RU2795421C1 - Tobacco master batch for an aromatic inhaler operated without combustion and tobacco material containing it - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: tobacco.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions is related to tobacco master batch for an aromatic inhaler operated without combustion, and tobacco material containing a tobacco master batch. Tobacco master batch for an aromatic inhaler operated without combustion contains, as dry weight, from 80 to 130 mg/g of carboxylic acid as component (A) and from 6.5 to 10% by weight of nicotine as component (B). It additionally contains 20 to 40 mg/g amino acid as component (C). Component (A) is selected from the group consisting of citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, and combinations thereof. Component (C) is selected from the group consisting of alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, serine, and combinations thereof. The tobacco master batch is used in a tobacco material for an aromatic inhaler operated without combustion, which contains one or more materials that contain component (A) or component (B) in an amount less than the tobacco masterbatch. The tobacco material contains from 5 to 80% by weight of tobacco master batch in the material. The tobacco material is used in a tobacco rod in which the tobacco material is wrapped in a wrapper. The capsule filled with tobacco material is sealed so that gas can pass through it.

EFFECT: creation of a tobacco masterbatch for an aromatic inhaler operated without combustion, with an excellent aroma felt when smoking.

8 cl, 2 dwg, 1 tbl, 2 ex

Description

Technical field

The present invention relates to a tobacco masterbatch for an aroma inhaler operated without combustion and to a tobacco material containing a tobacco masterbatch.

State of the art

At present, various aroma inhalers operated without combustion have been commercialized (for example, Patent Literature (PTL) 1). Meanwhile, such non-burning aroma inhalers require a smoking aroma comparable to conventional combustion-operated aroma inhalers.

List of referenced documents

Patent Literature

PTL1: WO 2018/216430

Brief description of the invention

Technical task

In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a tobacco masterbatch for an aroma inhaler operated without combustion with an excellent smoking aroma and a tobacco material containing a tobacco masterbatch.

The solution of the problem

It has been found that the above object can be achieved with leaf tobacco containing a certain amount of carboxylic acid and nicotine. In other words, the above object is achieved by the present invention described below.

(1) Tobacco masterbatch for an aroma inhaler operated without combustion, containing, on a dry weight basis, from 80 to 130 mg/g of carboxylic acid as component (A) and from 6.5 to 10 wt. % nicotine as component (B).

(2) Tobacco masterbatch according to (1), further containing 20 to 40 mg/g of an amino acid as component (C).

(3) The tobacco masterbatch according to (1) or (2), wherein component (A) is selected from the group consisting of citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, and combinations thereof.

(4) The tobacco masterbatch according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein component (C) is selected from the group consisting of alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, serine, and combinations thereof.

(5) Tobacco material for an aroma inhaler operated without combustion, containing a tobacco masterbatch according to the above (1) to (4) and one or more other materials.

(6) Tobacco material according to (5), containing from 5 to 80 wt. % tobacco masterbatch in the material.

(7) The tobacco material according to any one of (4) to (6), wherein the other materials include a material that contains component (A) or component (B) in an amount less than the tobacco masterbatch.

(8) A tobacco rod comprising the tobacco material according to any of the above (5) to (7) and a wrapper wrapped around it.

(9) A capsule filled with tobacco material according to any one of the above (5) to (7), wherein the capsule is sealed so that gas can pass through.

Advantageous Effects of the Invention

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a tobacco masterbatch for an aroma inhaler operated without combustion with an excellent smoking aroma and a tobacco material containing a tobacco masterbatch.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates an embodiment of an aroma inhaler operated without combustion.

Fig. 2 illustrates another embodiment of an aroma inhaler operated without combustion.

Description of embodiments

Hereinafter, the present invention is described in detail. In the present invention, the expression "X" to "Y" includes the upper and lower limits of X and Y.

1. Tobacco Masterbatch

A tobacco masterbatch is an aroma-generating material that contains a relatively high concentration of a flavor component and is used by mixing with one or more other materials to dilute the component. The tobacco masterbatch of the present invention contains 80 to 130 mg/g carboxylic acid as component (A) and 6.5 to 10 wt. % nicotine as component (B) based on the dry weight of the tobacco masterbatch.

The carboxylic acid component (A) imparts a mild taste to the consumer while retaining the aroma felt when smoking. Meanwhile, an excessive amount of the component (A) leads to an unpleasant taste. From this point of view, the upper limit of the content of component (A) is preferably 120 mg/g or less and more preferably 110 mg/g or less, and the lower limit is preferably 95 mg/g or more and more preferably 100 mg/g or more. Examples of carboxylic acids include citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, and combinations thereof. The carboxylic acid component (A) does not include an amino acid.

The tobacco masterbatch of the present invention is generally used as a tobacco material after being mixed with one or more other materials, and therefore the amount of nicotine in the tobacco material during use is less. However, such tobacco material provides superior flavor when smoked compared to leaf tobacco containing the same amount of nicotine. The reason is not clear, but is thought to be related to the uneven distribution of nicotine in the tobacco material, or the so-called masterbatch effect. Thus, the amount of component (B) is suitably adjusted according to the concentration after dilution, and the upper limit is preferably 9 mass. % or less, and the lower limit is preferably 8 mass. % or more.

The tobacco masterbatch of the present invention may further contain 20 to 40 mg/g amino acid as component (C). The amino acid primarily provides a sweet taste to the user. From this point of view, the upper limit of the content of the component (C) is preferably 35 mg/g or less, and the lower limit is preferably 25 mg/g or more. Examples of amino acids include alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, serine, and combinations thereof.

The content of the above components on a dry weight basis can be calculated, for example, from the moisture content of the masterbatch and the amount of components obtained from the analysis, or can be determined directly by analyzing the masterbatch in a dry state. From the point of view of efficiency, the first method is preferable. In one embodiment, such a method for component (B), for example, can be carried out as follows.

1) A sample of the masterbatch was placed in a rotary dryer (rotary dryer) and dried at 80°C±1°C for three hours to measure the moisture content W (wt.%) by weight loss.

2) The weighed masterbatch (not dried) is analyzed by a well-known method to determine the Bw content (wt %) of component (B) in the undried masterbatch.

3) The content of Bd (wt.%) component (B) in terms of dry weight is determined by the following formula.

Bd(mass %)=Bw/(1-W)

The tobacco masterbatch of the present invention can be prepared by mixing the respective components. For example, a material (eg, regular tobacco leaf) is prepared with a lower content of the respective components than the tobacco masterbatch, and then the required amount of the respective components is added to form a tobacco masterbatch. Alternatively, leaf tobacco having the above component content can be used as a tobacco masterbatch without further processing. Such leaf tobacco can be grown, for example, by applying fertilizers at a certain time to bring the amount of nitrogen up to a certain level, picking and removing unwanted leaves early, or by extending the usual period from pinching to harvest. In one embodiment, leaf tobacco with the components described above can be grown by fertilizing around the time of pinching so that the amount of nitrogen reaches a certain level, pinching one to two leaves deeper than usual for early collection and removal of unwanted leaves, and extension the period from pinching to harvest is one to two weeks longer than usual. In addition, it is also possible to use leaf tobacco grown by known methods and containing a higher content of components (A), (B) and (C) than other leaf tobacco.

2. Tobacco material

The tobacco material of the present invention is obtained by mixing the above tobacco masterbatch with one or more other materials. Such other materials are not limited as long as component (A) or (B) is contained in a smaller amount than in a tobacco masterbatch, but are preferably materials containing component (B) in a smaller amount than in a tobacco masterbatch. Examples of such materials include tobacco chips, tobacco dust, tobacco stems, tobacco stems, tobacco sheets, cellulose, and other fillers commonly used in the art. These materials are used singly or in combination. The mixing ratio of the tobacco masterbatch and other materials is not limited, but the lower limit of the concentration of the tobacco masterbatch in the tobacco material is preferably 5 wt. % or more, more preferably 8 wt. % or more and even more preferably 10 wt. % or more. Meanwhile, the preferred upper limit is 80 wt. % or less, 65 wt. % or less, 50 wt. % or less, 40 wt. % or less, 30 wt. % or less, or 20 wt. % or less.

As other materials, various types of leaf tobacco can be used, and examples include flue-cured tobacco, Burley tobacco, oriental tobacco, house tobacco, regardless of varieties of Nicotiana tabacum OR Nicotiana rustica, and mixtures thereof. For such blends, the above grades can be used by blending depending on the flavor desired. Detailed information on tobacco varieties is disclosed in Tobacco no Jiten (Encyclopedia of Tobacco), Tobacco Academic Studies Center, March 31, 2009.

The tobacco material may form vapor or aerosol when heated. The heating temperature is not limited, but is about 30°C to 350°C. To promote aerosol formation, it is preferable to add a polyol such as glycerol, propylene glycol or 1,3-butanediol, or another aerosol source, to the tobacco filler. The amount of added aerosol source is preferably from 5 to 50 wt. % and more preferably from 10 to 30 wt. % based on the dry weight of the tobacco material.

In addition, the tobacco material may be a material that comes into contact with the vapor or aerosol generated in front of it (in the direction opposite to the mouthpiece), and thus can impart flavor components such as components (A) and (B), a couple, etc.

The shape of the tobacco material is not limited, and examples include granules with an average particle size of 0.3 to 1.2 mm, chips with a width of 0.8 to 1.2 mm, sheets and such sheets cut with a width of 0.8 to 1, 2 mm.

The tobacco material of the present invention provides excellent flavor when smoked and also exhibits excellent delivery characteristics or uniform delivery from start to finish of use. The reason is not limited, but is believed to be related to the so-called masterbatch effect, in which components (A)-(C) of the tobacco masterbatch are unevenly distributed and present in the tobacco material.

Exemplary embodiments of tobacco materials are described below.

1) Tobacco material granules Tobacco material granules are granules containing a tobacco masterbatch and one or more other materials. Such granules produce a smoking odor similar to conventional non-burning aroma inhalers and thus can improve the inhalation experience.

2) Mixtures of tobacco material granules and other granules

Such mixtures are prepared by mixing separately provided granules. By selecting the mixing ratio or types of other granules, one can control the strength of the smoked aroma, impart different smoking aroma characteristics, or control the amount of aerosol generated.

3) Sheets of tobacco material

A sheet of tobacco material is a sheet containing a tobacco masterbatch and one or more other materials. The leaf produces a smoking odor similar to conventional burning-operated aroma inhalers, and thus can improve the feeling of inhalation.

4) Mixtures of sheets of tobacco material and other sheets

Such mixtures are prepared by mixing separately provided sheets. By selecting the mixing ratio and/or types of other sheets, it is possible to adjust the strength of the smoked aroma, impart different smoking aroma characteristics, or control the amount of aerosol generated.

5) Mixtures of crumbs of tobacco material and other crumbs

The crumb of tobacco masterbatch provides an intense sensation when inhaled. The tobacco masterbatch crumble can be mixed with a tobacco-free masterbatch crumble to impart different flavor characteristics when smoked.

6) Mixtures of sheets and crumbs of tobacco material

By mixing sheets of tobacco material with chips containing a tobacco masterbatch, chips without a tobacco masterbatch, or both, the strength of the smoked flavor can be adjusted or different characteristics of the smoked flavor can be imparted.

7) Mixtures of tobacco crumbs and sheets

By mixing shreds of tobacco material with sheets containing a tobacco masterbatch, sheets containing no tobacco masterbatch, or both, the strength of the smoked flavor can be adjusted or different flavor characteristics of the smoked flavor can be imparted.

8) Tobacco materials with the addition of tobacco dust

Tobacco dust-added tobacco materials are tobacco materials prepared by finely grinding tobacco masterbatch to a size of 30 µm or less, suspending the resulting dust in a dispersion medium (water or glycerin), and spraying the resulting suspension onto sheets or chips that do not contain tobacco masterbatch. . Such tobacco materials may adjust the strength of the flavor experienced when smoked or impart different characteristics of the flavor experienced when smoked.

3. Aromatic inhaler operated without burning

The tobacco masterbatch and the tobacco material of the present invention can be used as flavor sources for a non-burning aroma inhaler. Such an aroma inhaler operated without combustion includes a tobacco rod, a cooling segment, and a mouthpiece.

(1) First incarnation

Fig. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a flameless aroma inhaler of the present invention. In the drawing, 10 is an aroma inhaler operated without combustion, where Ir is a tobacco rod, 3 is a cooling segment, 5 is a mouthpiece, 52 is a filter, 54 is a center hole filter, 7 is a rim paper, and V represents vents. The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 also refers to a non-burning, direct-fired aroma inhaler as the tobacco material is heated.

1) Tobacco rod

The tobacco rod is a substantially cylindrical element for creating the aromatic component of smoking contained in the raw tobacco. Such a tobacco rod includes the tobacco material of the present invention and a wrapper wrapped around it. The shape of the tobacco material packaged inside the wrapper is not limited, and examples include sheets, such sheets cut in a width of 0.8 to 1.2 mm, and chips in a width of 0.8 to 1.2 mm. Such sheets may be corrugated, folded, or spirally rolled without being cut, and packaged in a wrap to form a tobacco rod. Further, such sheets may be cut into strips and packaged concentrically within the wrapper, or such that the longitudinal direction of the strips is aligned parallel to the longitudinal direction of the tobacco rod, thus forming a tobacco rod.

The filling density of the tobacco material is not particularly limited, but is generally 250 mg/cm ³ or more, and preferably 320 mg/cm ³ or more from the viewpoint of ensuring the non-burning flavor inhaler performance and imparting a satisfactory smoking taste. Here, the upper limit is usually 800 mg/cm ³ or less, and preferably 600 mg/cm ³ or less. The length of the tobacco rod 1r is not limited, but is preferably 15 to 25 mm. The diameter is also not limited, but is preferably 6 to 8 mm.

2) Cooling segment

The cooling segment is an element for promoting aerosol formation, for example, by cooling the vapors and/or flavor component of smoking generated in the tobacco rod 1r. The cooling segment 3 may be a hollow paper tube. Such a paper tube is preferably made of cardboard having a greater rigidity than the wrapper and rim paper. The paper tube may be provided with ventilation holes V. Preferably, a plurality of ventilation holes are formed around the circumference of the paper tube. In addition, corrugated sheets may be packaged inside the cooling segment 3 to improve the heat exchange efficiency. Although the dimensions of the cooling segment 3 are not limited, its length is preferably 15 to 25 mm and its diameter is preferably 5.5 to 7.5 mm.

3) Mouthpiece

The mouthpiece is an element that forms the end facing the mouth. In one embodiment, the mouthpiece 5 includes a filter 52 and a filter 54 with a central hole. Commonly known filters can be used as the filter 52 and the center hole filter 54 .

4) Heater

The heater preferably electrically heats the 1 g tobacco rod. Such a heater preferably includes a heating block provided with a power source, etc. The combination of a heater and a flameless aroma inhaler according to the first embodiment is also referred to as a flameless aroma inhaler system. Fig. 1(2) illustrates an implementation of such a system. In the figure, 100 is a flameless aroma inhaler system, 10 is a flameless aroma inhaler, and 30 is a heating block provided with a heater.

The shape of the heater is not limited, and the heater may be placed around the tobacco rod 1r or inserted into the tobacco rod 1r. Such a heater may be, for example, a sheet heater, a plate heater, a tubular heater, or a needle heater. The sheet heater is a flexible heater in the form of a sheet, and examples include a heater containing a film (about 20 to 225 microns thick) of a heat-resistant polymer such as polyimide. The plate heater is a heater in the form of a rigid plate (about 200 to 500 µm thick), and examples include a heater having a resistance circuit as a heat generator on a plate substrate. The tubular heater is a hollow or solid tubular heater, and examples include a heater having a resistance circuit on the outer surface as a heat generator. The cross-sectional shape of the tubular heater may be round, elliptical, polygonal, round polygonal, and the like. The tubular heater and the needle heater are suitable for the internal heating mode after insertion into the tobacco rod 1r.

(2) Second incarnation

In FIG. 2(1) shows a second embodiment of the non-burning aroma inhaler of the present invention. In the drawing, 10 is an aroma inhaler operated without combustion, 1c is a tobacco capsule, 2 is a spray section, 4 is an aerosol source, 5 is a mouthpiece, 6 is a body, 8 is a power source. The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is also referred to as an indirectly heated non-burning aroma inhaler because the tobacco material is indirectly heated. An inhaler is an article that generates an aerosol from an aerosol source located in front of the tobacco material and allows the aroma component of the tobacco material to be supported on the aerosol, thereby creating a flavor.

1) Tobacco capsule

The tobacco capsule includes the tobacco material of the present invention and a container filled with it. The container is sealed in such a way that the gas can pass through the interior from the outside/out. Such a container may be made from a well known material such as a polymer. The container is sealed such that the aerosol generated by the aerosol source 4 enters and passes through the container towards the mouth end. For this purpose, the container is preferably provided with holes at both ends in the longitudinal direction. The shape of the tobacco material to be packaged within the container is not limited, but is preferably a granular material.

2) Aerosol source

The aerosol source can be formed by placing the aerosol source described above on a porous body such as a fibrous filler. The length of the aerosol source is not limited, but is preferably 10 to 25 mm.

3) Spray section

Preferably section 2 spray can provide electrical heating source 4 aerosol to about 200-300°C. The aerosol generated by heating enters the tobacco capsule 1c, passes through it, maintaining the tobacco material in an atmosphere of 30°C to 40°C and carrying the flavor component, and is inhaled by the user. In this embodiment, the combination of a flameless aroma inhaler and a power supply is referred to as a flameless aroma inhaler system. The nebulization section 4 may be a coil, for example, and may generate an aerosol by means of electricity supplied from a power supply 8, as shown in FIG. 2(2). Such a system is disclosed, for example, in WO 2016/075749.

4) Mouthpiece

Mouthpiece 5 may include a filter.

5) Housing

The housing 6 may be made of a material known to the public, preferably a polymer, for example.

In addition, the tobacco material of the present invention can also be used for an ultrasonic vibrating aroma inhaler as an application of the present embodiment. Such an ultrasonic vibrating aroma inhaler is an aroma inhaler operating in an aerosol generating mode by applying vibration to an aerosol source using an ultrasonic wave generator as a spray section.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

Burley variety was fertilized at 6 to 15 kg/10 a as the amount of nitrogen for a period between one week before and after pinching. Pinching was performed one to two leaves deeper than usual to collect and remove unwanted leaves as masterbatch leaf tobacco. Subsequently, the leaves were harvested by extending the period from pinching to harvest one to two weeks longer than usual. The harvested leaves were air-dried to produce tobacco leaf masterbatch. Leaf tobacco was analyzed under the following conditions to determine the content of the respective components.

Analysis conditions

1) Method for determining the nicotine component in leaf tobacco

Moisture content W (wt %) of tobacco leaf was determined from the weight loss after placing 2.0 g of tobacco leaf in a rotary type rotary dryer (rotary dryer) and drying at 80° C.±1° C. for three hours. At the same time, 10 ml of distilled water, 20 ml of hexane and 5 ml of 8 mol/l sodium hydroxide solution were added to 0.5 g of leaf tobacco and subjected to extraction with shaking for 60 minutes. After extraction, the resulting supernatant (hexane phase) was introduced into a gas chromatograph (GC/FID) to quantify the amount of nicotine in leaf tobacco, thus obtaining the content of Bw (mass %). From these values, the content of the nicotine component Bd (wt %) in leaf tobacco in terms of dry weight was calculated by the following formula.

Bd(mass %)=Bw/(1-W)

2) Method for determining carboxylic acid as a component of leaf tobacco

To 1 g of leaf tobacco was added 20 ml of distilled water and subjected to extraction by shaking for 20 minutes. After extraction, centrifugation was performed (3 minutes, 3200 rpm). The resulting supernatant was injected into a high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) to quantify the amount of carboxylic acid in tobacco leaf. From this value and the moisture content, the content of carboxylic acid as a component in tobacco leaf was determined on a dry weight basis in the same manner as above.

3) Method for determining amino acid as a component in leaf tobacco

20 ml of 80% methanol aqueous solution was added to 0.2 g of leaf tobacco and subjected to ultrasonic extraction for 30 minutes. After extraction, centrifugation was performed (5 minutes, 3000 rpm). The resulting supernatant was injected into a high performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) to quantify the amount of amino acid in leaf tobacco. From this value and the moisture content, the amino acid content as a component in tobacco leaf was determined on a dry weight basis in the same manner as above.

Example 2

Tobacco leaves were harvested in the same manner as in Example 1. The harvested leaves were air-dried to obtain leaf tobacco for the masterbatch. Leaf tobacco was analyzed under the above conditions to determine the content of the respective components.

Comparative examples

Each leaf tobacco shown in Table 1 was prepared and analyzed in the same manner as in Example 1 to determine the content of the respective components.

List of symbols

1r Tobacco rod

3 Cooling segment

5 Mouthpiece

52 Filter

54 Center hole filter

7 Edge paper

V Ventilation holes

10 Aroma inhaler operated without combustion

30 Heating block equipped with heater

100 Flameless aroma inhaler system

1c Tobacco capsule

2 Spray section

4 Aerosol source

6 Corps

8 Power supply

Claims (10)

1. Tobacco masterbatch for an aromatic inhaler operated without combustion, containing, in terms of dry weight, 80 to 130 mg/g of carboxylic acid as component (A) and 6.5 to 10% by weight of nicotine as component (B). 2. Tobacco masterbatch according to claim 1 further comprising 20 to 40 mg/g amino acid as component (C). 3. Tobacco masterbatch according to claim 1 or 2, wherein component (A) is selected from the group consisting of citric acid, malic acid, succinic acid, formic acid, acetic acid, and combinations thereof. 4. Tobacco masterbatch according to claim 2 or 3, wherein component (C) is selected from the group consisting of alanine, asparagine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, proline, serine, and combinations thereof. 5. Tobacco material for a flameless aroma inhaler comprising a tobacco masterbatch according to any one of claims 1 to 4 and one or more materials which contain component (A) or component (B) in an amount less than the tobacco masterbatch. 6. Tobacco material according to claim 5, containing from 5 to 80 wt.% tobacco masterbatch in the material. 7. A tobacco rod comprising the tobacco material of claim 5 or 6 and a wrapper wrapped around it. 8. A capsule filled with tobacco material according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the capsule is sealed so that gas can pass through.

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