Smokeless tobacco products and processes

Abstract

A smokeless tobacco product is provided. A tobacco product configured for insertion into the mouth of a user of that product comprises a water-permeable pouch containing a tobacco formulation that includes a granular tobacco composition and miraculin.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention relates to tobacco products and packaging for tobacco products in smokeless form, including those smokeless tobacco products characterized as “snus.”BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION[0002]Tobacco may be enjoyed in a so-called “smokeless” form. Particularly popular smokeless tobacco products are employed by inserting some form of processed tobacco or tobacco-containing formulation into the mouth of the user.[0003]Various types of smokeless tobacco products are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 1,376,586 to Schwartz; U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,756 to Pittman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,993 to Sensabaugh, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,624,269 to Story et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,907 to Townsend; U.S. Pat. No. 5,092,352 to Sprinkle, III et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,416 to White et al.; and Des. 335,934 to Howard; U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2005 / 0244521 to Strickland et al. and 2006 / 0162732 to Winn et al.; U.S. Pat. Pub. Nos. 2006 / 0191548 to Strickland et al., 2007 / 026...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0015]The tobacco formulation can be contained within a container, such as a pouch or bag, such as is the type commonly used for the manufacture of snus types of products (e.g., a sealed, moisture permeable pouch that is sometimes referred to as a “portion”). A representative moisture permeable pouch can be composed of a “fleece” type of material. The tobacco formulation is in turn contained within a package. The package is sealed tightly, and is composed of a suitable material, such that the atmospheric conditions within that sealed package are modified an

Problems solved by technology

Consumers who formerly used smoking products and switch over to snus or other pouched tobacco products may find that the initial feeling in the mouth along the cheek or gum is uncomfortable.

The fleece used for snus also may exhibit discoloration after being stored over time.

This discoloration can make the snus pouches unappealing to the consumer.

Furthermore, the consumer may assume that the snus pouch has degraded in some fashion because of the discoloration, and dispose of the pouch without using it.

Furthermore, snus pouches are typically a whitish color, and different flavors of snus are not easily distinguished.

Problems exist in the art with respect to efficiently feeding tobacco into pouches.

The problems lie in the material flow through the hopper of the high-speed pouchin

Images