A method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves

Abstract

The present invention relates to an alcoholization method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves. The method comprises grinding Luoping small yellow ginger into a powder with a mesh size of greater than 400; mixing the Luoping small yellow ginger powder with 95% alcohol at a mass ratio of 1 to 1.5:30 to 60 to prepare a ginger solution; cutting the reconstituted tobacco leaves into shredded tobacco, cutting the shredded tobacco leaves into short pieces, and evenly spraying the shredded tobacco leaves with the ginger solution at a ratio of 1.0 to 1.5:10, and sealing the shredded tobacco leaves with a bag; and placing the treated reconstituted tobacco leaves in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a humidity of 65 to 70% and a temperature of 22 to 25° C. for alcoholization for 45 to 60 days. Compared with conventional reconstituted tobacco leaves, the reconstituted tobacco leaves provided by the present invention have increased aroma components such as camphene, geraniol, geranial, and eugenol, thereby increasing the spicy aroma. Furthermore, the content of neophytadiene is significantly increased, resulting in a richer aroma, a reduced burning sensation, and better overall sensory quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of tobacco products, and particularly relates to an alcoholization method based on enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves. Background Art

[0002] Reconstituted tobacco, also known as tobacco flakes, is produced using three main production technologies: roller pressing, thick pulping, and papermaking. Papermaking involves extracting tobacco stems, scraps, and tobacco dust by soaking them in hot water, separating the solids and liquids, and concentrating the resulting extract under vacuum to create a coating solution. The remaining solid residue is pulped and formed into a sheet on a specialized paper machine. The coating solution is then evenly applied to the sheet surface, followed by drying to create the reconstituted tobacco. Currently, the majority of reconstituted tobacco used in cigarette formulations is produced using the papermaking method.

[0003] Since papermaking-based reconstituted tobacco is made from a large number of by-products (broken tobacco, cigarette dust, cigarette ash and tobacco stems) generated during the processing of tobacco raw materials and cigarette production, as well as wood pulp, hemp pulp, etc., the sheet base is mostly supporting materials such as cellulose and lignin. In addition, a large number of such molecular substances are also present in the concentrate, and a large amount of tobacco's original aromatic substances are lost. The smoking quality of reconstituted tobacco can only be guaranteed by adding aromatic substances through the coating liquid.

[0004] Aging reconstituted tobacco leaves for a certain period of time is conducive to the degradation of macromolecular substances, thereby enhancing the aroma of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, reducing irritation and impurities, and improving the taste.

[0005] Luoping small yellow ginger, primarily cultivated in Luoping, Yunnan, is a rhizome spice and seasoning, a traditional medicinal plant known as "gold." It contains aromatic compounds such as gingerol, zingerone, shogaol, and gingerol, as well as amino acids such as nicotinic acid, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, and glycine. It is finely textured, high in oil, and richly aromatic. It has a strong antioxidant effect on fatty foods, inactivating a chemical called DMN, thereby preventing cell carcinogenesis. It also has the effects of relieving nausea and vomiting, and dispelling wind and cold. During the fermentation process, ginger produces aromatic compounds such as zingiberene, nerolidol, bisabolene, and limonene, imparting an elegant, spicy aroma.

[0006] In the existing technology, it has not been found that Luoping small yellow ginger can be used to assist in the aging of reconstituted tobacco leaves, so as to achieve the purpose of enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for aging based on enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves, so as to realize the use of Luoping small yellow ginger to assist the aging of reconstituted tobacco leaves, thereby achieving the purpose of enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, this application is implemented through the following technical solutions:

[0009] A method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves by alcoholization, comprising the following steps:

[0010] (1) Grind Luoping small yellow ginger into powder;

[0011] (2) mixing the Luoping zingiber officinale powder of step (1) with 95% alcohol in a set mass ratio to prepare a ginger solution;

[0012] (3) cutting the reconstituted tobacco leaves into shredded tobacco, cutting them short and mixing them evenly, spraying the ginger solution from step (2) evenly on the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves and sealing them;

[0013] (4) The reconstituted tobacco leaves and shreds sealed in step (3) are placed in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a humidity of 65-70% and a temperature of 22-25° C. for aging for 45-60 days.

[0014] Furthermore, the Luoping zingiber officinale powder in step (1) is >400 mesh.

[0015] Furthermore, the set mass ratio in step (2) is 1-1.5:30-60.

[0016] Furthermore, in step (3), the ginger solution and the reconstituted tobacco leaves are in a mass ratio of 1.0 to 1.5:10.

[0017] Furthermore, the tobacco raw materials of the reconstituted tobacco are one or more of tobacco fragments, tobacco stems or tobacco dust.

[0018] Furthermore, compared with the control sample, the aroma components of the reconstituted tobacco shreds after alcoholization in step (4) are increased by camphene, geraniol, hexanoic acid, geranial, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, methylcyclopentenol ketone, triacetin, eugenol and 3-(1-methylethyl)(1H)pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyrazine.

[0019] Furthermore, the addition of one or more of camphene, geraniol, geranyl aldehyde and eugenol to the reconstituted tobacco shreds after alcoholization in step (4) is beneficial to increasing the spicy aroma components.

[0020] Furthermore, the content of new phytadiene in the reconstituted tobacco shreds after alcoholization in step (4) is significantly increased compared with the control sample.

[0021] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0022] The alcoholization method for enhancing the flavor and improving the quality of the reconstituted tobacco leaves treated by the technical solution has increased spiciness, rich aroma, reduced woodiness, significantly reduced burning sensation, improved smoke taste, and effectively achieved the purpose of enhancing the flavor and improving the quality of the reconstituted tobacco leaves. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The technical solutions of the present invention are described in detail below through examples. The following examples are merely exemplary and can only be used to explain and illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and cannot be interpreted as limiting the technical solutions of the present invention.

[0024] The present application relates to a method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves by alcoholization, comprising the following steps:

[0025] (1) Grind the Luoping small yellow ginger into powder >400 mesh;

[0026] (2) mixing the Luoping Xiaohuangjiang powder of step (1) with 95% alcohol in a mass ratio of 1-1.5:30-60 to prepare a ginger solution;

[0027] (3) cutting the reconstituted tobacco leaves into shredded tobacco and mixing them evenly, spraying the ginger solution prepared in step (2) evenly on the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves in a mass ratio of 1.0 to 1.5:10, and then sealing the mixture;

[0028] (4) The reconstituted tobacco leaves and shreds sealed in step (3) are placed in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a humidity of 65-70% and a temperature of 22-25° C. for aging for 45-60 days.

[0029] Example 1

[0030] A method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves by alcoholization, comprising the following steps:

[0031] (1) Grind the Luoping small yellow ginger into powder >400 mesh;

[0032] (2) Take 50g of KM-13 reconstituted tobacco produced by Yunnan China Tobacco Reconstituted Tobacco Company and cut it into shredded tobacco, cut it into short pieces and mix it evenly;

[0033] (2) Mix 1 g of Luoping Xiaohuangjiang powder prepared in step (1) with 30 ml of 95% alcohol to prepare a ginger solution;

[0034] (4) Spray 5 g of ginger solution evenly on the shredded tobacco cut from the 50 g reconstituted tobacco leaves, mix well, and seal the bag at midnight, which is named as the experimental sample;

[0035] (5) The test sample of step (4) was placed in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a humidity of 70% and a temperature of 25° C. for 45 days;

[0036] (6) The sample after alcoholization in step (5) was equilibrated in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a humidity of 60% and a temperature of 22° C. until the moisture content of the reconstituted tobacco reached 12%, and sensory quality evaluation and aroma component content were performed.

[0037] Example 2

[0038] A method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves by alcoholization, comprising the following steps:

[0039] (1) Grind the Luoping small yellow ginger into powder >400 mesh;

[0040] (2) Take 50g of KM-13 reconstituted tobacco produced by Yunnan China Tobacco Reconstituted Tobacco Company and cut it into shredded tobacco, cut it into short pieces and mix it evenly;

[0041] (2) Mix 1.5 g of Luoping Xiaohuangjiang powder prepared in step (1) with 30 ml of 95% alcohol to prepare a ginger solution;

[0042] (4) Spray 7 g of ginger solution evenly on the shredded tobacco cut from the 50 g reconstituted tobacco leaves, mix well, and seal the bag at midnight, named as the experimental sample;

[0043] (5) The test sample of step (4) was placed in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a humidity of 70% and a temperature of 25° C. for 45 days.

[0044] Example 3

[0045] A method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves by alcoholization, comprising the following steps:

[0046] (1) Grind the Luoping small yellow ginger into powder >400 mesh;

[0047] (2) Take 50g of KM-13 reconstituted tobacco produced by Yunnan China Tobacco Reconstituted Tobacco Company and cut it into shredded tobacco, cut it into short pieces and mix it evenly;

[0048] (2) Mix 1.2 g of Luoping Xiaohuangjiang powder prepared in step (1) with 30 ml of 95% alcohol to prepare a ginger solution;

[0049] (4) Spray 6 g of ginger solution evenly on the shredded tobacco cut from the 50 g reconstituted tobacco leaves, mix well, and seal the bag at midnight, named as the experimental sample;

[0050] (5) The test sample of step (4) was placed in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a humidity of 70% and a temperature of 25° C. for 45 days.

[0051] Comparative Example 1

[0052] A method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco leaves by alcoholization, comprising the following steps:

[0053] (1) Grind the Luoping small yellow ginger into powder >400 mesh;

[0054] (2) Take 50g of KM-13 reconstituted tobacco produced by Yunnan China Tobacco Reconstituted Tobacco Company and cut it into shredded tobacco, cut it into short pieces and mix it evenly;

[0055] (3) Spray 5 g of pure water onto 50 g of the cut tobacco from the reconstituted tobacco leaves, mix well, and seal the mixture in a bag, which is named the control sample.

[0056] (4) The control sample was placed in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at 70% humidity and 25°C for 45 days;

[0057] (5) The aged samples were equilibrated in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a humidity of 60% and a temperature of 22°C until the moisture content of the reconstituted tobacco reached 12%, and the sensory quality evaluation and aroma component content were determined.

[0058] The aroma components of the experimental samples of Example 1 and the control samples of the control example were detected, and the results are shown in Table 1. As shown in Table 1, compared with the aroma components of the control reconstituted tobacco leaf samples, the aroma components of the reconstituted tobacco leaf samples after alcoholization with Luoping zingiber officinale powder increased with camphene, geraniol, hexanoic acid, geranial, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, methylcyclopentenolone, triacetin, eugenol, and 3-(1-methylethyl)(1H)pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyrazine, among which camphene, geraniol, geranial, and eugenol were beneficial to increasing the spicy aroma; at the same time, the content of neophytadiene was significantly increased, which is the material basis for the reconstituted tobacco leaf samples after alcoholization with Luoping zingiber officinale powder to increase the elegant spicy aroma, rich aroma, and better overall sensory quality.

[0059] Table 1 Analysis results of aroma components of reconstituted tobacco control samples and test samples

[0060]

[0061]

[0062]

[0063]

[0064]

[0065] The control samples and test samples were evaluated for their aroma components, aroma characteristics, and taste characteristics. The results showed that compared with the control samples, the test samples had more spicy aroma, better aroma richness, slightly increased aroma volume, reduced burning sensation, slightly greater stimulation, and better overall sensory quality (see Table 2).

[0066] Table 2 Sensory quality evaluation results of control samples and test samples

[0067]

[0068] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: (1) Grind the Luoping small yellow ginger into powder; (2) Mixing the Luoping zingiber officinale powder prepared in step (1) with 95% alcohol in a predetermined mass ratio to prepare a ginger solution; (3) Cutting the reconstituted tobacco leaves into shredded tobacco, cutting them short and mixing them evenly, spraying the ginger solution from step (2) evenly on the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves and sealing them; (4) placing the reconstituted tobacco leaves and cut tobacco sealed in step (3) in a constant temperature and humidity chamber at a humidity of 65-70% and a temperature of 22-25° C. for aging for 45-60 days; The aroma components of the reconstituted tobacco leaves after alcoholization in step (4) are increased with camphene, geraniol, caproic acid, geranyl aldehyde, 2-ethyl-1-hexanol, methylcyclopentenol ketone, triacetin, eugenol and 3-(1-methylethyl)(1H)pyrazolo[3,4-b]pyrazine; The content of new phytadiene in the reconstituted tobacco shreds after alcoholization in step (4) is significantly increased.

2. The alcoholization method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that: The Luoping small yellow ginger powder in step (1) is >400 mesh.

3. The alcoholization method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that: The set mass ratio in step (2) is 1~1.5:30~60.

4. The alcoholization method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (3), the ginger solution and the reconstituted tobacco leaves are mixed in a mass ratio of 1.0 to 1.5:

10.

5. The alcoholization method for enhancing the flavor and quality of reconstituted tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tobacco raw materials of reconstituted tobacco are one or more of tobacco leaf fragments, tobacco stems or tobacco dust.

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