Process for preparing reconstituted tobacco leaves and tobacco shreds through thick slurry method

Abstract

The invention discloses a thick slurry method reconstituted tobacco and tobacco shred preparation technology, and belongs to the technical field of tobaccos, the technology utilizes puffing and crushing technologies to treat external fibers to form a light fiber filler with loose and porous inside, the light fiber filler is blended into slurry to adsorb volatile flavor substances and sugar, the surface of the reconstituted tobacco is prevented from being sticky, and the quality of the reconstituted tobacco is improved. Meanwhile, the porosity and combustibility of the thick-slurry-method reconstituted tobacco are improved. Further anti-sticking and high-temperature and high-humidity treatment are carried out on the prepared thick-slurry-method reconstituted tobacco, the filling value of the thick-slurry-method reconstituted tobacco is increased, the thick-slurry-method reconstituted tobacco and tobacco shreds are higher in compatibility and better in combustibility when blended and rolled, and compared with paper-making-method reconstituted tobacco, the thick-slurry-method reconstituted tobacco is high in tobacco effective substance content and small in additional fiber consumption.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention belongs to the technical field of tobacco, and particularly relates to a thick slurry method for preparing reconstituted tobacco leaves and shredded tobacco. Background Art

[0002] Reconstituted tobacco is made by processing discarded tobacco stems, tobacco dust and low-quality tobacco produced in the cigarette production process through a series of processes to produce reconstituted tobacco with a quality close to or even better than that of natural tobacco.

[0003] The thick slurry method of reconstituted tobacco leaf process is to grind the tobacco material and mix it into a solution containing adhesives, plant fibers, humectants and water, stir it evenly to form a slurry, spread it evenly on a stainless steel belt through cast film coating, and form reconstituted tobacco leaves after drying and shoveling. The reconstituted tobacco leaves are cut into shreds to obtain thick slurry method reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0004] The density of thick pulp reconstituted tobacco is relatively high, generally 0.9~1.1g / cm 3 , there are tobacco stiffness and low filling value (2.0~3.0 cm 3 / g) In addition, due to the small amount of added fiber (generally ≤6%) and the high density, the internal cavity of the thick pulp method reconstituted tobacco is small, and the combustibility is lower than that of the papermaking method reconstituted tobacco. The quality of combustibility directly affects the amount of nicotine, total particulate matter and total volatile phenol in the smoke, which in turn affects the safety of tobacco. Studies have reported that if the cigarette is ignited and flames out, the tobacco generally has poor aroma, small amount of aroma, heavy impurities, very light concentration, small strength, strong irritation, unclean aftertaste, uncomfortable taste, and gray-black ash; the improvement of tobacco leaf combustibility can significantly improve the quality of tobacco leaf smoking, improve the quality and amount of tobacco leaf aroma, reduce impurities, mellow taste, increase concentration, enhance strength, reduce irritation, clean and comfortable aftertaste, and the ash gradually turns white. Summary of the invention

[0005] The present invention provides a thick slurry method reconstituted tobacco leaf and tobacco shreds production and preparation process to solve the problems of high density, poor combustibility and low filling value caused by stiffness of tobacco shreds. The process uses puffing and crushing technology to process external fibers to form a loose and porous lightweight fiber filler, which is mixed into the slurry to absorb volatile aroma substances and sugars, avoid stickiness on the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaf, and improve the looseness and combustibility of the thick slurry method reconstituted tobacco leaf. The thick slurry method reconstituted tobacco shreds prepared in this way are further treated with anti-sticking and high temperature and high humidity to improve the filling value of the thick slurry method reconstituted tobacco leaf.

[0006] Based on the above purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions: A thick slurry method for producing reconstituted tobacco leaves and cut tobacco, the process is as follows: (1) Raw material module: Dry the tobacco formula raw material to a moisture content of 8% to 10%, and crush it to a particle size of 200 to 400 meshes to obtain an absolutely dry raw material module; (2) Added fiber module: The total amount of added fiber accounts for 4% to 10% of the absolute dry raw material module. The added fiber is subjected to two different treatments: S1: 30% to 50% of the total weight of the added fiber is subjected to pulping treatment, and the pulping degree is 25 to 50. o SR, wet weight 5~10g, pulping concentration 3%~5%; S2: the remaining added fibers are crushed after puffing, the moisture content of the added fibers before puffing is 16%~20%, the puffing temperature is 80~100℃, the puffing time is 60~90 s, and the particle size of the added fibers after puffing is >80 mesh; after puffing, the fiber volume expands to form a loose porous structure.

[0007] The amount of added fiber in ordinary thick pulp flakes is generally ≤6%. The amount of added fiber can be increased by the added fiber processing mode of the present invention. The S1 beating treatment exposes more hydroxyl groups to the fiber while retaining the fiber structure, making the fiber binding ability stronger and providing strength to the reconstituted tobacco.

[0008] S2: Fiber expansion treatment. The added fiber with 16% to 20% water content contains polar water molecules, which have dielectric properties that strongly absorb microwaves. When heated by microwave radiation, it collides and rubs violently with the microwave frequency, generating a large amount of heat, which causes the water to evaporate rapidly and generates steam pressure, which is rapidly pressed out from the inside to the outside in the added fiber, causing the fiber space of the raw material to expand rapidly while expanding, forming countless cracks and micro-gaps. The expansion treatment makes the fiber inside loose and porous, and it can absorb volatile substances and sugars when added to the slurry, avoiding the stickiness of the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, and at the same time improving the looseness and combustibility of the thick slurry method reconstituted tobacco leaves. The invention is not limited to microwave expansion, and also includes high temperature and high pressure expansion and screw extrusion expansion. A swelling agent of 1‰ to 3‰ relative to the absolute dry added fiber mass can be added to improve the expansion efficiency. The swelling agent is one of potassium sorbate, potassium chloride, and potassium bicarbonate, and the swelling agent is prepared at a concentration of 6 to 10wt%.

[0009] (3) Liquid material module: The liquid material module is composed of adhesive, wetting agent and water. After adding the wetting agent to the water, the adhesive is added and homogenized for 20-40 minutes to prepare the liquid material. (4) adding the additional fiber modules S1 and S2 to the liquid material module, adding the raw material module and flavors and fragrances after homogenizing and dispersing, and preparing a thick slurry after homogenizing and mixing; (5) After the thick slurry is cast and formed, it is dried in a first oven to set the shape, and then dried in a second oven to obtain thick slurry method reconstituted tobacco leaves; after two-stage oven drying, the reconstituted tobacco leaves have good flexibility and a high retention rate of aroma substances.

[0010] (6) After the thick pulp method reconstituted tobacco leaves are cut into shreds, an anti-sticking agent aqueous solution is sprayed on the surface of the shredded tobacco and subjected to high temperature humidification treatment and then dried to produce thick pulp method reconstituted shredded tobacco with a high filling value and a high degree of curl.

[0011] After humidifying the tobacco, the tobacco curls due to the inconsistent evaporation rate of water inside and outside the tobacco. In order to prevent the reconstructed tobacco by the thick pulp method from agglomerating during the humidification process (the surface of the reconstructed tobacco by the thick pulp method is concentrated with sugar, which is easy to stick and agglomerate when it comes into contact with water), an anti-sticking agent is sprayed on the surface. The anti-sticking agent is a grease substance, which not only prevents the tobacco from agglomerating, but also plays a moisture-proof role after the tobacco is dried. The concentration of the anti-sticking agent aqueous solution is 1wt%~5wt%, and the anti-sticking agent is a mixture of one or more of phospholipids, Tween-80, sucrose fatty acid esters, palmitic acid esters, and caprylic acid glycerides in any proportion. The amount of anti-sticking agent added is 3~5‰ (based on the mass of absolutely dry tobacco). High-temperature humidification treatment can be treated by a tunnel-type rehumidification machine. The moisture content during the rehumidification process is 12~14%, the temperature is 90~120℃, and the moisture content of the tobacco after drying is 9~12%.

[0012] Preferably, the HLB value of the sucrose fatty acid ester is 5 to 15. Specifically, sucrose fatty acid esters with an HLB value of 5 and an HLB value of 15 can be selected.

[0013] Furthermore, in step (2), the added fiber is one or two of softwood pulp, dissolving softwood pulp, broadleaf pulp, and hemp pulp. Preferably, S1 is selected from dissolving softwood pulp (dissolving wood pulp is the abbreviation of "dissolving grade chemical wood pulp". Dissolving grade chemical wood pulp refers to alkali wood pulp or sulfate wood pulp containing 92% or more (including 92%) of insoluble fraction by weight after being immersed in 18wt% sodium hydroxide solution at 20°C for one hour; or sulfite wood pulp containing 88% or more (including 88%) of insoluble fraction, and the ash content by weight cannot exceed 0.15%. This pulp has a cellulose content of more than 90%, a high whiteness, a highly uniform cellulose polymerization degree, and has special properties and uses. Refer to this method for dissolving softwood pulp), and S2 is selected from hemp pulp.

[0014] Furthermore, in step (3), the adhesive is one of guar gum, hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, and chitosan, or a mixture of two or more thereof in any proportion, and the amount used is 1% to 4% of the mass of the absolute dry raw material module; the humectant is one of propylene glycol, glycerol, and glyceride, or a mixture of two or more thereof in any proportion, and the amount used is 2-20% of the mass of the absolute dry raw material module; and the added ratio of water is 1.2 to 1.6 times the mass of the absolute dry raw material module.

[0015] Furthermore, in step (4), the amount of flavors and fragrances is 0.5% to 2% of the mass of the absolutely dry raw material module, and the flavors and fragrances are added 5 to 15 minutes before the end of the dispersion of the raw material module.

[0016] Furthermore, in step (5), the temperature of the first oven is 80-105°C, and the moisture content out of the first oven is 12-16%; the drying temperature of the second oven is 40-80°C, and the moisture content out of the second oven is 9-12%.

[0017] Furthermore, in step (6), the high temperature humidification treatment refers to high temperature humidification treatment in a tunnel type moisture conditioning machine, the moisture content of the tobacco during the moisture conditioning process is 12-14%, the temperature is 90-120°C, and the moisture content of the tobacco after drying is 9-12%.

[0018] The present invention provides a thick slurry method reconstructed tobacco leaf and tobacco shreds preparation process, the process can improve the combustibility, tobacco shred curling and filling value of the thick slurry method tobacco shreds, so that the thick slurry method reconstructed tobacco shreds are more compatible and have better combustibility when mixed and rolled with tobacco leaves and tobacco shreds; and compared with papermaking method reconstructed tobacco leaf, the content of tobacco effective substances is high and the amount of added fiber is small. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 The figures are the tobacco shreds prepared by the present invention and the reconstituted tobacco shreds of the comparative sample. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] The technical solution of the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0021] Example 1 A thick slurry method for producing reconstituted tobacco leaves and cut tobacco, the process is as follows: (1) Raw material module: 100 kg of tobacco formula raw material (absolute dry weight 95 kg) is roller dried to a moisture content of 10%, and then conveyed to a pulverizer for crushing. The particle size after crushing is 250 mesh.

[0022] (2) Added fiber module: The total amount of added fiber accounts for 8% of the weight of the absolute dry raw material module. The added fiber is subjected to two different treatments: S1: 30% of the total weight of the added fiber is subjected to pulping treatment, and the pulping degree is 35 o SR, wet weight 6.18g, pulping concentration 3.5wt%; S2: the rest of the added fiber was puffed and then crushed, the added fiber moisture before puffing was 18%, the puffing temperature was 100℃, the puffing time was 80s, and the added fiber was crushed to a particle size of 100 mesh after puffing. After puffing, the added fiber volume expanded to form a loose porous structure.

[0023] (3) Liquid material module: add 3% of the weight of the absolute dry raw material module to water (1.6 times the weight of the absolute dry raw material module), stir and disperse, add guar gum: sodium carboxymethyl cellulose at a mass ratio of 2:1, and 2% of the weight of the absolute dry raw material module to the glycerol aqueous solution, and disperse uniformly for 20 minutes; (4) Add the additional fiber modules S1 and S2 to the liquid material module, add the raw material module after homogenization and dispersion, and add 1% of the weight of the absolutely dry raw material module flavors and fragrances 5 minutes before the end of the dispersion of the raw material module, and prepare a thick slurry after homogenization and mixing.

[0024] (5) After the thick slurry is cast and formed, it is dried in the first oven at 100°C to set the shape. The moisture content out of the first oven is 14%. It is then dried in the second oven at 50°C to become thick slurry reconstituted tobacco leaves. The moisture content of the finished product is 12%.

[0025] (6) After the reconstituted tobacco leaves are cut into shreds, the surface of the tobacco leaves is sprayed with a 3 wt% anti-sticking agent aqueous solution composed of phospholipids and Tween-80 in a mass ratio of 1:1. The spraying amount of the anti-sticking agent is 4‰ of the mass of the absolutely dry tobacco leaves. The leaves are subjected to high-temperature humidification treatment in a tunnel-type rehumidification machine. After rehumidification, the moisture content is 13.76% and the rehumidification temperature is 108°C. After treatment, the moisture content of the tobacco leaves is dried to 10% to prepare high-filling value thick slurry reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0026] The difference between the comparative sample and the present invention is that the total amount of the added fiber module is 6% of the absolute dry raw material module (if the amount of the added fiber is increased, there will be more lumps in the slurry), and it is added directly after being dispersed without being processed by S1 and S2. After step 5, the moisture content of the reconstituted tobacco leaves is dried to 10% and shredded to prepare the comparative reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0027] The basis weight, thickness and filling value of the reconstituted shredded tobacco of the present invention and the comparative sample were measured according to "GB / T 451.2—2002 Determination of Basis Weight of Paper and Paperboard", "GB / T 451.3 Determination of Thickness of Paper and Paperboard" and "YC / T 152 Determination of Filling Value of Cigarette Tobacco Cuttings". The burning rate was measured according to "YC / T 16.3-2003 Reconstituted Tobacco Leaf Part 3: Papermaking Method"; density = basis weight * 1000 / thickness. The test results are shown in Table 1.

[0028] Table 1 Comparison of the effects of the present invention and the comparative samples By comparing the data in Table 1, the density of the reconstituted tobacco leaves of the present invention is relatively low, indicating that the interior is relatively loose, and the tobacco filling value and the burning rate are significantly improved.

[0029] The actual pictures of the tobacco shreds prepared by the present invention and the comparative reconstituted tobacco shreds are shown in Figure 1 ,Depend on Figure 1 It can be seen that the thick slurry method reconstituted shredded tobacco prepared by the present invention has obvious curling and is better compatible with shredded tobacco for cigarettes.

Claims

1. A thick slurry method for producing reconstituted tobacco and shredded tobacco, characterized in that: The process is as follows: (1) Raw material module: Dry the tobacco formula raw material to a moisture content of 8% to 10%, and crush it to a particle size of 200 to 400 meshes to obtain an absolutely dry raw material module; (2) Added fiber module: The total amount of added fiber accounts for 4% to 10% of the absolute dry raw material module. The added fiber is subjected to two different treatments: S1: 30% to 50% of the total weight of the added fiber is subjected to pulping treatment, and the pulping degree is 25 to 50. o SR, wet weight 5~10 g, pulping concentration 3wt%~5wt%; S2: the remaining added fiber is puffed and then crushed, the moisture content of the added fiber before puffing is 16%~20%, the puffing temperature is 80~100℃, the puffing time is 60~90 s, and the particle size of the added fiber after puffing is >80 mesh; (3) Liquid material module: The liquid material module is composed of adhesive, wetting agent and water. After adding the wetting agent to the water, the adhesive is added and homogenized for 20-40 minutes to prepare the liquid material. (4) adding the additional fiber modules S1 and S2 to the liquid material module, adding the raw material module and flavors and fragrances after homogenizing and dispersing, and preparing a thick slurry after homogenizing and mixing; (5) The thick slurry is cast and then dried in a first oven to set the shape, and then dried in a second oven to obtain thick slurry reconstituted tobacco leaves; (6) After the thick pulp method reconstituted tobacco leaves are cut into shreds, an anti-sticking agent aqueous solution is sprayed on the surface of the shredded tobacco and subjected to high temperature humidification treatment and then dried to produce thick pulp method reconstituted shredded tobacco with a high filling value and a high degree of curl.

2. The thick slurry method for producing reconstituted tobacco and shredded tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (2), the added fiber is one of softwood pulp, dissolving softwood pulp, hardwood pulp, and hemp pulp, or a mixture of two or more of them in any proportion.

3. The thick slurry method reconstituted tobacco and shredded tobacco production process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (3), the adhesive is one of guar gum, hydroxypropyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, and chitosan, or a mixture of two or more of them in any proportion, and the amount used is 1% to 4% of the mass of the absolute dry raw material module; the humectant is one of propylene glycol, glycerol, and glyceride, or a mixture of two or more of them in any proportion, and the amount used is 2% to 20% of the mass of the absolute dry raw material module; the added ratio of water is 1.2 to 1.6 times the mass of the absolute dry raw material module.

4. The thick slurry method for producing reconstituted tobacco and shredded tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (4), the amount of flavors and fragrances is 0.5% to 2% of the mass of the absolutely dry raw material module, and the flavors and fragrances are added 5 to 15 minutes before the end of the dispersion of the raw material module.

5. The thick slurry method reconstituted tobacco and shredded tobacco production process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (5), the temperature of the first oven is 80-105°C, and the moisture content of the product out of the first oven is 12%-16%; the drying temperature of the second oven is 40-80°C, and the moisture content of the product out of the second oven is 9-12%.

6. The thick slurry method reconstituted tobacco and shredded tobacco production process according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (6), the concentration of the anti-sticking agent aqueous solution is 1wt%~5wt%, and the anti-sticking agent is one or a mixture of any proportion of two or more of phospholipids, Tween-80, sucrose fatty acid esters, palmitic acid esters, and caprylic acid glyceride. The amount of anti-sticking agent added is (3~5)‰ of the mass of the absolute dry tobacco.

7. The thick slurry method for producing reconstituted tobacco and shredded tobacco according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step (6), the high temperature humidification treatment refers to high temperature humidification treatment in a tunnel type moisture conditioning machine, the moisture content of the moisture conditioning process is 12% to 14%, the temperature is 90 to 120°C, and the moisture content of the tobacco after drying is 9% to 12%.

8. The thick slurry method for producing reconstituted tobacco and shredded tobacco according to claim 6, characterized in that: The HLB value of the sucrose fatty acid ester is 5-15.

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