Novel tobacco products with uniform nicotine release per puff and methods for making nicotine modulators, pastes, and sheets therefor

Abstract

The present application belongs to the field of new type tobacco material, and particularly relates to a nicotine modulator for improving nicotine release uniformity of new type tobacco product, which comprises component A and component B, the component A is at least one of tannic acid, proline, caffeic acid and pyruvic acid; the component B is at least one of phosphoric acid and boric acid. The present application also provides a new type tobacco product containing the nicotine modulator and a thick slurry and a sheet thereof. The process of the present application can unexpectedly realize synergy based on the combined control of the nicotine modulator, and can significantly improve the nicotine release uniformity of the new type tobacco thick slurry and sheet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of cigarette technology, specifically relating to the preparation of novel tobacco products and their sheets. Background Technology

[0002] Tobacco sheets are a reconstituted process developed in the 1960s to address the recycling of waste materials from tobacco processing. However, with increasing public concern about cigarette health, tobacco sheets have taken on a more important role. Because their chemical composition and combustion performance are easier to adjust than traditional tobacco leaves, they have been given tar-reducing and harm-reducing functions, serving as a functional carrier or a primary material for improving cigarette combustion and regulating the chemical composition of smoke. Today, with the rise of new tobacco products such as heated cigarettes, they are used as the main smoke-generating material, further expanding their functionality. The main methods for manufacturing tobacco sheets include the slurry method, the roll pressing method, the papermaking method, and the modified papermaking method (dry process). Currently, 80% of heated cigarettes use slurry or roll pressing sheets as the smoke-generating material. Both methods require mixing tobacco ash with a binder to create a slurry before producing the sheets. However, sheets produced using the traditional slurry method suffer from quality problems such as insufficient aroma, bland flavor, and poor uniformity of nicotine release per puff. The aforementioned quality problems become even more pronounced when used in the manufacture of heated cigarettes.

[0003] To address the issue of nicotine release, existing technologies have reported several solutions. Chinese patent document CN113115973A discloses a method for preparing reconstituted tobacco leaf base for heated cigarettes, comprising: preparing reconstituted tobacco pulp using a papermaking method; first, adding a 0.01%-0.15% (w / w) polyethylene oxide solution and a 0.01%-0.15% (w / w) guar gum solution to the reconstituted tobacco pulp; then, adding at least one of cactus juice and star fruit vine juice to the reconstituted tobacco pulp; and finally, preparing the reconstituted tobacco pulp into reconstituted tobacco leaf base for heated cigarettes. This process discloses a papermaking sheet process that can improve nicotine loading and release.

[0004] In summary, there are few reports on technologies for the controlled release of nicotine from tobacco tissue in the current technology for the smoking methods of new tobacco products. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problem of uncontrollable nicotine release from tobacco tissue during the smoking process of existing novel tobacco products (such as heated cigarettes) using the slurry-based method, this invention provides a nicotine regulator to improve the uniformity of nicotine release per puff in heated cigarette smoke, aiming to improve the controllable release of nicotine from tobacco tissue during the smoking stage of novel tobacco products.

[0006] The second objective of this invention is to provide a paste, sheet, and novel tobacco product containing the nicotine modifier, and a method for preparing the same, with the aim of improving the controllable and uniform release of nicotine in the novel tobacco product.

[0007] Novel tobacco products are smoked using a heating method, with temperatures mostly between 150 and 300°C during the smoking phase. Under this smoking mechanism, the controlled release of nicotine from the tobacco tissue is difficult, and the release uniformity is not ideal. To address this problem, this invention provides the following solution:

[0008] A nicotine modifier for improving the uniformity of nicotine release in a puff of a novel tobacco product includes component A and component B, wherein component A is at least one of tannic acid, proline, caffeic acid, and pyruvic acid.

[0009] Component B is at least one of phosphoric acid and boric acid.

[0010] To address the problem of nicotine release being difficult and uneven due to the characteristics of the smoking mechanism of novel tobacco products, this invention innovatively demonstrates that the combination of components A and B can unexpectedly achieve synergy, adapt to the application requirements of novel tobacco products, induce and adjust the release behavior of nicotine in tobacco tissue, and improve the uniformity of nicotine release from tobacco tissue during each puff.

[0011] In this invention, the combined synergy of components A and B is key to adapting to the usage requirements of new tobacco products and improving the uniformity of nicotine release.

[0012] Preferably, component A is a complex of two or more of proline, caffeic acid, and pyruvic acid, and more preferably a complex acid of proline, caffeic acid, and pyruvic acid in a mass ratio of 1–2:1–2:1. Studies have also shown that using the preferred component A results in a better synergistic effect with component B, further improving the nicotine release effect and uniformity of novel tobacco products.

[0013] Preferably, component B is phosphoric acid, or a phosphoric acid-boric acid complex, and more preferably a phosphoric acid-boric acid complex with a weight ratio of 1 to 3:1. Studies have also shown that using the preferred component A results in a better synergistic effect with component B, further improving the nicotine release effect and uniformity of the novel tobacco product.

[0014] In this invention, the weight ratio of component A to component B is 1 to 3:1.

[0015] The present invention also provides a novel thick paste for tobacco products with uniform nicotine release per puff, comprising a paste containing adhesive, tobacco ash and the nicotine modifier described in the present invention.

[0016] In this invention, thanks to the combination of nicotine modifier components and the effect of the adhesive, it can encapsulate the grafted part in the adhesive network and encapsulate and modify the surface of the tobacco tissue. This unexpectedly achieves synergy and can improve the uniformity of nicotine release from the tobacco tissue during the smoking process.

[0017] In this invention, the adhesive can be an adhesive solution containing PEG, plant gum and desiccant fibers;

[0018] In this invention, the plant gum is at least one of guar gum, sesame gum, coumarin gum, carrageenan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, CMC, tamarind gum, sodium alginate, and microcrystalline cellulose;

[0019] Preferably, the plant gum is a complex of two or more of the following: guar gum, sesame gum, coumarin gum, carrageenan, CMC, and pectin; more preferably, it is a complex of two or more of the following: carob gum, microcrystalline cellulose, CMC, and pectin. In the complex, the content of any single component is between 20 and 60 wt.%, and the total content of the components is 100 wt%. Studies have shown that the preferred composite plant gum helps to further regulate the release behavior of nicotine in conjunction with other components, and can further synergistically improve the uniformity of nicotine release from tobacco tissue during the smoking stage of novel tobacco products.

[0020] In this invention, the defibered fiber can be an existing commercial product or obtained using defibering methods known in the industry. For example, the defibered fiber is a fiber obtained by defibering wood pulp fiber;

[0021] Preferably, the adhesive further contains at least one solvent selected from water and organic solvents;

[0022] Preferably, the organic solvent is a C1-C4 alcohol.

[0023] In the adhesive of this invention, the concentration of PEG is less than or equal to 30%; the concentration of plant gum is less than or equal to 10%; and the concentration of debonded fibers is less than or equal to 10%. Further, in the adhesive, the concentration of PEG is 1-20%; the concentration of plant gum is 1-10%; and the concentration of debonded fibers is 1-10%. Even further, the concentration of PEG is 1-10%; the concentration of plant gum is 1-5%; and the concentration of debonded fibers is 1-5%.

[0024] Preferably, the ash contains at least one of the following: tobacco leaves (such as shredded tobacco), tobacco stems, puffed tobacco shreds, and puffed stem shreds;

[0025] Preferably, the ash may also contain at least one of the following: tobacco stalks, papermaking sheets, tea leaves, and plant fibers;

[0026] The slurry described in this invention also contains permitted additives such as atomizing agents, flavor modifiers, and auxiliaries.

[0027] The atomizing agent is at least one of ethylene glycol and glycerol. The amount of additional added components can be adjusted as needed. For example, in a thick slurry, the atomizing agent content is 5–20 wt.%.

[0028] Preferably, in the slurry, the weight ratio of soot to adhesive is 1:3 to 10; and the nicotine modifier is 1 to 10 wt% of the total weight of soot and adhesive.

[0029] The present invention also provides a method for preparing the nicotine-releasing uniform thick paste for heated cigarettes, wherein the components are mixed evenly to obtain the paste.

[0030] Preferably, the adhesive and component A of the nicotine modifier are mixed in advance, then mixed with soot, and then mixed with component B of the nicotine modifier to obtain the thick paste.

[0031] Alternatively, the adhesive and soot are mixed to obtain a basic slurry, which is then mixed with a nicotine modifier to obtain the aforementioned slurry.

[0032] The present invention unexpectedly discovered that, compared to the preparation process of thick paste by pre-mixing the adhesive and nicotine atomizing agent components, the method described above can unexpectedly further modify the surface of the tobacco tissue based on the physicochemical relationship between the components. This unexpectedly improves the uniformity of nicotine release from the tobacco tissue during the smoking stage of the prepared novel tobacco product.

[0033] This invention also includes a novel tobacco product sheet produced by a slurry method that provides uniform nicotine release per puff, which is obtained by spreading and drying the slurry.

[0034] The present invention also provides a novel tobacco product with uniform nicotine release per puff, comprising the slurry-processed sheet described in the present invention;

[0035] Preferably, the novel tobacco product is a heated cigarette, and its heating section includes the thickened pulp sheet.

[0036] Beneficial effects

[0037] 1. This invention provides a nicotine regulator to improve the uniformity of nicotine release per puff in heated cigarettes. Through the combination of the aforementioned components, it can synergistically regulate the release behavior of nicotine in heated cigarettes, thereby improving the nicotine release effect and uniformity of release per puff in tobacco tissue during the smoking process of novel tobacco products.

[0038] 2. In this invention, component A is a complex of two or more of proline, caffeic acid, and pyruvic acid, and component B is phosphoric acid or a complex of phosphoric acid-boric acid, which has a better synergistic effect, can better adapt to the application requirements of new tobacco products, and can better improve the nicotine release effect and uniformity in tobacco tissue during the smoking stage of new tobacco products.

[0039] 3. This invention also provides a thick paste containing the aforementioned nicotine modifier, which, thanks to the application of the nicotine modifier, can effectively improve the nicotine release effect. Furthermore, the plant gum is further controlled to be a complex of two or more of carob gum, microcrystalline cellulose, CMC, and pectin; it can be combined with the nicotine modifier to modify the surface of tobacco tissue, thereby helping to further improve the nicotine release effect in the tobacco tissue during the smoking stage of the novel tobacco product. In addition, further combined control of its preparation method can further improve the nicotine release effect of the prepared thick paste sheet based on the physicochemical relationship between the components. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The invention will be further understood through the specific embodiments given below. However, these are not intended to limit the invention.

[0041] Example 1

[0042] Step 1, Preparation of Nicotine Modifier A: Weigh 0.5 kg each of proline and caffeic acid, dissolve them in 5.0 kg of water, stir thoroughly, and set aside for later use.

[0043] Step 2: PEG preparation: Weigh 0.2 kg each of PEG-400, PEG-2000 and PEG-6000, add 0.02 kg of tannic acid to 5.0 kg of water, and dissolve them completely in a dedicated insulated dissolving tank at 80±5℃.

[0044] Step 3: Preparation of the adhesive. Place 1.5 kg of sucrose fiber in a hydraulic shredder, add 30.0 kg of water, and maintain the shredder's stirring speed at 2000 rpm for 60 minutes. Then add 0.2 kg of carob gum and 0.1 kg of carrageenan, and continue stirring for 30 minutes. The low-concentration adhesive helps the fiber to fully vortex within the hydraulic shredder using a geared stirring rod, effectively disintegrating the fiberboard. Next, add 0.2 kg of carob gum, 0.1 kg of CMC, the nicotine modifier A prepared in Step 1, the PEG solution prepared in Step 2, and 0.5 kg of flavor improver (adjusted according to taste; this example uses mint flavoring). Continue stirring for 30 minutes, then transfer to a storage tank for later use.

[0045] Step 4: Preparation of the soot composite material:

[0046] Tobacco leaves, tobacco stems, and tea leaves in a weight ratio of 6:3:1 are dry-ground into 300-mesh ash for later use.

[0047] Step 5: Thick Slurry Treatment

[0048] The materials prepared in steps three and four above are fed into the mixer at a weight ratio of 5:1, and 0.6 kg of phosphoric acid (nicotine regulator B) is added. The stirrer is started, the speed is controlled at 100 rpm, the temperature of the slurry is adjusted to (60±5)℃, and the stirring and heat preservation time is 4 hours for mixing.

[0049] Step 6: Thin-film preparation

[0050] After the fifth step of heat preservation reaches the process requirements, the thick slurry is distributed, dried, and peeled off to form thin sheets. The drying process is carried out in two stages, with the maximum temperature not exceeding 90℃. The thickness of the thick slurry pouring is controlled to be approximately 600mm.

[0051] Physical property testing of the finished sheet prepared by the above method showed that the sheet thickness was 0.17 mm and the moisture content was 11.8%.

[0052] Referring to the traditional HCI deep smoking mode of cigarettes in Canada, the number of puffs (n) is set according to the heating time of the device. The heating device is designed to operate at a temperature of 220℃±5℃. Ten cigarettes are prepared for each heated cigarette sample. The n puffs of each cigarette are accumulated and captured on different filters, that is, the same number of aerosols are captured on each filter (a total of 10 puffs). The standard deviation, relative standard deviation and range of the data are calculated and the results are shown in Table 1.

[0053] Comparative Example 1

[0054] Compared with Example 1, the only difference is that the first step is missing, and correspondingly, component A of the nicotine modifier is not added in the third step, and component B (phosphate) of the nicotine modifier is not added in the fifth step.

[0055] Table 1. Statistical Table of Nicotine Data for Individual Puffs

[0056] sample RSD% R Std Comparative Example 1 27.43 0.53 0.14 Example 1 12.77 0.03 0.01

[0057] Example 2

[0058] Compared with Example 1, the only difference is that the composition of nicotine modifier A in the first step is changed, while the total weight of nicotine modifier A is the same as in Example 1. The experimental groups are as follows:

[0059] Group A: Nicotine regulator A consists of proline, caffeic acid, and pyruvic acid in a weight ratio of 1:1:1.

[0060] Group B: Nicotine regulator A consists of proline, caffeic acid, and pyruvic acid in a weight ratio of 2:2:1.

[0061] Group C: Nicotine regulator A is pyruvic acid.

[0062] Example 3

[0063] Compared with Example 1, the only difference is that the composition of the plant gum in the third step is changed; all other processes and parameters are the same as in Example 1. The experimental groups are as follows:

[0064] Group A: The plant gum is a complex of carob gum and pectin in a weight ratio of 1:0.5;

[0065] Group B: Plant gum is a complex of microcrystalline cellulose, carob gum, and pectin in a weight ratio of 1:1:1;

[0066] Group C: Plant gum is microcrystalline cellulose;

[0067] Group D: Plant gum is pectin;

[0068] Example 4

[0069] Compared to Example 1, the only difference is that the composition of nicotine modifier B in step four is changed, and the experimental groups are as follows:

[0070] Group A: Nicotine regulator B is boric acid;

[0071] Group B: Nicotine regulator B consists of phosphoric acid and boric acid in a mass ratio of 2:1;

[0072] Other operations and parameters are the same as in Example 1.

[0073] Example 5

[0074] Compared with Example 1, the only difference is that the nicotine modifier B in step 5 is added together with the nicotine modifier A in step 3, and all other operations and parameters are the same as in Example 1.

[0075] Comparative Example 2

[0076] Compared with Example 1, the only difference is that in the third step, nicotine modifier A is not added to the adhesive; all other operations and parameters are the same as in Example 1.

[0077] Comparative Example 3

[0078] Compared with Example 1, the only difference is that phosphoric acid is not added in the fourth step, while the other operations and parameters are the same as in Example 1.

[0079] Comparative Example 4

[0080] Compared with Example 1, the only difference is that the nicotine modifier A is citric acid, malic acid and tartaric acid in a weight ratio of 1:1:1.

[0081] Table 2: Statistical table of nicotine puff-by-puff data for Examples 2-5 and Comparative Examples 2-4

[0082] sample RSD% R Std Example 2A 11.12 0.04 0.01 Example 2B 10.89 0.02 0.02 Example 2C 15.13 0.14 0.08 Example 3A 11.67 0.09 0.03 Example 3B 8.23 0.01 0.01 Example 3C 15.61 0.14 0.09 Example 3D 16.15 0.21 0.10 Example 4A 17.28 0.21 0.11 Example 4B 7.26 0.02 0.01 Example 5 18.32 0.12 0.10 Comparative Example 2 21.41 0.43 0.21 Comparative Example 3 23.52 0.38 0.12 Comparative Example 4 19.23 0.26 0.10

[0083] As shown in Tables 1 and 2, the nicotine modifiers of this invention exhibit an unexpected synergistic effect, improving the uniformity of nicotine release. Furthermore, as shown in Examples 1 and 2, using a combination of proline, caffeic acid, and pyruvic acid as nicotine modifier component A unexpectedly further synergistically improves the uniformity of nicotine release. Additionally, as shown in Examples 1 and 4, using a combination of phosphoric acid and boric acid further synergistically improves the uniformity of nicotine release per puff. A comparison of Examples 1 and 3 also reveals that using a combination of microcrystalline cellulose, carob gum, and pectin similarly unexpectedly synergistically improves nicotine release. Moreover, a comparison of Examples 1 and 5 shows that pre-mixing component A in the adhesive during the preparation of the thick paste, followed by mixing with tobacco ash and then with component B, unexpectedly further improves the synergistic effect of the components, thus further improving the nicotine regulation effect to a certain extent.

[0084] Example 6

[0085] Step 1: Adhesive preparation:

[0086] 1.1: PEG preparation: Weigh 2 kg each of PEG-400, PEG-2000 and PEG-6000, add 0.2 kg of tannic acid to 50 kg of water, and dissolve them completely in a dedicated insulated dissolving tank at 80±5℃.

[0087] 1.2: Place 15 kg of sucrose fiber in a hydraulic shredder, add 300 kg of water, and shredder at a stirring speed of 2000 rpm for 60 minutes. Then add 2 kg of plant gum (same as in Example 4B) and 1 kg of carrageenan, and continue stirring for 30 minutes. The low-concentration adhesive helps to fully vortex the fiberboard in the hydraulic shredder using a geared stirring rod, thus thoroughly disintegrating the fiberboard. Afterwards, add 2 kg of plant gum (same as in Example 4B), 1 kg of CMC, the PEG solution from step 1.1, and 5 kg of flavor modifier (such as peppermint extract), and continue stirring for 30 minutes. Transfer to a storage tank for later use.

[0088] Step 2: Ashes

[0089] Tobacco leaves, tobacco stems, and tea leaves in a weight ratio of 6:3:1 are dry-ground into 300-mesh ash for later use.

[0090] Step 3: Basic Thickening Slurry

[0091] The prepared adhesive and soot are mixed evenly at a weight ratio of 5:1 to form a basic slurry.

[0092] Step 4:

[0093] Add nicotine modifier (component A is proline, caffeic acid, and pyruvic acid in a weight ratio of 1:1:1; component B is boric acid and phosphoric acid in a weight ratio of 1:1; the weight ratio of component A to component B is 2:1; the amount of nicotine modifier is 3wt% of the weight of the basic slurry) to the base slurry, start the stirrer, control the speed at 100 rpm, adjust the slurry temperature to (60±5)℃, stir and keep warm for 4 hours, and mix to obtain the modified slurry.

[0094] Step 5: Thin-film preparation

[0095] After the fourth step of heat preservation reaches the process requirements, the modified slurry is distributed, dried, and peeled off to form thin sheets. The drying process is carried out in two stages, with the maximum temperature not exceeding 90℃. The thickness of the slurry pouring is controlled to be approximately 600mm.

[0096] The standard deviation, relative standard deviation, and range of each puff of nicotine data were calculated according to the method in Example 1, and the results are shown in Table 3.

[0097] Table 3. Statistical Table of Nicotine Inhalation Data for Each Puff

[0098] sample RSD% R Std Example 6 9.77 0.02 0.01

[0099] In summary, the process of the present invention, based on the combination of the nicotine modifier components, can unexpectedly achieve synergy, and can significantly improve the uniformity of nicotine release from the thick paste sheet.

Claims

1. A nicotine modifier for improving the uniformity of nicotine release per puff in novel tobacco products, characterized in that, It is composed of component A and component B, wherein component A is a complex acid of proline, caffeic acid and pyruvic acid in a mass ratio of 1~2:1~2:1; Component B is a phosphoric acid-boric acid complex with a weight ratio of 1 to 3:1; The weight ratio of component A to component B is 1 to 3:

1.

2. A novel thickening agent for tobacco products with uniform nicotine release per puff, characterized in that, It is a slurry comprising adhesive, soot, and the nicotine modifier as described in claim 1.

3. The novel thickening agent for tobacco products with uniform nicotine release per puff as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The adhesive is an adhesive solution containing PEG, plant gum and desiccant; The plant gum mentioned therein is at least one of the following: guar gum, sesame gum, coumarin gum, carrageenan gum, xanthan gum, guar gum, CMC, tamarind gum, sodium alginate, and microcrystalline cellulose. The defibered fiber is a fiber obtained by defibering wood pulp fiber.

4. The novel tobacco product thickener with uniform nicotine release per puff as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The plant gum is a compound of two or more of the following: carob gum, microcrystalline cellulose, CMC, and pectin.

5. The novel tobacco product thickener with uniform nicotine release per puff as described in claim 4, characterized in that, The adhesive also contains at least one solvent selected from water and organic solvents. The organic solvent is a C1-C4 alcohol.

6. The novel thickening agent for tobacco products with uniform nicotine release per puff, as described in any one of claims 3 to 5, is characterized in that, The concentration of PEG is less than or equal to 30%, plant gum is less than or equal to 10%, and desiccant is less than or equal to 10%.

7. The novel thickening agent for tobacco products with uniform nicotine release per puff as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The slurry also contains at least one of an atomizing agent and a flavor modifier; The atomizing agent is at least one of ethylene glycol and glycerol.

8. The novel thickening agent for tobacco products with uniform nicotine release per puff as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The ash contains at least one of the following: tobacco leaves, tobacco stems, expanded tobacco shreds, and expanded tobacco stem shreds.

9. The novel thickening agent for tobacco products with uniform nicotine release per puff as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The ash also contains at least one of the following: tobacco stems, papermaking flakes, tea leaves, and plant fibers.

10. The novel thickening agent for tobacco products with uniform nicotine release per puff as described in claim 2, characterized in that, In the thick slurry, the weight ratio of soot to adhesive is 1:3~10; The nicotine modifier is 1-10 wt% of the total weight of the ash adhesive.

11. A method for preparing a novel thick paste for tobacco products with uniform nicotine release per puff, as described in any one of claims 2 to 10, characterized in that, The adhesive and component A of the nicotine modifier are mixed in advance, then mixed with soot, and then mixed with component B of the nicotine modifier to obtain the thick paste.

12. A novel slurry-processed sheet for tobacco products with uniform nicotine release per puff, characterized in that, The slurry according to any one of claims 2 to 10 or the slurry prepared by the preparation method according to claim 11 is obtained by spreading and drying.

13. A novel tobacco product with uniform nicotine release per puff, characterized in that, It comprises the slurry sheet as described in claim 12.

14. The novel tobacco product with uniform nicotine release per puff as described in claim 13, characterized in that, The novel tobacco product is a heated cigarette, and its heating section includes the slurry sheet as described in claim 12.