Processing plant-based material for use in smoking products

Abstract

The embodiments disclose a method for processing plant-based material for smoking products including maintaining the plant-based material submerged within a liquid medium in a container while the liquid medium is being boiled, removing the boiled plant-based material from the container, and drying the boiled plant-based material, the drying comprising directing negative air ions towards and through the boiled plant-based material to at least partially neutralize odor and / or taste, a plant-based material product produced by the method is also provided as a smoking product including the plant-based material product or the plant-based material product combined with a treatment material such as CBD, CBG, a flavoring agent and combinations thereof, also provided is a plant-based material product comprising boiled plant-based material dried while being exposed to negative air ions, and a smoking product such as a cigarette incorporating the plant-based material product or the plant-based material product combined with a treatment material.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is based on U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 63 / 074,386 filed Sep. 3, 2020, entitled “PROCESSING PLANT MATERIAL FOR USE IN SMOKING PRODUCTS”, by Joe Deighan.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The following relates generally to processing plant-based material such as plants or plant components that are to be included in cigarettes or other smoking products, and more particularly to methods for removing or neutralizing certain contents of such plant-based material that are responsible for flavors and / or aromas.BACKGROUND[0003]There is a desire to provide consumers with alternatives to traditional tobacco-based smoking products such as cigarettes. In the case of cigarettes, there is a desire to provide alternatives to tobacco-based cigarettes that offer the aesthetic aspects that consumers are familiar with, including sizes, shapes, weights, flavors, and aromas, but that do not actually incorporate tobacco or nicotine.[...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]According to an aspect of this description, plant-based material is processed to remove at least some of the naturally occurring terpenes responsible for the characteristic flavor and aroma of the plant-based material. The resulting plant-based material product can thereby serve as an excellent combustible basis for a smoking product that carries less of the characteristic flavor and aroma of the plant-based material itself, and that can be provided with a consistent flavor and aroma.

[0010]In an embodiment, the plant-based material is processed to remove substantially all of the naturally occurring terpenes that are responsible for the characteristic flavor and aroma of the plant-based material. The resulting plant-based material product can thereby serve as an excellent combustible basis for a smoking product that carries perceivably none of the characteristic flavor and aroma of the plant-based material itself.

[0012]In accordance with an aspect, there is provided a method for processing plant-based material for smoking products, the method comprising: maintaining the plant-based material submerged within a liquid medium in a container while the liquid medium is being boiled; removing the boiled plant-based material from the container; and drying the boiled plant-based material, the drying comprising directing negative air ions towards and through the boiled plant-based material thereby to at least partially neutralize odor and / or taste.

[0013]Maintaining the plant-based material submerged within the liquid medium while it is being boiled is effective for reducing terpenes in the plant-based material and for cleaning the plant-based material of physical contaminants such as dirt, pesticides, and mold spores. The boiling also serves to condition the plant-based material for downstream manipulation and / or incorporation into smoking products. However, boiling tends also to reduce the levels of naturally occurring cannabinoids in the plant-based material that producers may wish to have remained in the plant-based material. As such, to gain some of the conditioning and terpene-removal benefits of boiling without completely removing the cannabinoids, the time the plant-based material is boiled in the liquid medium is limited. In an embodiment, the boiling of a given mass of plant-based material is limited to five (5) minutes. Following the boiling, the directing of negative air ions towards and through the boiled plant-based material during drying causes negative air ions to bind with at least a portion of terpenes that remain in the boiled plant-based material, thereby further neutralize the odor and / or taste without, at that point, further reducing the cannabinoids levels.

[0023]In an embodiment, the method further comprises spreading the boiled plant-based material for drying thereby increasing the exposure of surfaces of the boiled plant-based material to the negative air ions.

Problems solved by technology

However, like hemp, such substitutes have their own characteristic flavors and aromas that are similarly difficult to dull with the mere addition of flavoring.

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