RU2745863C1 - Tobacco material, method for producing tobacco material, tobacco product and method of its production - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: tobacco products.SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to tobacco material, a method for its production, a tobacco product and a producing method. The tobacco material contains an aqueous dispersion medium and tobacco particles having an average particle size of 30 μm or less, which are dispersed in the dispersion medium, the content of tobacco particles being 1 to 40 wt%, and the content of hemicellulose in the tobacco material being 0.8 wt. % or less based on completely dry tobacco particles. The method for the production of the above tobacco material comprises the steps of: preparing a dispersion containing an aqueous dispersion medium and tobacco particles that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and have an average particle size of 30 μm or less; and heat the dispersion to 160 °C or higher to 200 °C. The group of inventions is developed in the dependent claims.EFFECT: low viscosity tobacco material is provided.9 cl, 2 tbl, 4 ex, 5 dwg

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0001] The present invention relates to tobacco material and tobacco product containing tobacco material.

LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY

[0002] In the field of smoking articles, smoking articles that meet different preferences are developed by adjusting the smoking aroma. As a method for controlling smoking aroma, for example, there is known a method of dispersing tobacco leaf particles in a dispersion medium and adding the resulting dispersion to tobacco strips, as in Patent Literature Document (DPL) 1. Moreover, DPL 2 discloses a method for improving aroma by heating a suspension of tobacco particles by using the Maillard reaction or similar (DPL 2, paragraph [0013]). Such tobacco particles are less than 40 mesh (DPD 2, paragraph [0024]), in other words, less than 400 microns. Meanwhile, a slurry of tobacco particles is also known as a raw material for reconstituted tobacco sheet, and DPL 3 discloses that a slurry of 60 to 400 mesh tobacco particles is heated to a temperature of 80 ° F to 180 ° F (26.7 ° C to 82.2 ° C) (DPL 3, paragraph [0056]). The particle size of these tobacco particles is between 38 and 250 µm.

REFERENCES Cited

PATENT LITERATURE

[0003] DPL 1: WO 2014/185103

DPL 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H10-66559

DPL 3: Japanese Patent Pending Publication No. H06-46817

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

TECHNICAL OBJECTIVE

[0004] The method in DPL 1 is a useful technology because flavor can be uniformly transferred to tobacco strips and the like. However, in the step of preparing a dispersion of tobacco raw materials by mixing the tobacco raw materials with a solvent such as water, the inventors of the present invention have found a problem, for example, that interactions and the like between water and water-soluble components derived from tobacco raw materials increase the viscosity of the dispersion, thereby making it difficult to dispersion spraying. In light of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a low-viscosity tobacco material in which tobacco particles are dispersed in an aqueous dispersion medium. DPL 1 does not offer anything regarding viscosity increase, and DPL 2 and 3 do not even disclose such particles. Accordingly, the above problem is a problem inherent in using fine particles with an average particle size of 30 µm or less, and thus a new problem discovered by the present inventors.

SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

[0005] The inventors have solved the above problem by controlling the amount of hemicellulose to a certain value or less in a tobacco material containing an aqueous dispersion medium and tobacco particles that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and have an average particle size of 30 µm or less. In particular, the above problem can be solved by the following present invention.

(1) A tobacco material containing an aqueous dispersion medium and tobacco particles that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and have an average particle size of 30 μm or less, wherein the hemicellulose content of the tobacco material is 0.8 wt% or less based on absolutely dry particles tobacco.

(2) The tobacco material according to item (1), wherein the pH is 4.8 or less.

(3) The tobacco material according to item (1) or (2), wherein the aqueous dispersion medium contains an aqueous organic compound.

(4) The tobacco material of item (3), wherein the aqueous organic compound is selected from the group consisting of monohydric alcohols, polyhydric alcohols, sugar alcohols, sugars, polyhydric alcohol esters, and combinations thereof.

(5) The tobacco material according to any one of items (1) to (4), wherein the water content of the aqueous dispersion medium exceeds 50 mass%.

(6) The tobacco material according to any one of (1) to (5), wherein the content of tobacco particles is 1 to 40 wt%.

(7) The tobacco material according to any one of items (1) to (6), wherein the tobacco particles are particles obtained from raw tobacco, fermented raw tobacco, or heat-treated raw tobacco.

(8) The tobacco material of item (7), wherein the raw tobacco is fired tobacco, Burley tobacco, domestic or Asian tobacco.

(9) A method for the production of tobacco material according to any one of items (1) to (8), comprising the steps of: preparing a dispersion containing an aqueous dispersion medium and tobacco particles that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and have an average particle size of 30 μm or less; and heating the dispersion to 160 ° C or higher.

(10) The manufacturing method according to (9), wherein the heating step is performed under pressure.

(11) A tobacco product containing the tobacco material according to any one of items (1) to (8) above.

(12) The tobacco product according to item (11), further comprising a base material, wherein 0.01 to 5 mass% of the tobacco particles are contained with respect to the base material.

(13) The method for manufacturing a tobacco product according to item (12), comprising adding the tobacco material according to any one of items (1) to (8) above to the base material.

USEFUL EFFECTS OF THE INVENTION

[0006] In accordance with the present invention, it is possible to provide a low-viscosity tobacco material in which tobacco particles are dispersed in an aqueous dispersion medium.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1A shows the viscosity of tobacco materials.

FIG. 1B shows the viscosity of tobacco materials.

FIG. 1C shows the viscosity of tobacco materials.

FIG. 2 shows the results of a storage test.

FIG. 3 shows the pH of tobacco materials.

DESCRIPTION OF IMPLEMENTATION OPTIONS

[0008] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. In the present invention, the wording "X to Y" includes the lower and upper limits of X and Y.

[0009] 1. Tobacco material

The tobacco material of the present invention contains an aqueous dispersion medium and tobacco particles that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and have an average particle size of 30 µm or less.

[0010] (1) Tobacco particles

Particles of tobacco can be obtained from tobacco raw materials, fermented tobacco raw materials or heat-treated tobacco raw materials. In this document, raw tobacco means whole tobacco or parts of tobacco. Leaves, veins, stems, roots, flowers and mixtures thereof can be used as such parts. The varieties of tobacco are not particularly limited, and examples include flue-cured tobacco, Burley tobacco, domestic or Asian tobacco. The raw tobacco for use may be in the state of fresh leaves, immediately after being harvested without drying or the like, leaves that have been dried after harvesting, or combinations thereof. In addition, tobacco stems and veins, expanded tobacco and homogenized tobacco obtained by processing this raw tobacco can also be used. These materials can be used alone or in a combination of many varieties or parts.

[0011] The tobacco particles can be prepared by any suitable method, but are preferably prepared by subjecting the raw tobacco to conventional drying, then coarse grinding with a conventional coarse grinder, followed by fine grinding. Drying and coarse grinding can be performed in any conventional manner, and the average particle size of the coarsely ground tobacco particles is preferably in the range of several hundred microns to several millimeters. The fine grinding method is also not limited, and any of wet grinding and dry grinding can be used. Wet grinding can be performed by adding a liquid dispersion medium to the coarsely ground tobacco particles, mixing, and processing the resulting mixture in a wet grinding machine (MIC-2: from Nara Machinery Co., Ltd., for example). The grinding machine is preferably set to a speed of typically 1100 to 1300 rpm and a grinding time of 5 to 100 minutes. Meanwhile, dry grinding can be performed by treating the coarsely ground tobacco particles in a dry micronizing device such as a jet mill.

[0012] The thus obtained tobacco particles have an average particle size of 30 µm or less, and preferably 20 µm or less. With these average particle sizes, nozzle clogging is less likely during dispersion spraying; and the tobacco particles are readily and uniformly dispersed in the tobacco material. Accordingly, the smoking aroma can be evenly transmitted to the smoking articles. The lower limit of the average particle size of the tobacco particles is 5 microns or more in one embodiment and 8 microns or more in another embodiment. The average particle size of the tobacco particles is controlled by the grinding conditions. For example, the average particle size can be increased by shortening the fine grinding time, decreasing the viscosity of the dispersion medium, etc.

[0013] The average particle size of the present invention can be determined by a laser diffraction / scattering method. Specifically, the average particle size of the present invention is measured by using a laser diffraction particle size analyzer (SALD-2100 nano particle size analyzer from Shimadzu Corporation) with a diffraction index of 1.60 to 0.101.

[0014] (2) Aqueous dispersion medium

In this document, aqueous dispersion medium refers to a liquid medium containing water. The aqueous dispersion medium can be only water or can contain a specific organic compound. The organic compound is preferably water-soluble, and such an aqueous organic compound is preferably selected from the group consisting of monohydric alcohols, polyhydric alcohols, sugar alcohols, sugars, polyhydric alcohol esters, and combinations thereof. When the organic compound is insoluble in water, the organic compound can be dissolved in an aqueous dispersion medium by use in combination with an amphiphilic organic compound such as methanol.

[0015] Examples of monohydric alcohols include monohydric C ₁ to C ₆ aliphatic alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-butanol, 2-methyl-1-propanol, 2 , 2-dimethylethanol and cyclohexanol; aromatic monohydric alcohols such as benzyl alcohol; other monohydric alcohols with one or more halogen elements; and monohydric alcohols with one or more ether linkages.

[0016] Polyhydric alcohols are a general term for compounds with two or more hydroxyl groups per molecule. Examples of polyhydric alcohols include, but are not limited to, glycerin and propylene glycol.

Examples of sugar alcohols include sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol, erythritol, lactitol, sorbitan, xylose, arabinose, mannose, and trehalose.

Examples of sugars include lactose, sucrose, glycosyl sucrose, glucose, enzyme converted syrup, acid converted syrup, maltose syrup, maltose, high fructose corn syrup, fructose, hydrogenated maltose, hydrogenated starch syrup, and honey.

Examples of esters of polyhydric alcohols include esters of polyhydric alcohols of fatty acids such as triglycerides of fatty acids.

[0017] The aqueous dispersion medium can be used as a medium for wet grinding tobacco. In this case, the tobacco material of the present invention can be prepared at the same time as fine grinding. This time, a mixed solvent of water and glycerin is preferably used, since the average particle size of the tobacco particles is easily controlled to a desired range. When tobacco particles are obtained by dry micronization, the tobacco material of the present invention can be prepared by mixing the micronized tobacco particles with an aqueous medium.

[0018] The mixing ratio of water and organic compound is not limited, and any suitable mixing ratio can be used, particularly when a mixed solvent of water and glycerin is used. However, in view of processing properties, safety and the like, the water content of the aqueous dispersion medium is preferably more than 50 mass%, more than 80 mass% or more, and further preferably 90 mass% or more.

[0019] (3) Hemicellulose

Hemicellulose is a polysaccharide found in plant cell membranes. The tobacco material of the present invention contains 0.8 wt% or less hemicellulose based on completely dry tobacco particles. Hemicellulose readily interacts with water, thereby increasing the viscosity of the tobacco material. However, the present invention exhibits low viscosity due to the reduced amount of hemicellulose and thus has the effect of facilitating spraying onto base material such as tobacco strips. From this point of view, the amount of hemicellulose is preferably 0.5 wt% or less based on completely dry tobacco particles. The lower limit of the amount of hemicellulose is not limited, but is preferably 0 mass%, or preferably 0.1 mass% or more.

[0020] The concentration of cellulose in the tobacco material of the present invention is not limited, but in view of the viscosity, it is preferably 12 mass% or less, more preferably 10.5 mass% or less, further preferably 10 mass% or less, and, in in particular, preferably 9% by weight or less based on completely dry tobacco particles.

[0021] (4) Characteristics

In the tobacco material of the present invention, tobacco particles with an average particle size of 30 microns or less are dispersed in an aqueous dispersion medium. The amount of tobacco particles in the tobacco material is preferably 1 to 40% by weight in a completely dry state. When the amount of tobacco particles falls within this range, the tobacco material of the present invention is a slurry with a suitable viscosity, and is easily applied to the base material by using a spray device, and uniform application is possible.

[0022] Moreover, the tobacco material of the present invention has a pH of preferably 4.8 or less, and more preferably 4.6 or less. The tobacco material obtained by the method of the PTL 1 document had the problem that microorganisms multiply due to the increased activity of the water. Meanwhile, the tobacco material of the present invention with the aforementioned pH ranges is also characterized by suppressed multiplication of microorganisms and the ability to maintain quality. The pH of the tobacco material can be determined by measuring the concentration of hydrogen ions in the tobacco material using a pH meter.

[0023] The viscosity of the tobacco material of the present invention at 20 ° C and a tobacco particle concentration of 16.7 wt% is preferably 10 to 500 cP, and more preferably 10 to 200 cP. Viscosity is measured with a B-type viscometer.

[0024] (5) Additives

The tobacco material of the present invention may contain various additives. Examples of additives include flavoring food ingredients such as spearmint leaves, peppermint leaves, green tea and other tea leaves, coffee, cocoa, cardamom, menthol, and sugar; polysaccharide thickeners for improving dispersion by adjusting viscosity, such as glucans and pectin; food additives such as various emulsifiers; binders such as carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC); and a preservative for improving processing properties after being added to tobacco. The timing of the addition of such additives is not limited, and the additives may be added prior to micronizing the raw tobacco and micronized together, or may be added to the tobacco material. The properties of the additives can also be set accordingly. However, when the additives are contained, the total amount of tobacco particles and dispersion medium in the tobacco material of the present invention is preferably 90 mass% or more, and more preferably 95 mass% or more, based on the total amount of tobacco material.

[0025] Method for producing tobacco material of the present invention

The tobacco material of the present invention is preferably produced by a method comprising the steps of: preparing a dispersion containing an aqueous dispersion medium and tobacco particles that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and have an average particle size of 30 µm or less as in the above; and heating the dispersion to 160 ° C or higher. By heating the dispersion to 160 ° C or higher, substances such as hemicellulose that cause thickening by interaction with water can be decomposed and reduced. From this point of view, the heating temperature is preferably higher than 150 ° C, and more preferably 160 ° C or higher. Meanwhile, the excessively high temperature causes deterioration of the active ingredients. Accordingly, the upper limit of the heating temperature is preferably 200 ° C or lower, more preferably 190 ° C or lower, and further preferably 180 ° C or lower. Heating is preferably carried out under pressure using a device such as an autoclave. The pressure is preferably 1.8 MPa or higher. The tobacco material of the present invention produced under these conditions also has the effect of significantly inhibiting the growth of microorganisms.

[0026] 3. Tobacco products

A tobacco product can be obtained by adding the tobacco material of the present invention to a base material. In this document, the base material refers to the tobacco base or the auxiliary elements of the smoking tobacco. Examples of the tobacco bulk include tobacco immediately after harvest, dried tobacco, flavored tobacco, strips of tobacco, and cigarettes. Examples of auxiliary elements include tissue paper, filters, and tipping paper. Examples of a method for adding tobacco material to a base material include, but are not particularly limited to, drip addition, spraying, coating, and impregnation.

[0027] When the tobacco material of the present invention is added to a cigarette, the tobacco material can be added to cigarette components such as tobacco strips, tissue paper, filter, and rim paper. The tobacco material can be added to one segment or two or more segments, for example, both tobacco strips and rim paper. Moreover, by adding tobacco materials derived from different types of tobacco to different locations on the tissue paper, it is also possible to provide different smoking aromas while smoking a tobacco product such as a cigarette. When the tobacco material is added to the filter of the cigarette, the filter can also be impregnated with the tobacco material.

[0028] When the tobacco material of the present invention is added to tobacco strips, the amount of tobacco particles that are contained in the tobacco material is preferably set to 0.01 to 5 mass% based on the weight of the tobacco strips in terms of smoking aroma imparting efficiency. When strong flavored tobacco is used for the tobacco material, the above proportion can be reduced to 0.01 to 0.1 wt%, for example.

EXAMPLES

[0029] [Example 1]

Tobacco particles with an average particle size of 30 microns were prepared as shown below by using tobacco leaf raw materials (Brazilian pipe fired raw materials).

The raw tobacco leaf was coarsely ground to 10mm or less by using a knife mill from Tokyo Atomizer M. F. G. Co., Ltd. Subsequently, the coarsely ground tobacco leaf raw materials were further coarsely ground to an average particle size of 100 microns or less by using a CONDUX impact mill from NETZSCH Group, and then finely ground by using an impact mill with an integrated CSM classifier from NETZSCH Group to obtain tobacco particles with a medium particle size of 30 microns or less.

[0030] The resulting tobacco particles were mixed with sterile water to form a slurry in which the tobacco particles were suspended in water. The content of tobacco particles (absolutely dry) in the slurry was 16.7% by weight. The slurry was sealed in four reaction vessels and subjected to high temperature high pressure under the following appropriate conditions to create the tobacco materials of the present invention. The suspended state of the tobacco particles did not change even after high-temperature exposure to high pressure.

A: 160 ° C - 10min

B: 180 ° C - 10min

C: 180 ° C - 30min

D: 180 ° C - 60min

[0031] The viscosity of each slurry after exposure was measured at 20 ° C using a B-type viscometer (rotor # 1, rpm 0.3 to 100 rpm).

[0032] Additionally, the contents of cellulose and hemicellulose were measured for the tobacco materials (slurries) of the present invention, as shown below:

1) The suspension was washed with water and subjected to centrifugation (8000 rpm, 10 min) to collect the settled sediment. This procedure was repeated twice.

2) The collected sediment was washed with ethanol and centrifuged (8000 rpm, 10 min) to collect the settled sediment. This procedure was repeated twice.

3) The resulting precipitate was dried in a thermostatic device (100 ° C - 2h).

4) The dried cake was weighed and a Van Soest quantitative analysis of cellulose and hemicellulose was ordered from Japan Food Research Laboratories to obtain cellulose and hemicellulose contents based on dry weight of tobacco particles.

[0033] [Example 2]

The tobacco material of the present invention was produced and evaluated in exactly the same manner as in Example 1, except for changing the content of tobacco particles (completely dry) to 14.3 wt% and performing only the high temperature high pressure D type above.

[0034] [Example 3]

The tobacco material of the present invention was produced and evaluated in exactly the same manner as in Example 1, except for changing the content of tobacco particles (completely dry) to 20.0 wt% and performing only the high temperature high pressure D type above.

[0035] [Comparative Example 1]

Comparative tobacco material was produced and evaluated in exactly the same manner as in Example 1, except for changing the high temperature high pressure exposure to the following.

X: None

Y: 150 ° C - 5min

Z: 150 ° C - 15min

[0036] [Comparative Examples 2 and 3]

Comparative tobacco materials were produced and evaluated in exactly the same manner as in Examples 2 and 3, respectively, except for the high pressure high temperature exposure.

These results are shown in FIG. 1 and 3, as well as Tables 1 and 2.

[0037] [Table 1]

Table 1 Amount of hemicellulose for Examples and Comparative Examples (wt%)

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Comparative Example 1 Comparative Example
2 Comparative Example 3 A 160 ° C - 10min 0.0 - - - - - B 180 ° C - 10min 0.0 - - - - - C 180 ° C - 30min 0.0 - - - - - D 180 ° C - 60min 0.0 0.0 0.0 - - - Y 150 ° C - 5min - - - 1.4 - - Z 150 ° C - 15min - - - 0.9 - - X Absent - - - 2.7 2.7 2.7

[0038] [Table 2]

Table 2 Amount of cellulose for Examples and Comparative Examples (wt%)

Example 1 Example 2 Example 3 Comparative Example 1 Comparative Example
2 Comparative Example 3 A 160 ° C - 10min 11.7 - - - - - B 180 ° C - 10min 8.8 - - - - - C 180 ° C - 30min 8.6 - - - - - D 180 ° C - 60min 7.5 7.5 8.8 - - - Y 150 ° C - 5min - - - 13.5 - - Z 150 ° C - 15min - - - 10.8 - - X Absent - - - 12.2 12.2 12.2

[0039] As shown in FIG. 1, comparative tobacco materials exposed under Y and Z conditions (hereinafter referred to as "Comparative Example 1Y" and the like) in Comparative Example 1 tend to have increased viscosity. This is presumably because a large amount of polysaccharides were drawn into the aqueous medium, but were not decomposed by high temperature exposure under high pressure under such conditions, thereby increasing interactions with water. Meanwhile, it is believed that the tobacco materials of the present invention, such as Example 1A, achieve a lower viscosity by extracting a large amount of polysaccharides and the like, including hemicellulose, into an aqueous medium, followed by decomposition. As described above, it is apparent that the tobacco materials of the present invention with a certain amount or less of hemicellulose exhibit low viscosity.

[0040] [Example 4]

The concentration of hydrogen ions in the slurry was measured using a pH meter from Mettler Toledo for the tobacco materials of the present invention subjected to high temperature high pressure conditions A and C in Example 1 [tobacco particle content (absolutely dry): 16.7 wt%]. These tobacco materials were poured into 50ml tubes and tested for storage. The storage test was performed by placing the tubes in a room with a constant temperature of 35 ° C. The total number of viable microorganisms was measured for samples obtained immediately after the start of the storage test, after 72 hours and after 120 hours. The total viable microorganism was measured by the method posted on the Japan Food Research Laboratories homepage as shown below.

1) The sample was diluted with sterile water to prepare serial diluted tenfold samples.

2) Each of the samples, diluted to the appropriate concentrations, was inoculated into standard agar medium and grown at 35 ° C for two days. After cultivation, the number of colonies was counted.

3) The initial viable count of the samples was calculated based on the differences in the number of colonies that appeared for the respective dilutions.

[0041] [Comparative Example 4]

Comparative tobacco material that was not exposed to the high temperature high pressure of Comparative Example 1 was subjected to storage test in exactly the same manner as Example 4.

[0042] These results are shown in FIG. 2 and 3. As evident from FIG. 2, the amount increased from 100 to 1000 times during storage in the tobacco material of Comparative Example 4 that was not exposed to high temperature under high pressure, while microorganisms did not multiply even after being stored for 120 hours in the tobacco materials of the present invention. FIG. 3 shows that the suspensions have been changed to an environment that inhibits the growth of microorganisms through high temperature exposure to high pressure.

Claims (13)

1. Tobacco material containing an aqueous dispersion medium and tobacco particles, which are dispersed in the dispersion medium and have an average particle size of 30 μm or less, while the content of tobacco particles is from 1 to 40 wt.%, and the content of hemicellulose in the tobacco material is 0.8% by weight or less based on completely dry tobacco particles. 2. The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the pH is 4.8 or less. 3. The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the tobacco particles are particles derived from raw tobacco, fermented raw tobacco, or heat-treated raw tobacco. 4. The tobacco material according to claim 3, wherein the type of raw tobacco is pipe-fired tobacco, Burley tobacco, domestic or Asian tobacco. 5. A method for the production of tobacco material according to claim 1, comprising the steps at which: preparing a dispersion containing an aqueous dispersion medium and tobacco particles that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and have an average particle size of 30 μm or less; and the dispersion is heated to 160 ° C or higher to 200 ° C. 6. The manufacturing method of claim 5, wherein the heating step is performed under pressure. 7. A tobacco product containing tobacco material according to claim 1. 8. The tobacco product according to claim 7, further comprising a base material that is the main part of the tobacco or auxiliary elements of the smoking tobacco, and contains from 0.01 to 5 wt.% Of tobacco particles relative to the base material. 9. The method of manufacturing a tobacco product according to claim 8, comprising the step of adding the tobacco material of claim 1 to the base material.

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