Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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DESCRIPTION
TOBACCO MATERIAL
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention relates to a tobacco material and a tobacco
product comprising
the tobacco material.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] In the field of smoking articles, smoking articles that meet various
preferences are
developed by adjusting smoking flavor. As a method of adjusting smoking
flavor, a method
of dispersing leaf tobacco particles in a dispersion medium and adding the
resulting
dispersion to tobacco shreds is known as in Patent Literature (PTL) 1, for
example.
Moreover, PTL 2 discloses a method of improving flavor through heating of a
suspension of
tobacco particles by utilizing the Maillard reaction or the like (PTL 2,
paragraph [0013]).
Such tobacco particles are smaller than 40 mesh (PTL 2, paragraph [0024]), in
other words,
smaller than 400 pm. Meanwhile, a suspension of tobacco particles is also
known as a raw
material for a reconstituted tobacco sheet, and PTL 3 discloses that a
suspension of tobacco
particles with 60 to 400 mesh is heated to 80 F to 180 F (26.7 C to 82.2 C)
(PTL 3,
paragraph [0056]). The particle size of these tobacco particles is 38 to 250
lam.
CITATION LIST
PATENT LITERATURE
[0003] PTL 1: WO 2014/185103
PTL 2: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. H10-66559
PTL 3: Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 1106-46817
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
TECHNICAL PROBLEM
[0004] The method of PTL 1 is a useful technique since flavor can be evenly
imparted to
tobacco shreds and the like. However, in the preparation stage for a tobacco
raw material
dispersion by mixing a tobacco raw material with solvent, such as water,
present inventors
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found a problem, for example, in which interactions and the like between water
and water-
soluble components derived from the tobacco raw material increase the
viscosity of the
dispersion, thereby making spraying of the dispersion difficult. In view of
the above, an
object of the present invention is to provide a low-viscosity tobacco material
in which
tobacco particles are dispersed in an aqueous dispersion medium. PTL 1
suggests nothing
about an increase in viscosity, and PTL 2 and 3 even lack a disclosure of such
particles.
Accordingly, the above-mentioned problem is a problem peculiar to the use of
fine particles
with an average particle size of 30 p.m or less and is thus a novel problem
found by the
present inventors.
SOLUTION TO PROBLEM
[0005] The present inventors have resolved the above-mentioned problem by
controlling
the amount of hemicellulose to a certain value or less in a tobacco material
comprising an
aqueous dispersion medium and tobacco particles that are dispersed in the
dispersion medium
and have an average particle size of 30 pm or less. Specifically, the above-
mentioned
problem can be resolved by the following present invention.
(1) A tobacco material comprising an aqueous dispersion medium and tobacco
particles that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and have an average
particle size of 30
i_tm or less, where a hemicellulose content in the tobacco material is 0.8% by
weight or less
based on bone-dry tobacco particles.
(2) The tobacco material according to (1), where a pH is 4.8 or less.
(3) The tobacco material according to (1) or (2), where the aqueous dispersion
medium contains an aqueous organic compound.
(4) The tobacco material according to (3), where 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 (1) to (4), where a water
content in
the aqueous dispersion medium exceeds 50% by weight.
(6) The tobacco material according to any one of (1) to (5), where a content
of the
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tobacco particles is 1 to 40% by weight.
(7) The tobacco material according to any one of (1) to (6), where the tobacco
particles are particles derived from a tobacco raw material, a fermented
tobacco raw material,
or a heat-treated tobacco raw material.
(8) The tobacco material according to (7), where a variety of the tobacco raw
material is flue-cured, burley, domestic, or oriental.
(9) A production method for the tobacco material according to any one of (1)
to (8)
comprising: 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
gm or less; and heating the dispersion to 160 C or higher.
(10) The production method according to (9), where the heating is performed
under
pressure.
(11) A tobacco product comprising the tobacco material according to any one of
(1)
to (8) above.
(12) The tobacco product according to (11), further comprising a base
material,
where 0.01 to 5% by weight of the tobacco particles are contained relative to
the base
material.
(13) A production method for the tobacco product according to (12) comprising
adding the tobacco material according to any one of (1) to (8) above to the
base material.
ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION
[0006] According to 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. lA 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.
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DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0008] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail. In the
present
invention, the wording "X to Y" includes the lower and the upper limits of X
and Y.
[0009] 1. Tobacco Material
A tobacco material of the present invention comprises an aqueous dispersion
medium and tobacco particles that are dispersed in the dispersion medium and
have an
average particle size of 301.1,m or less.
[0010] (1) Tobacco Particles
Tobacco particles may be derived from a tobacco raw material, a fermented
tobacco
raw material, or a heat-treated tobacco raw material. The tobacco raw material
herein
means whole tobacco or parts of tobacco. As such parts, leaves, veins, stems,
roots,
flowers, and mixtures thereof may be used. The variety of tobacco is not
particularly
limited, and examples include flue-cured, barley, domestic, and oriental. A
tobacco raw
material to be used may be in the state of fresh leaves immediately after the
harvest without
being subjected to drying or the like, leaves that have been subjected to
drying treatment after
the harvest, or combinations thereof. In addition, tobacco stems and veins,
expanded
tobacco, and sheet tobacco obtained by processing these tobacco raw materials
may also be
used. These materials may be used alone or in combination of a plurality of
varieties or
parts.
[0011] Tobacco particles can be prepared by any suitable method but is
preferably prepared
by subjecting a tobacco raw material to common drying treatment, then coarse
grinding with
a common coarse grinder, followed by fine grinding. The drying treatment and
coarse
grinding may be performed in any publicly known manner, and the average
particle size of
coarsely ground tobacco particles preferably falls within a range from several
hundred
micrometers to several millimeters. A method for fine grinding is also not
limited, and
either method of wet grinding and dry grinding may be employed. The wet
grinding can be
performed by adding a liquid dispersion medium to coarsely ground tobacco
particles,
mixing, and processing the resulting mixture in a wet milling machine (MIC-2:
from Nara
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Machinery Co., Ltd., for example). The milling machine is preferably set to
the rotation
number of typical 1,100 to 1,300 rpm and milling time of about 5 to 100
minutes.
Meanwhile, dry grinding can be performed by processing coarsely ground tobacco
particles
in a dry fine grinder, such as a jet mill.
[0012] The thus-obtained tobacco particles have an average particle size of 30
gm or less
and preferably 20 pm or less. By having such average particle sizes, clogging
of a nozzle is
less likely to occur during spraying of a dispersion; and tobacco particles
are readily and
uniformly dispersed in the tobacco material. Accordingly, smoking flavor can
be evenly
imparted to smoking articles. The lower limit of the average particle size of
tobacco
particles is 5 gm or more in one embodiment and 8 pm or more in another
embodiment.
The average particle size of tobacco particles is adjustable by grinding
conditions. For
example, the average particle size can be increased by shortening the time for
fine grinding,
reducing the viscosity of a dispersion medium, and so forth.
[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) at a diffractive index of 1.60 to 0.101.
[0014] (2) Aqueous Dispersion Media
An aqueous dispersion medium herein refers to a liquid medium containing
water.
The aqueous dispersion medium may be water alone or may 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 using in combination with an
amphiphilic
organic compound, such as methanol.
[0015] Examples of the monohydric alcohols include monohydric CI to C6
aliphatic
alcohols, such as methanol, ethanol, 1-propanol, 2-propanol, 1-butanol, 2-
butanol, 2-methyl-
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having an aromatic
substituent, such as benzyl alcohol; other monohydric alcohols having one or
more halogen
elements; and monohydric alcohols having one or more ether linkages.
[0016] A polyhydric alcohol is a generic term for compounds having two or more
hydroxy
groups in a molecule. Examples of the polyhydric alcohols include, but are not
limited to,
glycerol and propylene glycol.
Examples of the sugar alcohols include sorbitol, maltitol, xylitol,
erythritol, lactitol,
sorbitan, xylose, arabinose, mannose, and trehalose.
Examples of the sugars include lactose, table sugar, coupling sugar, glucose,
enzyme-converted syrup, acid-converted syrup, maltose syrup, maltose, high-
fructose corn
syrup, fructose, hydrogenated maltose, hydrogenated starch syrup, and honey.
Examples of the polyhydric alcohol esters include fatty acid polyhydric
alcohol
esters, such as fatty acid triglycerides.
[0017] The aqueous dispersion medium can be used as a medium for wet grinding
of
tobacco. In this case, a tobacco material of the present invention can be
prepared
simultaneously with fine grinding. On this occasion, a mixed solvent of water
and glycerol
is preferably employed since the average particle size of tobacco particles is
readily adjusted
to a desirable range. When tobacco particles are obtained by dry fine
grinding, a tobacco
material of the present invention can be prepared by mixing finely ground
tobacco particles
with an aqueous medium.
[0018] A mixing ratio of water and the organic compound is not limited, and
any suitable
mixing ratio may be employed particularly when a mixed solvent of water and
glycerol is
used. However, in view of handling properties, safety, and the like, a water
content in the
aqueous dispersion medium is preferably more than 50% by weight, more
preferably 80% by
weight or more, and further preferably 90% by weight or more.
[0019] (3) Hemicellulose
Hemicellulose is a polysaccharide contained in plant cell walls. A tobacco
material
of the present invention contains 0.8% by weight or less of hemicellulose
based on bone-dry
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tobacco particles. Hemicellulose readily interacts with water, thereby
increasing the
viscosity of the tobacco material. However, the present invention exhibits a
low viscosity
due to a reduced amount of hemicellulose and thus exerts an effect of
facilitating spraying
onto a base material, such as tobacco shreds. In this view, the amount of
hemicellulose is
preferably 0.5% by weight or less based on bone-dry tobacco particles. The
lower limit of
the amount of hemicellulose is not limited but is preferably 0% by weight or
is preferably
0.1% by weight or more.
[0020] The concentration of cellulose in a tobacco material of the present
invention is not
limited but, in view of viscosity, is preferably 12% by weight or less, more
preferably 10.5%
by weight or less, further preferably 10% by weight or less, and particularly
preferably 9% by
weight or less based on bone-dry tobacco particles.
[0021] (4) Characteristics
In a tobacco material of the present invention, tobacco particles with an
average
particle size of 30 1.1m 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 bone-dry
state. When the amount of tobacco particles falls within this range, a tobacco
material of
the present invention is a slurry with an appropriate viscosity, is easily
applied to a base
material by using a spraying apparatus, and makes uniform application
possible.
[0022] Moreover, a tobacco material of the present invention has a pH of
preferably 4.8 or
less and more preferably 4.6 or less. A tobacco material obtained by the
method of PTL 1
had a problem in which microorganisms proliferate due to increased water
activity.
Meanwhile, a tobacco material of the present invention with the above-
mentioned pH ranges
is also characterized by suppressed proliferation of microorganisms and
capability of
maintaining the quality. The pH of a tobacco material can be determined by
measuring a
hydrogen ion concentration in the tobacco material by using a pH meter.
[0023] The viscosity of a tobacco material of the present invention at 20 C
and a tobacco
particle concentration of 16.7% by weight is preferably 10 to 500 cP and more
preferably 10
to 200 cP. The viscosity is measured with a B-type viscometer.
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[0024] (5) Additives
A tobacco material of the present invention may contain various additives.
Examples of the additives include food ingredients for designing flavor, such
as spearmint
leaves, peppermint leaves, green tea and other tea leaves, coffee, cocoa,
cardamom, menthol,
and sugar; polysaccharide thickeners for enhancing dispersibility through
viscosity
adjustment, such as glucans and pectin; food additives, such as various
emulsifiers; glues,
such as carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC); and curing agents for enhancing
handling properties
after addition to tobacco. The timing of adding such additives is not limited,
and additives
may be added before fine grinding of a tobacco raw material and finely ground
together or
may be added to a tobacco material. The proportions of additives may also be
set suitably.
However, when additives are contained, the total amount of tobacco particles
and a
dispersion medium in a tobacco material of the present invention is preferably
90% by weight
or more and more preferably 95% by weight or more based on the total amount of
the
tobacco material.
[0025] 2. Production Method for Tobacco Material of the Present Invention
A tobacco material of the present invention is preferably produced by a method
comprising: 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
p.m or less, as in the foregoing; and heating the dispersion to 160 C or
higher. By heating
the dispersion to 160 C or higher, it is possible to decompose substances,
such as
hemicellulose, that cause thickening through interactions with water and to
reduce the
amounts thereof. In this view, the heating temperature is preferably higher
than 150 C and
more preferably 160 C or higher. Meanwhile, an excessively high temperature
causes
degradation of active components. 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 performed under pressure by using an
apparatus, such as a
pressure cooker. The pressure is preferably 1.8 MPa or higher. A tobacco
material of the
present invention produced under these conditions also exerts an effect of
remarkably
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suppressing proliferation of microorganisms.
[0026] 3. Tobacco Products
A tobacco product can be obtained by adding a tobacco material of the present
invention to a base material. A base material herein refers to a tobacco body
or auxiliary
members of smokable tobacco. Examples of the tobacco body include tobacco
immediately
after the harvest, dried tobacco, flavor-added tobacco, tobacco shreds, and
cigarettes.
Examples of the auxiliary members include cigarette paper, filters, and
tipping paper.
Examples of the method of adding a tobacco material to a base material
include, but are not
particularly limited to, dropwise addition, spraying, coating, and
impregnation.
[0027] When a tobacco material of the present invention is added to a
cigarette, the tobacco
material may be added to cigarette components, such as tobacco shreds,
cigarette paper,
filter, and tipping paper. The tobacco material may be added to one segment or
two or more
segments, such as both tobacco shreds and tipping paper. Moreover, by adding
tobacco
materials obtained from different types of tobacco to different locations on
cigarette paper, it
is also possible to provide different smoking flavors during smoking of a
tobacco product,
such as a cigarette. When a tobacco material is added to a filter of a
cigarette, the filter may
also be impregnated with the tobacco material.
[0028] When a tobacco material of the present invention is added to tobacco
shreds, the
amount of tobacco particles contained in the tobacco material is preferably
set to 0.01 to 5%
by weight based on the weight of the tobacco shreds in view of efficiency in
imparting
smoking flavor. When tobacco with strong flavor is used for a tobacco
material, the above-
mentioned proportion may be reduced to 0.01 to 0.1% by weight, for example.
EXAMPLES
[0029] [Example 1]
Tobacco particles with an average particle size of 30 .1.1n were prepared as
in the
following by using a leaf tobacco raw material (Brazilian flue-cured raw
material).
The leaf tobacco raw material was coarsely ground to 10 mm or less by using a
cutter mill from Tokyo Atomizer M. F. G. Co., Ltd. Subsequently, the coarsely
ground leaf
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tobacco raw material was coarsely ground further to an average particle size
of 100 pm or
less by using a CONDUX impact mill from NETZSCH Group and then finely ground
by
using a CSM impact classifier mill from NETZSCH Group to yield tobacco
particles with an
average particle size of 30 pm or less.
[0030] The resulting tobacco particles were mixed with sterile water to obtain
a slurry in
which the tobacco particles were suspended in water. The content of the
tobacco particles
(bone dry) in the slurry was 16.7% by weight. The slurry was sealed in four
reaction
vessels and subjected to high-temperature high-pressure treatment under the
following
respective conditions to produce tobacco materials of the present invention.
The suspended
state of the tobacco particles did not change even after the high-temperature
high-pressure
treatment.
A: 160 C-10 min
B: 180 C-10 min
C: 180 C-30 min
D: 180 C-60 min
[0031] The viscosity of each slurry after the treatment was measured at 20 C
by using a B-
type viscometer (rotor No. 1, rotation number of 0.3 to 100 rpm).
[0032] Further, cellulose and hemicellulose contents were measured for the
tobacco
materials (slurries) of the present invention as in the following.
1) A slurry was washed with water and subjected to centrifugation (8,000 rpm,
10
min) to collect a settled residue. This procedure was repeated twice.
2) The collected residue was rinsed with ethanol and subjected to
centrifugation
(8,000 rpm, 10 min) to collect a settled residue. This procedure was repeated
twice.
3) The resulting residue was dried in a constant-temperature apparatus (100 C-
2 hrs).
4) The dried residue was weighed, and quantification of cellulose and
hemicellulose
by the Van Soest method was outsourced to Japan Food Research Laboratories to
obtain
cellulose and hemicellulose contents based on the weight of bone-dry tobacco
particles.
[0033] [Example 2]
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A tobacco material of the present invention was produced and evaluated in the
same
manner as Example 1 except for changing the content of tobacco particles (bone
dry) to
14.3% by weight and performing only high-temperature high-pressure treatment D
above.
[0034] [Example 3]
A tobacco material of the present invention was produced and evaluated in the
same
manner as Example 1 except for changing the content of tobacco particles (bone
dry) to
20.0% by weight and performing only high-temperature high-pressure treatment D
above.
[0035] [Comparative Example 1]
A tobacco material for comparison was produced and evaluated in the same
manner
as Example 1 except for changing the high-temperature high-pressure treatment
to the
following.
X: None
Y: 150 C -5 min
Z: 150 C-15 min
[0036] [Comparative Examples 2 and 3]
Tobacco materials for comparison were produced and evaluated in the same
manner
as Examples 2 and 3, respectively, except for omitting the high-temperature
high-pressure
treatment.
These results are shown in Figs. 1 and 2 as well as Tables 1 and 2.
[0037] [Table 1]
Table 1 The amount of hemicellulose for Examples and Comparative Examples
(weight %)
Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Comp.
Comp. Comp.
Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3
A 160 C-10 min 0.0
B 180 C-10 min 0.0
C 180 C-30 min 0.0
D 180 C-60 min 0.0 0.0 0.0
Y 150 C -5 min 1.4
Z 150 C-15 min 0.9
X None 2.7 2.7 2.7
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[0038] [Table 2]
Table 2 The amount of cellulose for Examples and Comparative Examples
(weight%)
Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 Comp.
Comp. Comp.
Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3
A 160 C-10 min 11.7
B 180 C-10 min 8.8 - -
C 180 C-30 min 8.6
D 180 C-60 min 7.5 7.5 8.8
Y 150 C -5 min 13.5
Z 150 C-15 min 10.8
X None 12.2 12.2 12.2
[0039] As shown in Fig. 1, tobacco materials for comparison treated under
conditions Y
and Z (hereinafter, referred to as "Comparative Example 1Y" and the like) in
Comparative
Example 1 tend to have an increased viscosity. This is presumably because a
large amount
of polysaccharides were extracted into an aqueous medium but were not
decomposed by
high-temperature high-pressure treatment under such conditions, thereby
increasing
interactions with water. Meanwhile, the tobacco materials of the present
invention, such as
Example 1A, are considered to achieve a lower viscosity through extraction of
a large
amount of polysaccharides and the like including hemicellulose into an aqueous
medium,
followed by decomposition. As described above, it is clear that the tobacco
materials of the
present invention with a certain content or less of hemicellulose exhibit a
low viscosity.
[0040] [Example 4]
A hydrogen ion concentration in a slurry was measured by using a pH meter from
Mettler Toledo for the tobacco materials of the present invention treated
under high-
temperature high-pressure conditions A and C in Example 1 [the content of
tobacco
particles (bone dry): 16.7% by weight]. These tobacco materials were poured
into 50 mL
vials and subjected to a storage test. The storage test was performed by
placing the vials in
a constant-temperature room at 35 C. A total viable count was measured for
samples
obtained immediately after the start of the storage test, after 72 hours, and
after 120 hours.
The total viable count was measured in accordance with the method posted on
the home
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page of Japan Food Research Laboratories as in the following.
1) A sample was diluted with sterile water to prepare serial tenfold diluted
samples.
2) Each of the samples diluted to the respective concentrations were
inoculated on a
standard agar medium and cultured at 35 C for two days. After the culture, the
number of
colonies was counted.
3) The initial viable count of the samples was calculated on the basis of
differences
in the number of colonies appeared for the respective dilutions.
[0041] [Comparative Example 4]
The tobacco material for comparison that did not undergo high-temperature high-
pressure treatment of Comparative Example 1 was subjected to a storage test in
the same
manner as Example 4.
[0042] These results are shown in Figs. 2 and 3. As is clear from Fig. 2, the
count
increases 100 to 1,000-fold during the storage in the tobacco material of
Comparative
Example 4 that was not subjected to high-temperature high-pressure treatment,
whereas
microorganisms did not proliferate even after the storage for 120 hours in the
tobacco
materials of the present invention. Fig. 3 reveals that slurries have been
changed to the
environment that suppresses proliferation of microorganisms by the high-
temperature high-
pressure treatment.
