a range of 20% to 40%.
In some embodiments, the smoking material may be tobacco leaves in which a total sugar content is in a range of 20 wt% to 40 wt%.
Also, in some embodiments, the flavoring may include at least one of a vanilla concentrate, a chocolate concentrate, maple syrup, a dried prune concentrate, a cocoa concentrate, a pine flavoring liquid, a cinnamon flavoring liquid, and a red wine flavoring liquid. More specifically, the flavoring may be the vanilla concentrate, and the base solution may be an alcohol. Alternatively, the flavoring may be the chocolate concentrate, and the base solution may be water.
The method of flavoring and aging smoking materials may further include: preconditioning the smoking material which is aged after the flavoring is added thereto; primarily moisturizing the preconditioned smoking material by adding at least one of propylene glycol and glycerin thereto; cutting the primarily-moisturized smoking material; drying the cut smoking material; and secondarily moisturizing the dried smoking material by adding at least one of the propylene glycol and the glycerin thereto.
Here, the preconditioning may be performed under a temperature in a range of 90 °C to 110 °C, the drying may be performed under a temperature in a range of 100 °C to 120 °C, and the weight of the propylene glycol added in the primary moisturizing may be smaller than the weight of the glycerin added in the primary moisturizing, but the weight of the propylene glycol added in the secondary moisturizing may be larger than the weight of the glycerin added in the secondary moisturizing.
Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide flavored and aged tobacco leaves for constituting at least a portion of a smoking material portion of a smoking article that are flavored and aged using the above-described flavoring and aging method.
Also, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a smoking article including: a smoking material portion of which at least a portion is filled with the flavored and aged tobacco leaves; and a filter portion disposed downstream of the smoking material portion.
In some embodiments, 15 wt% to 35 wt% of the flavored and aged tobacco leaves may be mixed with 5 wt% to 25 wt% of tobacco leaves that are neither flavored nor aged, 15 wt% to 35 wt% of toasted tobacco leaves, 1 wt% to 20 wt% of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and 15 wt% to 35 wt% of expanded tobacco midribs and filled in the smoking material portion.

[Advantageous Effects]

According to a method of flavoring and aging smoking materials according to embodiments of the present disclosure, differentiated flavor characteristics can be imparted to a smoking material, and a smoking article with excellent flavor persistence and enhanced overall tobacco taste can be provided.
Also, by maximizing a flavor expressing property of a flavoring component that is added during flavoring and aging of a smoking material, irritation and off-taste that may occur during smoking can be reduced.

[Description of Drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart exemplarily illustrating a method of flavoring and aging smoking materials according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an exemplary configuration of a smoking article including tobacco leaves that are flavored and aged according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a comparison of results of sensory evaluation of smoking articles manufactured according to examples and comparative examples.

[Modes of the Invention]

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Advantages and features of the present disclosure and methods of achieving the same should become clear with embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and may be implemented in various different forms. The embodiments make the technical spirit of the present disclosure complete and are provided to completely inform those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains of the scope of the present disclosure. The technical spirit of the present disclosure is defined only by the scope of the claims.
In assigning reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components as much as possible even when the components are illustrated in different drawings. Also, in describing the present disclosure, when detailed description of a known related configuration or function is deemed as having the possibility of obscuring the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical or scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should not be construed in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. Terms used in the following embodiments are for describing the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In the following embodiments, a singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.
Also, in describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. Such terms are only used for distinguishing one component from another component, and the essence, order, sequence, or the like of the corresponding component is not limited by the terms. In a case in which a certain component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "linked" to another component, it should be understood that, although the component may be directly connected or linked to the other component, still another component may also be "connected," "coupled," or "linked" between the two components.
The terms "comprises" and/or "comprising" used herein do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more components, steps, operations, and/or devices other than those mentioned.
Some terms used in this specification will be clarified first.
In this specification, "smoking article" may refer to any product that can be smoked or any product that can provide a smoking experience, regardless of whether the product is based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. For example, smoking articles may include products that can be smoked, such as a cigarette, a cigar, and a cigarillo.
In this specification, "smoking material" may refer to any material that may be used in a smoking article.
In this specification, "upstream" or "upstream direction" may refer to a direction moving away from an oral region of a smoker, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" may refer to a direction approaching the oral region of the smoker.
In this specification, "longitudinal direction" may refer to a direction corresponding to a longitudinal axis of a smoking article.
Throughout the specification, "smoking article" may refer to anything capable of generating an aerosol, such as tobacco (cigarette) and cigar. The smoking article may include an aerosol-generating material or an aerosol-forming substrate. Also, the smoking article may include a solid material based on tobacco raw materials, such as reconstituted tobacco leaves, shredded tobacco, and reconstituted tobacco. A smoking material may include a volatile compound.
Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart exemplarily illustrating a method of flavoring and aging smoking materials according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
Referring to FIG. 1, the method of flavoring and aging smoking materials may include adding a flavoring, which is diluted in a base solution, to a smoking material (S10), adjusting the moisture of the flavored smoking material (S20), aging the moisture-adjusted smoking material under constant temperature and humidity conditions (S30), preconditioning the aged smoking material (S40), primarily moisturizing the preconditioned smoking material (S50), cutting the primarily-moisturized smoking material (S60), drying the cut smoking material (S70), and secondarily moisturizing the dried smoking material (S80).
The smoking material flavored and aged using the method may be mixed with tobacco leaves that are neither flavored nor aged, reconstituted tobacco leaves, toasted tobacco leaves, and expanded tobacco midribs and then filled in a smoking material portion of a smoking article.
In the adding of the flavoring, which is diluted in the base solution, to the smoking material (S10), the flavoring added to the smoking material may include at least one of various flavoring components, and the base solution may be an alcohol or water.
In some embodiments, the flavoring may include at least one of a vanilla concentrate, a chocolate concentrate, maple syrup, a dried prune concentrate, a cocoa concentrate, a pine flavoring liquid, a cinnamon flavoring liquid, and a red wine flavoring liquid, and the base solution may be selected from any one of an alcohol and water depending on the flavoring.
Preferably, the flavoring may be a vanilla concentrate or a chocolate concentrate. For example, the flavoring may be a vanilla concentrate, and in this case, the base solution may be an alcohol. As another example, the flavoring may be a chocolate concentrate, and in this case, the base solution may be water.
In some embodiments, a sum of weights of the flavoring and the base solution may be in a range of about 1% to 20% of the total weight of the smoking material, preferably, in a range of about 5% to 15% of the total weight of the smoking material.
More specifically, the weight of the flavoring and the weight of the base solution may each be in a range of about 1% to 10%, preferably about 2% to 6%, of the total weight of the smoking material. The flavoring may be diluted in the base solution so that a ratio of the flavoring and the base solution is in a range of 1:2 to 2:1 (e.g., about 1:1). For example, with respect to the total weight of the smoking material, about 4% flavoring and about 4% base solution may be added to the smoking material.
Meanwhile, in order to prevent degradation of physical properties of tobacco leaves and secure a yield sufficient for mass production in a flavoring and aging process which will be described below, preferably, the smoking material may be tobacco leaves in which the total sugar content is in a range of about 20 wt% to 40 wt%. More preferably, the smoking material may be true leaves of bright tobacco leaves in which the total sugar content is in a range of about 25 wt% to 35 wt%.
In the adjusting of the moisture of the flavored smoking material (S20), the moisture of the flavored smoking material may be adjusted so that the content of moisture therein is in a range of about 10 wt% to 35 wt%, preferably, about 15 wt% to 25 wt%, and more preferably, about 17 wt% to 23 wt%.
In the aging of the moisture-adjusted smoking material under constant temperature and humidity conditions (S30), the aging may be performed for a period in a range of about 7 days to 25 days under an internal temperature in a range of about 60 °C to 80 °C and an internal relative humidity in a range of about 20% to 40%.
Preferably, the aging (S30) may be performed for a period in a range of about 10 days to 18 days under an internal temperature in a range of about 65 °C to 75 °C and an internal relative humidity in a range of about 25% to 35%.
The preconditioning of the aged smoking material (S40) may be performed under a temperature in a range of 90 °C to 110 °C, preferably in a range of 95 °C to 105 °C, and the drying of the cut smoking material (S70) may be performed under a temperature higher than that in the preconditioning (S40), e.g., under a temperature in a range of 100 °C to 120 °C, preferably in a range of 105 °C to 115 °C.
Meanwhile, after the aging (S30), moisturizing may be performed at least one time on the smoking material. In the moisturizing that is performed at least one time, at least one of propylene glycol and glycerin may be added to the smoking material.
Preferably, the moisturizing performed at least one time may include the primary moisturizing (S50) that is performed between the aging (S30) and the cutting (S60) and the secondary moisturizing (S80) that is performed after the drying (S70).
In some embodiments, in the primary moisturizing (S50), the weight of added propylene glycol may be smaller than the weight of added glycerin, and in the secondary moisturizing (S80), the weight of added propylene glycol may be larger than the weight of added glycerin.
Preferably, in the primary moisturizing (S50), about 0.8% to 1.2% of propylene glycol and about 1.3% to 1.7% of glycerin may be added with respect to the total weight of the smoking material, and in the secondary moisturizing (S80), about 0.1% to 0.5% of propylene glycol and about 0.01% to 0.05% of glycerin may be added with respect to the total weight of the smoking material.
In some embodiments, in the cutting of the smoking material (S60), the smoking material such as tobacco leaves may be cut into tobacco strands having a width in a range of about 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm, preferably in a range of 0.7 mm to 1.1 mm.
When manufacturing a smoking article using the smoking material flavored and aged under the above process conditions, as will be described below, a composition of a flavoring component in the smoking material may be improved in a more preferable way, and accordingly, it is possible to manufacture a smoking article in which flavor expressing property and flavor persistence are excellent and irritation and off-taste are reduced such that overall tobacco taste is also enhanced.
The smoking material flavored and aged as described above may be mixed with tobacco leaves that are neither flavored nor aged, reconstituted tobacco leaves, toasted tobacco leaves, and expanded tobacco midribs and then filled in a smoking material portion of a smoking article.
Here, the tobacco leaves that are neither flavored nor aged may refer to tobacco leaves on which the flavoring and aging process described above with reference to FIG. 1 is not performed. That is, examples of the tobacco leaves that are neither flavored nor aged may include raw tobacco leaves on which flavoring and aging are not performed, tobacco leaves on which only the flavoring process is performed, and tobacco leaves on which only the aging process is performed.
Preferably, in a smoking material filled in a smoking material portion 110 which will be described below with reference to FIG. 2, about 15 wt% to 35 wt% of the flavored and aged tobacco leaves may be mixed with about 5 wt% to 25 wt% of tobacco leaves that are neither flavored nor aged, about 15 wt% to 35 wt% of toasted tobacco leaves, about 1 wt% to 20 wt% of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and about 15 wt% to 35 wt% of expanded tobacco midribs.
FIG. 2 is a view illustrating an exemplary configuration of a smoking article 100 including tobacco leaves that are flavored and aged according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
In this specification, a case in which the smoking article 100 is a combustion-type cigarette is described as an example. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the smoking article 100 may also be a heating-type cigarette or the like that is used together with an aerosol generation device (not illustrated) such as an electronic cigarette device.
Referring to FIG. 2, the smoking article 100 may include the smoking material portion 110 wrapped by a smoking material wrapper 110a, a filter portion 120 wrapped by a filter wrapper 120a, and tipping paper 130 configured to combine the smoking material portion 110 and the filter portion 120.
The smoking material portion 110 may have the form of a longitudinally extending rod which may have various lengths, circumferences, and diameters.
The smoking material portion 110 may be filled with a mixture in which the tobacco leaves flavored and aged using the method described above with reference to FIG. 1 are mixed with tobacco leaves that are neither flavored nor aged, reconstituted tobacco leaves, toasted tobacco leaves, and expanded tobacco midribs.
Also, at least one aerosol-generating material among glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol may be further added to the smoking material portion 110.
Also, the smoking material portion 110 may contain other additives such as a flavoring agent, a wetting agent, and/or an acetate compound. For example, the flavoring agent may include licorice, saccharose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, white sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, cinnamon, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, sage, spearmint, ginger, cilantro, coffee, or the like. Also, the wetting agent may include glycerin, propylene glycol, or the like.
In some embodiments, the smoking material portion 110 may include a reconstituted tobacco material which is formed in the shape of a rod or the like by grinding the flavored and aged tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco leaves, toasted tobacco leaves, and expanded tobacco midribs, mixing a solvent and various additives therewith to produce a slurry, drying the slurry to form a sheet, and then processing the sheet. For example, the smoking material portion 110 may include a plurality of reconstituted tobacco material strands, and each strand may have a length in a range of about 10 mm to 14 mm (for example, 12 mm), a width in a range of about 0.8 mm to 1.2 mm (for example, 1 mm), and a thickness in a range of about 0.08 mm to 0.12 mm (for example, 0.1 mm), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
The smoking material portion 110 may be wrapped by the smoking material wrapper 110a. Glycerin and a combustion improver such as K-citrate and/or Na-citrate, which is configured to promote complete combustion of a smoking material by catalytic action or the like, may be added to the smoking material wrapper 110a, and further, fillers such as calcium carbonate, titanium dioxide, and magnesium oxide may be included in the smoking material wrapper 110a.
In some embodiments, the smoking material wrapper 110a may have a double wrapping paper structure. Specifically, the smoking material wrapper 110a may include an inner wrapper that comes in contact with the smoking material portion 110 and wraps around the smoking material portion 110 and an outer wrapper that comes in contact with the inner wrapper and surrounds the outside of the inner wrapper.
Also, the smoking material wrapper 110a may be low ignition propensity (LIP) cigarette paper having one or more LIP bands (not illustrated) formed therein.
The filter portion 120 may be disposed downstream of the smoking material portion 110 and may be a region through which an aerosol material generated in the smoking material portion 110 passes right before being inhaled by the user.
The filter portion 120 may be made of various materials. For example, the filter portion 120 may be a cellulose acetate filter.
In some embodiments, the filter portion 120 may be a cellulose acetate filter not flavored with a flavoring material, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The filter portion 120 may also be a transfer jet nozzle system (TJNS) filter flavored with a flavoring material.
In some embodiments, the filter portion 120 may be a tubular structure including a hollow formed therein. The filter portion 120 may also be manufactured by inserting structures such as films or tubes made of the same or different materials thereinto (for example, into the hollow).
The filter portion 120 of the present embodiment is illustrated as a mono filter formed of a single filter, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the filter portion 120 may, of course, be provided as a dual filter which includes two acetate filters, a triple filter, or the like in order to increase filter efficiency.
Further, although not illustrated, a capsule (not illustrated) may be included inside the filter portion 120. The capsule may have a structure in which a liquid filled therein including a flavoring is wrapped by a film. For example, the capsule may have a spherical or cylindrical shape. Materials forming the film of the capsule may be a natural material, starch, and/or a gellant.
In some embodiments, as a solvent of the flavoring included in the liquid filled in the capsule, for example, a medium chain fatty acid triglyceride (MCTG) may be used. The liquid may also contain other additives such as a pigment, an emulsifier, and a thickener. A flavoring such as menthol and an essential oil of plants may be included in the liquid filled in the capsule, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
The filter portion 120 may be wrapped by the filter wrapper 120a. In some embodiments, the filter wrapper 120a may be manufactured using grease-resistant wrapping paper. In order to prevent the liquid filled in the capsule, which may be included in the filter portion 120, from passing through the filter wrapper 120a after being released to the outside of the capsule due to the smoker crushing the capsule, the filter wrapper 120a may be manufactured using grease-resistant wrapping paper. In some embodiments, an aluminum foil may be further included at an inner surface of the filter wrapper 120a.
The filter portion 120 wrapped by the filter wrapper 120a and the smoking material portion 110 wrapped by the smoking material wrapper 110a may be wrapped together by the tipping paper 130. That is, the tipping paper 130 may wrap around at least a portion (for example, a partial downstream region) of the smoking material wrapper 110a and an outer periphery of the filter wrapper 120a. Meanwhile, the tipping paper 130 may include an incombustible material and prevent a phenomenon in which, as the smoking material portion 110 is combusted, the filter portion 120 is also combusted.
Hereinafter, the configurations of the present disclosure and the advantageous effects according thereto will be described in more detail using examples and comparative examples. However, the examples are merely for describing the present disclosure in more detail, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the examples.

Example 1

A smoking material portion was removed from a cigarette manufactured for testing of examples, and the smoking material portion was filled with a mixture in which about 20 wt% of flavored and aged tobacco leaves was mixed with about 20 wt% of tobacco leaves that were neither flavored nor aged, about 25 wt% of toasted tobacco leaves, about 10 wt% of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and about 25 wt% of expanded tobacco midribs.
The flavored and aged tobacco leaves used in the mixture was manufactured by flavoring and aging true leaves of domestic bright tobacco leaves in which the total sugar content was about 30 wt%, and the flavoring and aging process was performed by adding about 4 kg of vanilla concentrate, which was diluted in about 4 kg of an alcohol, to about 100 kg of tobacco leaves, adjusting the moisture of the tobacco leaves so that the moisture content therein was about 20%, and then aging the tobacco leaves for about 14 days under an internal temperature of about 70 °C and an internal relative humidity of about 30%. The aged tobacco leaves were preconditioned at a temperature of about 100 °C, were primarily moisturized by adding about 1,000 g of propylene glycol (PG) and about 1,500 g of glycerin thereto, were cut into tobacco strands having a width of about 0.9 mm, were dried at a temperature of about 110 °C, and then were secondarily moisturized by adding about 300 g of PG and about 30 g of glycerin thereto.

Example 2

A smoking article was manufactured in the same way as in Example 1 except that a chocolate concentrate was used as the flavoring and water was used as the base solution in the flavoring and aging process.

Example 3

A smoking article was manufactured in the same way as in Example 2 except that a dry prune concentrate was used as the flavoring in the flavoring and aging process.

Example 4

A smoking article was manufactured in the same way as in Example 2 except that maple syrup was used as the flavoring in the flavoring and aging process.

Example 5

A smoking article was manufactured in the same way as in Example 2 except that a cocoa concentrate was used as the flavoring in the flavoring and aging process.

Comparative Example 1

A smoking material portion was removed from a cigarette manufactured for testing of examples, and the smoking material portion was filled with a mixture in which about 20 wt% of aged tobacco leaves was mixed with about 20 wt% of tobacco leaves that were neither flavored nor aged, about 25 wt% of toasted tobacco leaves, about 10 wt% of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and about 25 wt% of expanded tobacco midribs.
The aged tobacco leaves used in the mixture was prepared by aging the tobacco leaves, which were the same as in Example 1, in the same way as in Example 1 in a state in which a flavoring was not added thereto.

Comparative Example 2

A smoking material portion was removed from a cigarette manufactured for testing of examples, and the smoking material portion was filled with a mixture in which about 20 wt% of flavored tobacco leaves was mixed with about 20 wt% of tobacco leaves that were neither flavored nor aged, about 25 wt% of toasted tobacco leaves, about 10 wt% of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and about 25 wt% of expanded tobacco midribs.
Flavored tobacco leaves were prepared by adding about 4 kg of vanilla concentrate, which was diluted in about 4 kg of an alcohol, to about 100 kg of tobacco leaves which were the same as in Example 1, omitting the aging process, and then performing the preconditioning, moisturizing, cutting, and drying processes identically as in Example 1.

Comparative Example 3

A smoking article was manufactured in the same way as in Comparative Example 2 except that a chocolate concentrate was used as the flavoring and water was used as the base solution to flavor the tobacco leaves.

Experimental Example 1: Analysis of flavoring components according to whether flavoring and aging are performed

Flavoring components in the flavored and aged tobacco leaves, aged tobacco leaves, and flavored tobacco leaves that were used in the examples and comparative examples were analyzed using a solid phase micro extraction-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (SPME-GC/MS) measurement method, and the result of analysis is shown in Table 1. The result of flavoring component analysis for evaluating a degree of loss of a flavoring component before and after the respective processes (preconditioning, moisturizing, cutting, and drying) following the aging process in each of Examples 1 and 2 is shown in Table 2. The numerical values of each component in Tables 1 and 2 represent peak area values (relative values) analyzed according to the SPME-GC/MS measurement.

[Table 1]

Classification		Compar ative Exampl e 1 (Aged without being flavore d)	Exampl e 1 (Flavor ed with vanilla concent rate and aged)	Compar ative Exampl e 2 (Flavor ed with vanilla concent rate but not aged)	Exampl e 2 (Flavor ed with chocola te concent rate and aged)	Compar ative Exampl e 3 (Flavor ed with chocola te concent rate but not aged)	Exampl e 3 (Flavor ed with dry prune concent rate and aged)	Exampl (Flavor ed with maple syrup and aged)	Exampl e 5 (Flavor ed with cocoa concent rate and aged)
Cha ract erist ics	Component	Compar ative Exampl e 1 (Aged without being flavore d)	Exampl e 1 (Flavor ed with vanilla concent rate and aged)				Exampl e 3 (Flavor ed with dry prune concent rate and aged)	Exampl (Flavor ed with maple syrup and aged)	Exampl e 5 (Flavor ed with cocoa concent rate and aged)
R o a s t c d	3,6-Dimethyl-4H-furo[3,2-c] pyran-4-one	-	79	8	23	-	-	-	-
	2(3H)-Furanone, dihydro-5-propyl-	209	2,358	6,460	292	209	4.7	5.6	5.8
	3-Furaldehyde	45	145	46	151	45	242.4	320.4	159.3
	5-Methylfurfural	18	99	23	104	18	98.2	119.7	88.5
	Furfuryl alcohol	16	40	15	32	16	42.8	71.3	29.9
	gamma-Nonalactone	71	4,518	6,110	479	71	18.4	28.3	18.0
	2,3'-Dipyridyl	64	100	60	96	64	65.0	74.2	56.2
S w e e t	Piperonal	72	1,367	5,445	186	72	111.3	130.5	135.2
	Piperonyl alcohol	208	103	187	109	208	-	-	-
	Anisyl acetate	1,025	1,111	2,536	6,753	18,816	78.3	64.5	50.8
	Anise alcohol	1,116	55	55	706	1,116	50.6	44.6	26.4
	p-Anisaldehyde	58	37	18	275	58	22.2	22.1	19.9
T o b a c c o	Ionene	10	52	10	48	10	14.2	-	85.3
	Safranal	5	7	9	7	5	-	-	6.1
	4-Oxoisophoron e	12	25	13	25	12	28.6	38.9	29.4
L i k e	Solanone	342	538	360	541	342	185.7	560.4	558.6
	Megastigmatri enone	98	219	90	210	98	112.1	178.8	210.5
	neophytadiene	1,563	1,991	1,354	2,016	1,563	1,250.0	1,154.8	1,600.8
F l o r a l	p-Methylacetoph enone	39	103	329	35	39	-	-	-
F l o r a l	Geranyl acetone	116	110	121	104	116	40.4	99.5	98.2

Referring to Table 1, it can be seen that, in all of Examples 1 to 5, most flavoring components increased and some flavoring components decreased as compared to when tobacco leaves were aged without being flavored (Comparative Example 1), and a degree of increase or decrease of each flavoring component was different for each example. Accordingly, it was confirmed that there is a notable difference in the quality of flavoring components of tobacco leaves, depending on whether the tobacco leaves are flavored, the type of flavoring used during flavoring, and/or whether the tobacco leaves are aged.
In particular, from the results of Examples 1 and 2 and Comparative Examples 2 and 3, it can be seen that most flavoring components in tobacco leaves, such as '3,6-Dimethyl-4H-furo[3,2-c] pyran-4-one,' '3-Furaldehyde,' '5-Methylfurfural,' and 'Furfuryl alcohol,' further increased due to the aging process following the flavoring process, instead of increasing simply due to the flavoring process.
Also, it can be seen that flavoring components beneficial to the tobacco taste, such as '5-Methylfurfural,' '4-Oxoisophorone,' and 'Piperonal,' increased in all of the flavored and aged tobacco leaves of each of the examples, glycolytic products that have a roasted flavor characteristic, such as '2(3H)-Furanone dihydro-5-propyl-,' 'gamma-Nonalactone,' '3,6-Dimethyl-4H-furo[3,2-c]pyran-4-one,' and 'Furfryl alcohol,' increased especially in the flavored and aged tobacco leaves of Example 1, and semi-volatile compounds that have a sweet flavor characteristic, such as 'p-Anisaldehyde' and 'Anisyl acetate' increased especially in the flavored and aged tobacco leaves of Example 2.

Meanwhile, although not shown as a separate example or comparative example in the table above, flavored and aged tobacco leaves which were aged for about a week did not have an effect of improving the quality of flavoring components due to aging, flavored and aged tobacco leaves which were aged for about 4 weeks and flavored and aged tobacco leaves which used tobacco leaves having a total sugar content of about 15 wt% showed degradation of physical properties of tobacco leaves and degradation of yield, and in flavored and aged tobacco leaves which used tobacco leaves having a total sugar content of about 40 wt%, the amount of nicotine detected was less than a reference value. Thus, such flavored and aged tobacco leaves were excluded from the examples and comparative examples.

[Table 2]

Classification		Example 1 (Flavored with vanilla concentrate)		Example 2 (Flavored with chocolate concentrate)
Characteristics	Component	Before process	After process	Before process	After process
Roasted	3,6-Dimethyl-4H-furo[3,2-c] pyran-4-one	86	79	22	23
	2(3H)-Furanone, dihydro-5-propyl-	3,259	2,358	232	292
	3-Furaldehyde	248	145	238	151
	5-Methylfurfural	141	99	138	104
	Furfuryl alcohol	44	40	39	32
	gamma-N onalactone	5,319	4,518	319	479
	2,3'-Dipyridyl	79	100	92	96
Sweet	Piperonal	1,602	1,367	114	186
	Piperonyl alcohol	132	103	111	109
	Anisyl acetate	1,538	1,111	7,110	6,753
	Anise alcohol	45	55	705	706
	p-Anisaldehyde	29	37	313	275
Tobacco like	Ionene	94	52	15	48
	Safranal	9	7	8	7
	4-Oxoisophorone	30	25	28	25
	Solanone	630	538	548	541
	Megastigmatrienone	217	219	236	210
	neophytadiene	2,035	1,991	2,265	2,016
Floral	p-Methylacetophenone	179	103	21	35
Floral	Geranyl acetone	116	110	110	104

Referring to Table 2, it can be seen that most of the flavoring components which increased after the flavoring and aging process slightly decreased after subsequent processes (preconditioning, moisturizing, cutting, and drying), but the decrease was not large, and further, it can be seen that some glycolytic products and inherent flavoring components of tobacco, such as '2(3H)-Furanone, dihydro-5-propyl-,' 'gamma-Nonalactone,' 'Piperonal,' 'Ionene,' '2,3'-Dipyridyl,' 'Anise alcohol,' 'p-Anisaldehyde,' 'Megastigmatrienone,' and 'p-Methylacetophenone,' rather increased after the subsequent processes.

Experimental Example 2: Sensory evaluation according to whether flavoring and aging are performed

Sensory evaluation was performed with respect to tobacco smoke taste intensity, flavor intensity, satisfaction with the flavor, irritation, off-taste, refreshingness of aftertaste, and overall tobacco taste of the smoking articles of each of the examples and comparative examples. The sensory evaluation was performed by a panel of twenty-seven evaluators using the smoking articles manufactured according to the examples and comparative examples, based on a scale of 7 points.
FIG. 3 is a view illustrating a comparison of results of sensory evaluation of the smoking articles manufactured according to the examples and comparative examples.
Referring to FIG. 3, it can be seen that, in most of the examples, the tobacco smoke taste intensity, flavor intensity, and satisfaction with the flavor were the same or higher, the off-taste was reduced, and the overall tobacco taste was also enhanced as compared to the comparative examples.
In particular, it can be seen that, in Example 1 in which tobacco leaves were flavored with a vanilla concentrate and Example 2 in which tobacco leaves were flavored with a chocolate concentrate, the flavor intensity, satisfaction with the flavor, refreshingness of aftertaste, and overall tobacco taste were higher as compared to the comparative examples and other examples, and the off-taste reducing effect and irritation reducing effect were also greater as compared to the other examples.
Further, from out-of-criteria smoking evaluation results of the panel, it was found that smoking articles in which flavored and aged tobacco leaves were mixed had less artificial taste and flavor and also had decreased negative attributes felt during smoking, such as a spicy taste and a coating sensation, as compared to smoking articles in which non-aged tobacco leaves or non-flavored tobacco leaves were mixed.
The embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains should understand that the present disclosure may be carried out in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features thereof. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as being illustrative, instead of limiting, in all aspects. The scope of the present disclosure should be interpreted by the claims below, and any technical spirit within the scope equivalent to the claims should be interpreted as falling within the scope of the technical spirit defined by the present disclosure.

Claims

A method of flavoring and aging smoking materials for constituting at least a portion of a smoking material portion of a smoking article, the method comprising:
adding a flavoring, which is diluted in a base solution, to a smoking material; and

aging the smoking material, to which the flavoring is added, under constant temperature and humidity conditions.
The method of claim 1, wherein, in the adding of the flavoring, a sum of weights of the flavoring and the base solution is in a range of 1% to 20% of the total weight of the smoking material.
The method of claim 2, wherein the weight of the flavoring and the weight of the base solution are each in a range of 1% to 10% of the total weight of the smoking material.
The method of claim 1, further comprising, between the adding of the flavoring and the aging, adjusting moisture of the smoking material so that the moisture of the smoking material is in a range of 15 wt% to 35 wt%.
The method of claim 1, wherein the aging is performed for a period in a range of 7 days to 25 days under an internal temperature in a range of 60 °C to 80 °C and an internal relative humidity in a range of 20% to 40%.
The method of claim 1, wherein the smoking material is tobacco leaves in which a total sugar content is in a range of 20 wt% to 40 wt%.
The method of claim 1, wherein the flavoring includes at least one of a vanilla concentrate, a chocolate concentrate, maple syrup, a dried prune concentrate, a cocoa concentrate, a pine flavoring liquid, a cinnamon flavoring liquid, and a red wine flavoring liquid.
The method of claim 7, wherein the flavoring is the vanilla concentrate, and the base solution may be an alcohol.
The method of claim 7, wherein the flavoring is the chocolate concentrate, and the base solution is water.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:
preconditioning the smoking material which is aged after the flavoring is added thereto;

primarily moisturizing the preconditioned smoking material by adding at least one of propylene glycol and glycerin thereto;

cutting the primarily-moisturized smoking material;

drying the cut smoking material; and

secondarily moisturizing the dried smoking material by adding at least one of the propylene glycol and the glycerin thereto.
The method of claim 10, wherein:
the preconditioning is performed under a temperature in a range of 90 °C to 110 °C;

the drying is performed under a temperature in a range of 100 °C to 120 °C; and

the weight of the propylene glycol added in the primary moisturizing is smaller than the weight of the glycerin added in the primary moisturizing, but the weight of the propylene glycol added in the secondary moisturizing is larger than the weight of the glycerin added in the secondary moisturizing.
Flavored and aged tobacco leaves for constituting at least a portion of a smoking material portion of a smoking article, the flavored and aged tobacco leaves being flavored and aged using the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.
A smoking article comprising:
a smoking material portion of which at least a portion is filled with the flavored and aged tobacco leaves of claim 12; and

a filter portion disposed downstream of the smoking material portion.
The smoking article of claim 13, wherein 15 wt% to 35 wt% of the flavored and aged tobacco leaves is mixed with 5 wt% to 25 wt% of tobacco leaves that are neither flavored nor aged, 15 wt% to 35 wt% of toasted tobacco leaves, 1 wt% to 20 wt% of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and 15 wt% to 35 wt% of expanded tobacco midribs and filled in the smoking material portion.