UA109562C2 - A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING REMOVED TOBACCO - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of producing fluffy tobacco veins for a tobacco cut filler, comprising the steps of: providing rolled tobacco veins with a thickness after rolling from to; moistening of the rolled veins to increase the moisture content; cutting of moistened tobacco veins; impregnation of cut tobacco veins with liquid carbon dioxide; heating soaked veins in order to cause loosening; and re-wetting the veins after heating to increase the moisture content. Rolled tobacco veins can be mixed with tobacco leaf plates prior to the processing steps.

Description

This invention relates to a new method of producing loose tobacco fibers for use in cut tobacco filler. This invention is also related to the production of cut filler, which includes fluffed tobacco veins produced using this method.

As a rule, cut tobacco filler for smoking products is made mainly from leaf plates of tobacco leaves, which are separated from the vein part of the leaves during the tamping process. The veined parts of the tobacco raw material, which remain after the removal and separation of the leaf plates, are rarely used, and therefore a large part of the veined parts of the tobacco raw material is thrown into the waste.

In order to increase the amount of veined parts of tobacco raw materials suitable for industrial use, it has previously been proposed to process the removed tobacco veins, and then mix these treated tobacco veins with leaf plates to form a cut filler. For example, a known method of processing tobacco veins includes moistening the veins and their subsequent rolling to reduce the thickness.

EP-A-0,931,464 discloses a method for the preparation of tobacco fibers intended for use in fillers, in which the tobacco fibers are graded by diameter to obtain fibers of a plurality of grades, and the fibers of each grade are rolled separately to achieve a uniform thickness of the rolled grain, for example, 1 ,1 mm.

Also, a number of methods were previously proposed for loosening tobacco veins with a decrease in their density in order to improve the burning characteristics of the veins. In a known method of processing, loosening of tobacco veins is carried out, as a rule, by dehumidification of the veins using steam or water, and subsequent heating of the veins, which in certain cases is carried out under pressure.

Such processing methods have been tried to be used with different types of tobacco, including, for example, Virginia tobacco, oriental type tobacco, or their mixture.

If the veins are subjected to rolling or loosening, then the resulting processed veins can be more easily mixed with tobacco leaf plates and included in the composition of cut cigarette filler. However, the process of rolling the veins or loosening the veins with steam or water usually does not affect the taste characteristics of the tobacco veins. As a result, the tobacco veins can have an undesirable effect on the overall taste of the main stream of smoke, which is formed when the cut filler is burned. This is particularly true of the leaf veins of Burley tobacco.

It would be desirable to provide an improved and more efficient method of fluffing tobacco veins for use as an acceptable component of the cut filler mixture in smoking products. It would be particularly desirable if such a method could significantly increase the filling capacity of tobacco veins. It would also be desirable if this fluffing method could be performed using known devices, thereby reducing the cost impact of performing such a method.

According to this invention, a method for the production of loose tobacco veins for cut tobacco filler is proposed, and this method includes the following steps: providing rolled tobacco veins with a thickness after rolling from 0.1 mm to 0.5

MM; dehumidification of rolled veins to increase the moisture content; cutting moistened tobacco veins; impregnation of cut tobacco veins with liquid carbon dioxide; heating soaked veins in order to cause them to loosen; and rewetting the veins after heating to increase the moisture content.

The methods of this invention can be carried out with any type of tobacco vein, including, but not limited to, Burley tobacco, Virginia tobacco, Oriental tobacco, or a mixture thereof.

The term "thickness" means the distance between the top surface that contacted the rolling device (as described in more detail below) and the bottom surface that contacted the rolling device. Therefore, the thickness corresponds to the size of the tobacco veins, the value of which is reduced during the rolling process, and which is, as a rule, essentially transverse to the direction of movement of the tobacco veins through the rolling device.

The thickness after rolling of a single particle of tobacco vein can be accurately measured under a microscope using a known measuring device. The thickness after rolling of a single particle of tobacco vein is measured at the point along the cutting direction, which corresponds to the largest cross-sectional area.

Unexpectedly, it was found that subjecting the tobacco veins to the processing steps of the method according to the present invention has a significant positive effect on both the taste characteristics of the veins and the filling capacity of the veins. As a result of rolling and fluffing the veins using liquid carbon dioxide, the tobacco veins have improved flavor characteristics and aftertaste and exhibit a more appealing flavor and aroma.

The loosening of the veins reduces the density of the material of the veins, so that the burning characteristics of the cut filler, which contains these veins, become optimized. The positive effect of the method according to the present invention is particularly noticeable for burley tobacco veins.

As a result of this positive effect on the tobacco veins of the method of fluffing of the present invention, these tobacco veins can be used as an acceptable component of cut filler.

Loose tobacco veins can also be added to the cut filler in much larger proportions than was previously possible, thereby improving the use of tobacco raw materials. The application of the method according to the present invention also has a positive impact on the environment due to the reduction of the part of the tobacco raw material that was thrown into the waste.

The use of tobacco veins instead of tobacco leaf laminae in cut filler is cost effective because tobacco leaf veins are generally available at a lower cost than tobacco leaf laminae. In a preferred embodiment, the tobacco veins can be processed using existing devices that are already used to loosen tobacco leaf plates. This enables rational and cost-effective implementation of the methods of this invention without the need for additional devices. In addition, it is possible to reduce or eliminate the need for funds that would otherwise be spent on the disposal of tobacco veins.

After the veins have been loosened, the loosened tobacco veins can be mixed with tobacco leaf plates or other types of tobacco raw materials. In this case, the different components of the cut filler are processed on separate processing lines before mixing these components. However, in preferred embodiments of the present invention, rolled tobacco veins are mixed with tobacco leaf plates prior to the dehumidification step, so that all subsequent steps are performed with a mixture of tobacco veins and leaf plates. Thus, tobacco veins can generally be processed together with tobacco leaf plates using the same processing steps and modes.

Tobacco leaf plates can be made from any type of tobacco leaf, including, but not limited to, Burley, Virginia, or Oriental tobacco.

Tobacco leaf plates, produced from tobacco leaves of one or more types, can be mixed with tobacco veins. These one or more types of tobacco from the leaves of which leaf plates are produced may be the same or different from the type of tobacco from the leaves of which tobacco veins are produced.

In the following description of the method of the present invention, any reference to the fluffing of tobacco veins during the steps of the methods of the present invention is equally applicable to the mixture of tobacco veins and tobacco leaf plates, which in certain embodiments is produced before the dewatering step.

In a preferred embodiment, the rolled tobacco veins are mixed with loose tobacco leaves to produce a tobacco blend in which the veins comprise at least 2 95 (wt), more preferably the veins comprise at least 5 95 (wt) , and in the most preferred option, the veins are at least 10,905 (wt.). The addition of tobacco veins at these content levels has an almost neutral effect on the taste of the cut filler, which includes a mixture of loose components. Due to the improved taste and burning characteristics of the loose tobacco veins, the loose cut filler can have a significantly higher relative content of loose tobacco veins.

Moistening of tobacco veins is necessary to increase the moisture content of tobacco raw materials. This dehumidification ensures that the tobacco fibers are flexible enough to be cut without damage or breakage. Before the stage of dehumidification, tobacco veins, as a rule, have a moisture content of approximately 10-11 95 volatile substances (0. m.). During the dehumidification step, the moisture content of the tobacco veins is increased to at least 12 95 volatiles, and in a more preferred embodiment, to approximately 2095 volatiles. A suitable dehumidification step can also be performed for a mixture of tobacco veins and tobacco leaf plates.

The moisture content of tobacco veins is expressed in this description as "percentage of evaporated substances", which is determined by measuring the percentage of weight lost by tobacco veins as a result of evaporation when drying this material in an oven at a temperature of 10370 for 100 min. Using this method, the moisture content in tobacco veins can be easily determined at any stage of the processing method.

Similarly, rewetting the tobacco veins during the rewetting step is also necessary to increase the moisture content of the raw tobacco after heating the soaked tobacco veins, during which a large proportion of the water contained in the tobacco veins tends to evaporate. After the heating step and before the re-moisture step, the tobacco veins, in a preferred embodiment, have a moisture content of about C 96 volatilizers. During the re-wetting step, the moisture content in the tobacco veins is increased to at least 1095 volatilizers.

A suitable step of re-wetting can also be performed on a mixture of tobacco veins and tobacco leaf plates.

The steps of dehumidification and re-dehumidification of the method according to the present invention can be carried out using known methods and devices. In a preferred embodiment, each of the dehumidifying and re-dehumidifying steps includes contacting the tobacco with steam, water, or a mixture of steam and water. For example, in one well-known dehumidification process, tobacco is exposed to a countercurrent stream of steam and water as the tobacco is mixed in a rotating cylindrical drum. Alternatively, the tobacco veins can be moistened or re-moistened in a humid chamber.

After the dehumidification step described above, the rolled tobacco veins are cut at the cutting stage with an acceptable cutting width. The cutting width can be adjusted in accordance with the desired use of the mixture of loose tobacco. For example, a cut filler intended for use in smoking products, particularly thin cigarettes, may prefer a smaller, thinner, cut width than for roll-your-own or pipe tobacco material. In a preferred embodiment, the cut width of the rolled tobacco veins is from 0.3 mm to 1.3 mm, and in a more preferred embodiment, from 0.65 mm to 0.9 mm. The corresponding cutting step can also be performed on a mixture of tobacco veins and tobacco leaf plates.

The term "cutting width" of tobacco veins means the width of the vein in the longitudinal direction

From which a tobacco vein was cut. When examining a vein particle under a microscope, it is generally possible to notice the direction along which this vein particle was passed through the cutting device. The cutting width corresponds to the distance between the two sides of the tobacco vein particle along this cutting direction. The cutting width of a single particle of tobacco vein can be accurately measured under a microscope using a known measuring device. The cutting width of an individual piece of tobacco vein is measured at the point along the cutting direction that corresponds to the largest cross-sectional area.

If the tobacco vein was cut in two directions, the width of the cut for the purposes of the present invention corresponds to the largest of the measured values of the width of the cut in these two directions.

After cutting, the tobacco veins are impregnated with liquid carbon dioxide at a high pressure of up to 30 bar (3 MPa) in an acceptable container for impregnation. In a preferred embodiment, the impregnation vessel is hermetically sealed and the air is removed from the vessel before liquid carbon dioxide is introduced into the vessel. Thus, the impregnation step of the methods according to the present invention is carried out under vacuum. According to the preferred option, the liquid carbon dioxide is kept at a temperature of about -55 "C and fed into the container for impregnation under pressure. This is done to optimize the penetration of the liquid carbon dioxide into the cellular structure of the tobacco veins, where it forms hydrates with moisture inside the cells The corresponding impregnation step can also be performed on a mixture of tobacco veins and tobacco leaf plates.

After the impregnation stage, the remaining free liquid carbon dioxide is removed and returned to its original state. The impregnation chamber is depressurized, and the liquid carbon dioxide in the cellular structure turns into dry ice and freezes the tobacco at -79 "C, which is the sublimation temperature of carbon dioxide. The frozen tobacco veins are heated to cause the carbon dioxide inside the tobacco to evaporate. material

The evaporation of carbon dioxide leads to the expansion of the inner cells of the tobacco veins, as a result of which the tobacco veins loosen. According to the preferred option, the heating step is carried out by contacting the frozen soaked tobacco veins with a jet of hot gas, preferably with a jet of hot air and steam, the temperature of which, according to the preferred option, is from 150 °C to 400 °C.

The corresponding fluffing step can also be performed on a mixture of tobacco veins and tobacco leaf plates.

During the fluffing step, said tobacco veins are preferably fluffed so as to increase the filling capacity of the tobacco material by at least 5095, and in a more preferred embodiment, by at least 100 95. The term "filling capacity" of the tobacco material characterizes the volume of space occupied given weight or mass of material. The greater the filling capacity of the tobacco material, the less weight of material is required to fill a tobacco rod of standard sizes. The process of loosening significantly increases the volume of the mass of tobacco veins and reduces the density of tobacco raw materials. Reducing the density of the tobacco veins is particularly advantageous because it makes the veins more suitable and acceptable for inclusion in the cut filler.

Certain preferred methods of the present invention further include the step of applying a coating solution to the rolled wetted strands prior to the cutting and loosening steps. The coating solution can be applied using any acceptable method, which includes, for example, spraying. A preferred coating solution is an aqueous solution that contains a humectant such as glycerin.

The methods of the present invention, which include the steps described above, can be carried out with pre-rolled strands that have been rolled autonomously in a previous rolling process to the desired thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. For example, rolling can be carried out at a separate plant for processing or stripping leaves, so that the raw material of the processing process described above is pre-rolled veins.

However, certain embodiments of the present invention may include a rolling process as part of the cut filler production process, so that the rolling is performed at the same plant or production facilities as the rest of the processing steps. After that, the rolled veins can be sent directly to the cut filler production line. Such methods according to the present invention, in addition, include the following additional steps: dehumidification of the veins to increase the moisture content; and rolling the veins to a thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. If the raw material is tobacco veins that have already been separated from the rest of the tobacco leaves, then these additional steps can be carried out before the dehumidification and fluffing steps described above. However, the method according to the present invention may additionally include the step of pounding, so that the raw material of the processing process is raw tobacco leaves. In this case, the mentioned method, in addition, includes the following additional steps: removal of veins from tobacco leaves; and cutting the strands to an average length of 15 mm to 80 mm, these steps being performed prior to dehumidifying and rolling the strands as described above.

Veins can be removed from tobacco leaves using the well-known tamping process.

The veins can be broken or cut in a heating machine, or in a separate step, which is designed to reduce the length of parts of the veins, in order to optimize the rolling process.

Wetting the strands prior to rolling is necessary to increase the moisture content so that the strands are flexible enough to be rolled without breaking or damaging the strands. Before the dehumidification stage, tobacco veins usually have a moisture content of about 17-20 95 volatilized substances. In the dehumidification step, in a preferred embodiment, the moisture content is increased to 3595 volatiles or less, and in a more preferred embodiment, to 30 95 volatiles or less. In certain cases, the moisture content of the 25-28 96 vaporized substances may be sufficient to prevent damage to the veins during rolling.

The preferred option is to dehumidify the veins by contacting the veins with water, steam, or a mixture of water and steam. In a preferred option, the veins are left to soak for a period of time to allow moisture to penetrate the inner structure of the veins.

After the steps of dehumidification, the tobacco veins are subjected to rolling using a known one-stage or two-stage rolling process in order to reduce the thickness of the veins to 0.1-0.5 mm. The thickness of the rolled veins is reduced to a level close to the thickness of tobacco leaf plates. According to the preferred option, the tobacco veins are rolled to a thickness of 0.2 mm to 0.3 mm. Therefore, the tobacco veins are rolled to a thickness that is less than the usual thickness for cut rolled tobacco veins.

As a result of rolling the veins to a thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, the cellular structure of the veins is at least partially damaged. In particular, the epidermis of tobacco vein cells is at least partially damaged. Damage to the cellular structure of tobacco veins is clearly visible when examining rolled tobacco veins under a microscope. In addition, due to the different structure of the veins compared to the veins before fluffing, it will be visually apparent that the rolled tobacco veins have been fluffed. If the tobacco veins have been processed using the methods of this invention, then this will be clear both by the thickness of these veins after rolling, and by the presence of signs of loosening of the tobacco veins.

As mentioned above, loose tobacco veins are intended for use as a component of cut filler. The present invention also provides a method for the production of cut filler containing fluffed tobacco veins, this method includes: fluffing the tobacco veins using the method of the present invention as described above; and mixing the fluffed tobacco veins with the tobacco sheets of at least one other type of fluffed tobacco or reconstituted tobacco to create a cut filler.

Another type of tobacco leaf can be, for example, oriental type tobacco leaf, Virginia tobacco leaf or mixtures thereof. Loose and reconstituted tobacco, if present in the cut filler, may be made from any acceptable type of tobacco using known devices and methods. Mixing of loose tobacco veins with tobacco raw materials of other types is carried out, as a rule, after the stage of re-dehumidification, so that mixing is the final stage in the production of cut filler.

The present invention also provides a suitable method for producing a cut filler from a mixture of loose veins and loose sheet laminae.

In a preferred embodiment, the fluffed tobacco mixture comprises approximately 12-27 wt.% of cut filler, with the fluffed tobacco fibers comprising at least 2.95 wt.%, and in a more preferred embodiment, at least 595 wt. wt.) to 100 95 (wt.) of the mixture, and the rest of the mixture consists of fluffed tobacco leaf plates. Therefore, loose tobacco fibers produced using the method of this invention comprise from about 0.3 95 (wt.) to 27 95 (wt.) cut filler.

Cut fillers containing loose tobacco fibers produced using the methods of the present invention can be incorporated into various smoking products. For example, chopped

The filler can be used in the tobacco rod of a lit smoking product such as a filter cigarette, cigarillo or cigar. Alternatively, the cut filler can be used to provide a tobacco aerosol substrate in a distillation-based smoking product or in an electrically heated smoking system.

Alternatively, the cut filler can be used as a material for the manufacture of homemade cigarettes (rollers), or loose tobacco material intended, for example, for use in a smoking pipe.

Smoking products that include a cut filler containing loose tobacco fibers produced using the methods of the present invention can be packaged in containers, for example, containers that are formed from one or more bent flat blanks.

Acceptable containers include, but are not limited to, containers with a hinged lid and containers with a pull-out section and a case.

Below, this invention will be described by way of example only.

Example

The method according to this invention is carried out with a mixture of pre-rolled burley tobacco veins and pre-rolled smoke-dried tobacco veins, which have already been separated from the rest of the tobacco leaves and rolled to a thickness of 0.2 mm. The rolled tobacco veins are mixed with a mixture of Burley and Bright tobacco leaves to form a tobacco blend before further processing steps. Rolled tobacco veins make up approximately 5 95 (wt.) of the tobacco mixture. It should be noted that mixing tobacco veins with leaf plates is optional, and in alternative embodiments, tobacco veins can be processed in the same way without tobacco leaf plates.

During the dehumidification stage, the tobacco mixture is placed in a cylindrical drum, which is rotated to continuously move the tobacco veins and leaf plates.

Converging jets of steam and water are passed through the cylinder so that they contact the tobacco mixture until the moisture content of the rolled tobacco veins reaches approximately 20 96 volatilizers.

After that, the moistened tobacco mixture is sprayed with a covering solution of glycerin in water.

The coating solution additionally includes glycerin, which acts as a moisturizer.

After that, the tobacco mixture is cut with a standard cutting width of 0.9 mm, and then moved to a container for impregnation. Air is removed from this container, and after that, liquid carbon dioxide is pumped under pressure into the container for impregnation at a temperature of approximately -55 "C. The tobacco mixture is impregnated with liquid carbon dioxide for approximately 2-3 minutes.

After the tobacco mixture has been permeated with liquid carbon dioxide, which becomes solid inside the tobacco material, this mixture is transferred to a tower and rapidly heated with a hot gas at a temperature of about 350 "C to cause about 100 95 of fluffing of the tobacco mixture. Said gas is a mixture steam and air, which is about 80-95 steam.

After the heating step, the tobacco mixture is cooled and re-humidified using a dehumidification chamber until the moisture content of the tobacco veins again reaches approximately 12 95 volatilizers.

The loose tobacco mixture is then mixed with other tobacco raw materials, including loose leaf tobacco and reconstituted tobacco, to create a cut filler mixture. The mixture of loose tobacco makes up to 25 95 (wt.) of the total mass of cut filler.

It should be noted that the moisture levels, the thickness of the rolled veins, the width of the cut, the relative content of the tobacco veins and other parameters of the fluffing process can be changed, as described above, depending on the desired properties and the expected use of the finished cut filler.

Claims (14)

FORMULA OF THE INVENTION 1. The method of production of loose tobacco veins for cut tobacco filler, which includes the following stages: 25 providing rolled tobacco veins with a thickness after rolling from 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm; dehumidification of rolled veins; cutting moistened tobacco veins; impregnation of cut tobacco veins with liquid carbon dioxide; heating soaked veins in order to cause them to loosen; and Z re-wetting of veins after heating. 2. The method according to claim 1, which is characterized by the fact that rolled tobacco veins are mixed with tobacco leaf plates before the step of dehumidification, so that further stages are performed with a mixture of tobacco veins and leaf plates. 3. The method according to claim 1 or claim 2, which differs in that during the dehumidification stage, the moisture content of 35 tobacco veins is increased to at least 12 95 volatile substances (o.m.). 4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, which is characterized by the fact that during the step of re-moistening, the moisture content of the tobacco veins is increased to at least 10 95 volatile substances. 5. The method according to any of the previous items, characterized in that each of the steps 40 of dehumidification and re-dehumidification includes contacting the tobacco with steam, water or a mixture of steam and water. b. The method according to any of the previous items, which differs in that the percolation of tobacco veins with liquid carbon dioxide is carried out under vacuum. 7. The method according to any of the previous items, which is characterized by the fact that during the heating step 45, the tobacco veins are heated in a jet of hot gas at a temperature from 150 "C to 40076. 8. The method according to any of the previous items, which is characterized by the fact that the tobacco veins are loosened so that the filling capacity of the tobacco veins increases by at least 20 95. 50 9. A method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cutting step includes cutting the rolled cores with a cutting width of 0.3 mm to 1.3 mm. 10. The method according to any of the previous items, which is characterized by the fact that it additionally includes the step of applying a coating solution to the rolled wetted veins before the cutting step. 11. The method according to claim 9, which is characterized by the fact that it includes the application of an aqueous coating solution 55, which contains a moisturizer. 12. The method according to any of the previous items, which is characterized by the fact that it includes the following additional steps: removing veins from tobacco leaves; cutting veins to an average length from mm to 80 mm; dehumidification of the veins to increase the moisture content; and rolling the veins to a thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm, and these additional steps are performed before the steps according to claim 1. (c; 13. The method according to claim 12, which is characterized in that the dehumidification of the veins increases the moisture content to 35 95 volatile substances or less. 14. The method of production of cut filler containing loose tobacco veins, which includes: production of loose tobacco veins using the method according to any of the previous items; and mixing the fluffed tobacco veins with the tobacco sheets of at least one type, fluffed tobacco or reconstituted tobacco to produce the cut filler.