Preparation method and application of high-theobromine cocoa extract and style-enhanced cocoa extract

Abstract

The invention belongs to the field of cocoa extract tobacco flavors, and particularly relates to a preparation method and application of a high-theobromine cocoa extract and a style-enhanced cocoa extract. The high-theobromine cocoa extract is used for tobacco perfuming independently or after being blended with the cocoa extract tobacco flavor, so that the sensory effect of the cocoa extract tobacco flavor is improved; the preparation method of the high-theobromine cocoa extract comprises the following steps: preparing a cocoa powder water extract or a cocoa extract water diluent, and enriching theobromine in the cocoa extract by using macroporous adsorption resin column chromatography. Compared with pure theobromine, the high-theobromine cocoa extract has no obvious influence on the sensory quality of cigarettes, and compared with untreated cocoa extracts, the high-theobromine cocoa extract has the advantages that the aroma, richness, stimulation reduction, offensive odor covering, characteristic aroma intensity and the like are improved to different degrees; especially, the style-enhanced cocoa extract obtained by blending the high-theobromine cocoa extract and the untreated cocoa extract has a better effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the field of cocoa extract tobacco flavoring, and particularly relates to a preparation method of a high-theobromine cocoa extract and an application thereof, and a flavor-enhanced cocoa extract. Background Art

[0002] Cocoa extract is a natural flavoring widely used in the tobacco industry. Adding it to cigarettes imparts a cocoa aroma, adding roasted, sweet, and bean-based notes. It also enhances the smoke's flavor and helps reduce harshness and remove impurities. Theobromine (3,7-dimethylxanthine), a key alkaloid in cocoa, is responsible for some of the sensory flavors of foods and beverages like chocolate and tea. It is also closely linked to the sensory qualities of cocoa extract, a tobacco flavoring.

[0003] Testing has shown that theobromine content in cocoa powder is approximately 2%, while the dry weight content in commercially available cocoa extracts is approximately 0.5% to 3%. Current research on theobromine focuses on its extraction and preparation. For example, Chinese invention patent application CN101939321A, published on January 5, 2011, discloses a method and apparatus for producing a high-theobromine composition. The method comprises (a) obtaining a crude theobromine extract; (b) contacting the crude extract with a cation exchange resin to adsorb theobromine onto the cation exchange resin; and (c) introducing a solvent into the cation exchange resin to obtain a theobromine extract. After treatment with the cation exchange resin, step (c) includes introducing a first solvent (c1) and a second solvent (c2). Step c1 is intended to elute non-theobromine adsorbed on the cation exchange resin, allowing for more selective theobromine elution in step c2. Such high theobromine composition can be used in coffee, chocolate, candy and impart the pharmacological effects of theobromine, such as vasodilation, central nervous system excitation and diuresis.

[0004] The sensory effects of cocoa extract tobacco flavoring on various tobacco products, including cigarettes, heat-not-burn cigarettes, e-cigarettes, pipe tobacco, cigars, and hookahs, are relatively complex, unlike the aforementioned food and beverages such as coffee, chocolate, and candy, which are imparted with pharmacological functions through the addition of theobromine. The ion exchange resins in the aforementioned methods typically involve the use of acidic and alkaline solutions, which alter the original pH value and composition of the natural flavoring, affecting its natural flavor. Therefore, they are not suitable for tobacco flavoring treatment. Furthermore, the patent states that high-temperature (40-100°C) deionized water can be used as an eluent for eluting the cation exchange resin, but this operation can result in the loss of heat-sensitive and volatile substances in the natural flavoring.

[0005] How to further enhance the effects of cocoa extract tobacco flavoring while maintaining its original advantages is of great significance to the deep processing of cocoa tobacco flavoring. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a high-theobromine cocoa extract for use in tobacco products, so as to solve the problem that the sensory effect of existing cocoa extract tobacco flavorings needs to be further improved when used in tobacco product flavoring.

[0007] The second object of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing a high-theobromine cocoa extract to solve the above problems.

[0008] The third object of the present invention is to provide a flavor-enhanced cocoa extract to solve the above problems.

[0009] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0010] The invention discloses an application of a high-theobromine cocoa extract in tobacco products. The high-theobromine cocoa extract is used alone or in combination with cocoa extract tobacco flavorings for tobacco flavoring, thereby enhancing the sensory effects of the cocoa extract tobacco flavorings. The preparation method of the high-theobromine cocoa extract comprises: preparing a cocoa powder aqueous extract or a cocoa extract aqueous dilution, and then using macroporous adsorption resin column chromatography to achieve the enrichment of theobromine in the cocoa extract.

[0011] The present invention is a pioneering invention, disclosing for the first time the use of macroporous adsorption resin column chromatography technology to prepare a high-theobromine cocoa extract. Compared with pure theobromine, the high-theobromine cocoa extract has no obvious effect on the sensory quality of cigarettes. Compared with untreated cocoa extracts, the high-theobromine cocoa extract has different degrees of improvement in improving the aroma and richness of tobacco products, reducing irritation, masking foreign odors, and the intensity of characteristic aroma. In particular, the flavor-enhanced cocoa extract obtained by blending the high-theobromine cocoa extract with the untreated cocoa extract has a more excellent effect.

[0012] Preferably, the high-theobromine cocoa extract is blended with cocoa extract tobacco flavoring to obtain a flavor-enhanced cocoa extract, wherein the theobromine content of the flavor-enhanced cocoa extract is 4% to 12% by weight on a dry basis.

[0013] Preferably, the macroporous adsorption resin is a non-polar or weakly polar macroporous adsorption resin. Further preferably, the macroporous adsorption resin is selected from AB-8, HJ-04, X-5 or HPD-100.

[0014] Preferably, the column chromatography is first washed with water, then eluted with an ethanol-water solution, and the alcohol eluate is collected. Further preferably, the volume fraction of the ethanol-water solution is 50-95%, the elution volume is 2-5 BV, and the eluent flow rate is 1-4 BV / h. Where BV represents the bed volume.

[0015] A method for preparing a high-theobromine cocoa extract comprises the following steps: preparing a cocoa powder aqueous extract or a cocoa extract aqueous dilution, and then enriching theobromine in the cocoa extract by macroporous adsorption resin column chromatography.

[0016] The high-theobromine cocoa extract prepared by this method not only increases the content of theobromine in the cocoa extract, but also better retains the fat-soluble flavor substances in the cocoa extract during the separation process. After use in tobacco products, the aroma, richness, comfort characteristics, and characteristic aroma intensity of the smoke are all improved to varying degrees compared with the cocoa extract. It can maintain the original advantages of the cocoa extract while further enhancing its effects, thereby effectively guiding the deep processing of cocoa extract tobacco flavorings.

[0017] Preferably, the macroporous adsorption resin is a non-polar or weakly polar macroporous adsorption resin. Further preferably, the macroporous adsorption resin is selected from AB-8, HJ-04, X-5 or HPD-100.

[0018] A flavor-enhanced cocoa extract is prepared by blending a high-theobromine cocoa extract and a cocoa extract tobacco flavoring, wherein the theobromine content on a dry basis is 4% to 12%. The high-theobromine cocoa extract is prepared by the above-mentioned preparation method.

[0019] The style-enhanced cocoa extract formed by blending high-theobromine cocoa extract and cocoa extract tobacco flavoring has obvious effects in improving the sensory comfort of tobacco products and increasing the aroma, richness and strength of smoke, and the comprehensive effect is significantly improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 This is the HPLC-DAD chromatogram of the aqueous extract of cocoa powder in Example 1 of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 This is a radar chart showing the evaluation results of the smoke characteristics and comfort features of each sample cigarette in Example 5 of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 This is a radar chart showing the evaluation results of the aroma style and taste style of each sample cigarette in Example 5 of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] (1) The preparation method of high-theobromine cocoa extract and its application, and the preferred embodiment of the style-enhanced cocoa extract are described.

[0024] The present invention uses macroporous adsorption resin column chromatography technology to prepare a high-theobromine cocoa extract. When used alone as tobacco flavoring, the high-theobromine cocoa extract can improve the aroma and richness of the smoke, reduce irritation, mask impurities, and increase the intensity of the characteristic aroma. Compared to pure theobromine, which has no aroma, adding it to cigarettes has no significant impact on the sensory quality. Furthermore, when the high-theobromine cocoa extract is blended with commercially available cocoa extract tobacco flavoring, sensory evaluation indicators are even more significantly improved.

[0025] This shows that when used in cigarette flavoring, the high-theobromine cocoa extract does not work solely with theobromine, but the natural ingredients in it jointly affect the smoke quality. Moreover, when the high-theobromine cocoa extract is mixed with commercially available cocoa extract tobacco flavoring, it can have a synergistic and multiplying effect, significantly improving the sensory quality.

[0026] During the preparation of the high-theobromine cocoa extract, a non-polar or weakly polar macroporous adsorption resin is used to adsorb substances of corresponding polarity, including theobromine. During elution, water is first rinsed to remove some of the highly polar substances. Subsequent elution with an ethanol-water solution significantly increases the total theobromine concentration in the alcohol eluate, thereby enriching theobromine. This separation process effectively retains the fat-soluble flavor substances in the cocoa extract, thereby facilitating the achievement of the above-mentioned technical effects. Here, high theobromine refers to a theobromine content on a dry basis that is higher than that of commercially available cocoa powder or cocoa extract, with the dry basis content generally exceeding 4%, for example, reaching 15 to 26%.

[0027] Specifically, a cocoa powder aqueous extract or a cocoa extract diluted with water can be used as the loading solution, and the theobromine content in the loading solution can be controlled to be 0.5-1.5 mg / g. To prepare the cocoa powder aqueous extract, cocoa powder and water are mixed and extracted at 75-85°C. The extract is then allowed to stand at a low temperature below 30°C, filtered, and defatted to obtain the cocoa powder aqueous extract. The cocoa extract is diluted and dispersed with water to obtain the cocoa extract diluted with water. The cocoa extract diluted with water can be a homogeneous suspension or solution. When the suspension is homogeneous, no further separation is required and the sample can be directly loaded. The relevant flavor substances can then be collected through a subsequent elution process, effectively avoiding the loss of flavor substances caused by separation.

[0028] Specifically, a macroporous adsorption resin is conventionally loaded into a chromatography column, and then the aqueous cocoa powder extract or the aqueous cocoa extract dilution is loaded onto the macroporous resin chromatography column. The loading volume should be less than the saturation capacity of theobromine adsorption by the chromatography column resin, and the loading flow rate should be 1 to 4 BV / h. After loading, the sample can be allowed to stand for a period of time before elution to enhance the adsorption equilibrium effect. The standing time can be 0.5 to 1 hour.

[0029] When eluting with water, the amount of eluent water used is 1 to 3 BV.

[0030] When eluting with ethanol, the ethanol solution is preferably 50% by volume or more, for example, 50 to 95% by volume, with an elution volume of 2 to 5 BV and an eluent flow rate of 1 to 4 BV / h.

[0031] The collected alcohol eluate can be partially or completely freed of the solvent by methods such as reduced pressure distillation, freeze drying, and spray drying.

[0032] The obtained high-theobromine cocoa extract can be used alone as a natural tobacco flavoring, or blended with other cocoa extracts, or blended with other tobacco flavorings to form an essence. The high-theobromine cocoa extract can be regarded as a refined product of cocoa extract. When blended for use, it is preferably blended with the original cocoa extract. At the same addition amount, its sensory effects can be significantly enhanced. When blended with other cocoa extracts, the dry weight content of theobromine in the flavor-enhanced cocoa extract obtained is between 4% and 12%. More preferably, it is between 4.6% and 7.1%. The dry weight content refers to the percentage of theobromine mass to the dry matter mass of the extract.

[0033] When used in tobacco products, tobacco products include but are not limited to cigarettes, heat-not-burn cigarettes, electronic cigarettes, pipe tobacco, cigars, hookahs, etc.

[0034] The following is a detailed description with reference to specific examples. In the following examples, unless otherwise specified, "%" refers to mass fraction. Macroporous adsorption resins AB-8, HJ-04, X-5, and HPD-100 are all commercially available products purchased from Tianjin Haoju Resin Technology Co., Ltd.

[0035] Example 1

[0036] The method for preparing the high-theobromine cocoa extract of this embodiment comprises the following steps: taking 1 kg of cocoa powder (commercially available, Cargill, native to Africa), adding 5 times the weight of distilled water, extracting at 80°C with mechanical stirring for 2 hours, centrifuging the extract while hot to remove the residue, letting it stand at 25°C, and filtering it through a 400-mesh filter cloth to remove the cocoa butter, thereby obtaining a cocoa powder aqueous extract. The theobromine content of the cocoa extract was determined by HPLC-DAD to be 1.3983 mg / g. The liquid chromatogram is shown in the attached figure. Figure 1 .

[0037] Take AB-8 macroporous adsorption resin, soak, column pack and pre-treat according to the instructions. At room temperature, take the above cocoa powder water extract at a sample flow rate of 2BV / h and a sample volume of 6BV. After the sample is loaded, let it stand for half an hour, then rinse with distilled water, with an elution volume of 2BV. Then elute with a 95% volume fraction ethanol aqueous solution, the eluent flow rate is 4BV / h, the elution volume is 3BV, and the ethanol eluate is collected to obtain a high-theobromine cocoa extract. The dry basis mass content of theobromine was measured to be 23.11%, which is 14.44 times the dry basis mass content of 1.60% before separation and enrichment, achieving a higher enrichment rate.

[0038] Example 2

[0039] The method for preparing a high-theobromine cocoa extract of this embodiment comprises the following steps: obtaining a German cocoa extract (commercially available from Henan Runqu Trading Co., Ltd., product number RQ-17999), measuring the theobromine content thereof to be 2.5561 mg / g, and calculating the theobromine content on a dry basis to be 3.40% after deducting the solvent content. Adding twice the weight of purified water to the cocoa extract, and thoroughly stirring and mixing in a high-shear mixing tank to obtain a cocoa extract dilution.

[0040] Take HJ-04 macroporous adsorption resin and soak, pack, and pretreat according to the instructions. At room temperature, apply the cocoa extract dilution described above at a flow rate of 3 BV / h, for a sample volume of 9 BV. After application, let the sample stand for 1 hour before rinsing with distilled water, with an elution volume of 1 BV. Then, elute with 50% ethanol / water at a flow rate of 1 BV / h and an elution volume of 5 BV. Collect the ethanol eluate to obtain the high-theobromine cocoa extract. The theobromine content on a dry basis was determined to be 25.16%.

[0041] Example 3

[0042] The method for preparing a high-theobromine cocoa extract of this embodiment comprises the following steps: obtaining a commercially available cocoa extract (from Guangzhou Pinyan Food Technology Co., Ltd.), measuring the theobromine content thereof to be 1.1742 mg / g, and calculating the theobromine content on a dry basis to be 0.99% after deducting the solvent content. Adding one times the weight of purified water to the cocoa extract, and thoroughly stirring and mixing in a high-shear mixing tank to obtain a cocoa extract dilution.

[0043] Take X-5 macroporous adsorption resin and soak, load, and pretreat according to the instructions. At room temperature, apply the cocoa extract dilution to a sample volume of 12 BV at a flow rate of 4 BV / h. After loading, let the sample stand for 1 hour before eluting with distilled water, using a 3 BV elution volume. Then, elute with a 90% ethanol solution at a flow rate of 2 BV / h and an elution volume of 4 BV. Collect the ethanol eluate to obtain a high-theobromine cocoa extract. The theobromine content on a dry basis was determined to be 19.24%.

[0044] Example 4

[0045] This example examines the use of high-theobromine cocoa extract in tobacco products, examining the use of the high-theobromine cocoa extract of Example 1 alone in cigarettes. Specifically, the cocoa powder aqueous extract and high-theobromine cocoa extract prepared in Example 1 were added to unflavored and unadded blank cigarettes produced by Shanghai Tobacco Group using a cigarette flavoring injection machine at a dosage of 50 μg dry matter / g of cut tobacco, respectively. The sample cigarettes and the blank cigarettes were then sealed and stored at a temperature of (22±1)°C and a relative humidity of 60%±2% for at least 48 hours. Sensory evaluation of the sample cigarettes and the blank cigarettes was conducted in accordance with YC / T 497-2014, "Sensory Evaluation Method for Chinese-Style Cigarettes." All indicators were scored in 0.5-point increments. Evaluation panels were established in accordance with GB 5606.4. The scores for individual indicators were calculated as the arithmetic average of the scores assigned by all evaluators.

[0046] Table 1 Sensory evaluation results of cocoa powder aqueous extract and high theobromine cocoa extract in Example 1

[0047]

[0048]

[0049] Note: The higher the score of the "bitterness" index, the stronger the bitter taste and the stronger the adverse effect; for other indicators, the higher the score, the better the effect.

[0050] The results in Table 1 show that the high-theobromine cocoa extract of Example 1 significantly outperformed the aqueous cocoa extract in increasing cigarette aroma, richness, strength, and masking odors. It also did not increase oral bitterness, smoke irritation or astringency, or reduce the cigarette's fragrance, and the cocoa aroma was more prominent. The combined effects of the high-theobromine cocoa extract obtained after separation with the macroporous adsorption resin were significantly superior.

[0051] Example 5

[0052] The style-enhanced cocoa extract of this embodiment is prepared by mixing the cocoa powder water extract of Example 1 and the high-theobromine cocoa extract of Example 1 according to the dry matter ratio in Table 2. Specifically, the spices corresponding to the different numbers in Table 2 are added to the "Diamond" blank cigarettes without flavoring or additives through a cigarette flavoring injection machine at a dosage of 80 μg / g of dry matter. The five sample cigarettes and the blank cigarettes were sealed and stored for more than 48 hours at a temperature of (22±1)°C and a relative humidity of 60%±2%. The sample cigarettes and the blank cigarettes were sensory evaluated using the same evaluation method as in Example 1. The results are shown in the attached. Figure 2 and Figure 3 .

[0053] Table 2 Compound ratio of cocoa powder water extract and high theobromine cocoa extract of Example 1

[0054]

[0055] The evaluation results show that the smoking experience of the blank "Diamond" cigarettes changed significantly after adding the cocoa powder water extract and the high-theobromine cocoa extract prepared in different proportions in Example 1:

[0056] Sample 3# plays an outstanding role in improving the sensory comfort characteristics of smoke, such as the delicate, soft and roundness, irritation, dryness, astringency, and miscellaneous smell. At the same time, it is effective in enhancing the aroma, richness, and characteristic aromas of cigarettes such as cocoa, baking, sweetness, and flue-cured tobacco. The comprehensive effect is the best, followed by sample 2#.

[0057] Sample No. 0, which only added cocoa powder water extract, increased the nasal irritation, throat irritation and throat dryness of the blank cigarette; Sample No. 5, which contained too high a proportion of cocoa powder water extract, increased the astringency and irritation of the blank cigarette, and the richness of the smoke also decreased. Both of them showed side effects to varying degrees while increasing the aroma of the cigarette and some characteristic aromas (cocoa aroma, baking aroma, and flue-cured tobacco aroma).

[0058] Furthermore, Sample 4's astringency and smoke richness were inferior to those of the blank cigarette, while Sample 1 showed some improvement in sensory quality compared to the blank cigarette, with only a slight decrease in smoke concentration. This indicates that within a certain ratio, the combined use of cocoa powder aqueous extract and high-theobromine cocoa extract is more effective than either product alone.

[0059] Example 6

[0060] The application of the high theobromine cocoa extract of this embodiment in tobacco products is to mix the high theobromine cocoa extract prepared in Example 2 with the commercially available cocoa extract of the untreated Example 2 at a dry matter ratio of 1:5 to obtain a style-enhanced cocoa extract product (the dry basis mass content of theobromine is 7.03%). The style-enhanced product and the untreated cocoa extract (Example 2) are respectively added to the "Purple Air Eastward" blank cigarettes without flavoring or additives through a cigarette flavoring injection machine at a dry matter amount of 10 μg / g tobacco. The sample cigarettes and the blank cigarettes are sealed and stored for more than 48 hours at a temperature of (22±1)°C and a relative humidity of 60%±2%. The sample cigarettes and the blank cigarettes are subjected to sensory evaluation using the same evaluation method as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 3.

[0061] Table 3 Sensory evaluation results of commercially available cocoa extract and flavor-enhanced cocoa extract products of Example 2

[0062]

[0063]

[0064] The results in Table 3 show that the flavor-enhancing cocoa extract, obtained by blending high-theobromine cocoa extract with commercially available cocoa extract in appropriate proportions, is highly effective in improving cigarette comfort, including reducing oral, throat, and nasal irritation, alleviating oral residue and astringency, alleviating throat dryness, masking off-flavors, and increasing sweetness. Furthermore, the flavor-enhancing product enhances the aroma, richness, delicate, soft, rounded texture, and punch of the cigarette, and also enhances characteristic notes such as cocoa and roasted aroma. The combined effect is significantly enhanced.

[0065] Example 7

[0066] The high-theobromine cocoa extract of this example is used in tobacco products by mixing the high-theobromine cocoa extract prepared in Example 3 with the commercially available untreated cocoa extract of Example 3 at a dry matter ratio of 1:4 to obtain a flavor-enhanced cocoa extract product (theobromine content is 4.64% on a dry basis). This product and the untreated cocoa extract (Example 3) are diluted to appropriate concentrations and sprayed evenly onto unflavored blank tobacco cut from heat-not-burn cigarettes at a dry matter concentration of 150 μg / g. The sample and blank tobacco cuts are equilibrated under constant temperature and humidity conditions for at least 48 hours before being rolled into heat-not-burn cigarettes. Sensory evaluation of the heat-not-burn sample and blank cigarettes was conducted with reference to YC / T 497-2014, and the results are shown in Table 4.

[0067] Table 4 Sensory evaluation results of commercially available cocoa extract and style-enhanced cocoa extract products in heat-not-burn cigarettes of Example 3

[0068]

[0069]

[0070] The results in Table 4 show that the style-enhanced cocoa extract product obtained by blending high-theobromine cocoa extract and commercially available cocoa extract in an appropriate proportion is more effective in increasing the aroma, richness, and strength of heat-not-burn cigarettes and enhancing the cocoa aroma, roasted aroma, sweet aroma, and flue-cured tobacco aroma. At the same time, it reduces irritation, dryness, and bitterness without suppressing the fragrance, resulting in a better overall effect.

[0071] (2) Comparative Example

[0072] Comparative Example 1: Flavoring Evaluation of Pure Theobromine and Its Blend with Cocoa Extract

[0073] The commercially available cocoa extract from Example 2 was diluted 10-fold with water to prepare a cocoa extract dilution with a theobromine content of 0.2556 mg / g. Pure theobromine was dissolved in water to prepare solutions of varying concentrations as shown in Table 5. The commercially available cocoa extract dilution was then mixed with aqueous theobromine solutions of varying concentrations at a mass ratio of 1:8 to obtain theobromine-added cocoa extracts Nos. 1 to 5 in Table 5. Sample 0 in Table 5 consisted of the commercially available cocoa extract dilution supplemented with 8 times the mass of pure water, and sample 6 consisted of a 0.06% theobromine solution supplemented with 1 / 8 the mass of pure water. Each of the seven samples was injected at a volume of 9 μL into unflavored and unspiked "Purple Air Eastward" blank cigarettes using a cigarette flavoring injection machine. Both the sample and blank cigarettes were sealed and stored at a temperature of (22±1)°C and a relative humidity of 60%±2% for at least 5 days. Sensory evaluation was conducted using the same evaluation method as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 6.

[0074] Table 5 Theobromine addition in a single cigarette after 9 μL of theobromine was injected after the cocoa extract dilution and theobromine aqueous solution of different concentrations were mixed at a mass ratio of 1:8

[0075]

[0076] Table 6 Sensory evaluation results of different numbered cocoa extract tobacco flavorings based on Table 5

[0077]

[0078]

[0079] Note: The scores of “coolness”, “green fragrance”, “floral fragrance” and “herbal fragrance” of each sample cigarette are all 0.

[0080] The results in Table 6 show that the addition of pure theobromine (No. 6) to cigarettes had little effect on the smoke characteristics, flavor, and aroma profiles. Furthermore, it had a negative impact on the comfort characteristics and increased smoke irritation. When pure theobromine was blended with commercially available cocoa extracts in the ratios 1-5, no significant improvement in sensory evaluation indicators was observed. Furthermore, No. 4 and No. 5 exhibited varying degrees of side effects. Only No. 3, No. 2, and No. 1 showed slight improvement in the comfort characteristics. This suggests that, within a certain range, the addition of pure theobromine has a certain effect on reducing the irritation, dryness, and mouth residue associated with cocoa extracts, but does not significantly improve other indicators.

[0081] From the above experiments, it can be seen that the high-theobromine cocoa extract provided by the present invention not only increases the theobromine content in the cocoa extract, but also retains other flavor substances derived from pure nature. It can be used alone or in combination with the original cocoa extract tobacco flavoring to more efficiently improve the sensory effects of cigarettes.

[0082] Finally, it should be noted that the above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments or make equivalent substitutions for some of the technical features therein. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. The application of high theobromine cocoa extract in tobacco products is characterized in that: The high-theobromine cocoa extract is used alone or in combination with cocoa extract tobacco flavorings for tobacco flavoring to enhance the sensory effects of the cocoa extract tobacco flavorings; The method for preparing the high-theobromine cocoa extract comprises: preparing a cocoa powder water extract or a cocoa extract water dilution solution, and then using macroporous adsorption resin column chromatography to achieve the enrichment of theobromine in the cocoa extract.

2. The use of the high theobromine cocoa extract in tobacco products according to claim 1, characterized in that: The high-theobromine cocoa extract is mixed with cocoa extract tobacco flavoring to obtain a style-enhanced cocoa extract, wherein the theobromine dry basis mass content of the style-enhanced cocoa extract is 4% to 12%.

3. The use of the high theobromine cocoa extract in tobacco products according to claim 1, characterized in that: The macroporous adsorption resin is a non-polar or weakly polar macroporous adsorption resin.

4. The use of the high theobromine cocoa extract in tobacco products according to claim 3, characterized in that: The macroporous adsorption resin is selected from AB-8, HJ-04, X-5 or HPD-100.

5. Use of the high theobromine cocoa extract according to claim 1, 3 or 4 in tobacco products, characterized in that: During the column chromatography, the column is first washed with water and then eluted with an ethanol aqueous solution, and the alcohol eluate is collected.

6. The use of the high theobromine cocoa extract in tobacco products according to claim 5, characterized in that: The volume fraction of the ethanol aqueous solution is 50-95%, the elution volume is 2-5 BV, and the eluent flow rate is 1-4 BV / h.

7. A method for preparing a high-theobromine cocoa extract, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: A cocoa powder water extract or a cocoa extract water dilution is prepared, and then the theobromine in the cocoa extract is enriched by macroporous adsorption resin column chromatography.

8. The method for preparing the high theobromine cocoa extract according to claim 7, wherein: The macroporous adsorption resin is a non-polar or weakly polar macroporous adsorption resin.

9. The method for preparing a high-theobromine cocoa extract according to claim 8, wherein: The macroporous adsorption resin is selected from AB-8, HJ-04, X-5 or HPD-100.

10. A flavor-enhanced cocoa extract, characterized in that The invention is prepared by mixing high-theobromine cocoa extract and cocoa extract tobacco flavoring, wherein the theobromine content on a dry basis is 4% to 12%. The high-theobromine cocoa extract is prepared by the preparation method according to claim 7.

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