Nicotine oral product and preparation method thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to a nicotine oral product and a preparation method thereof. The nicotine oral product comprises a foamed matrix and a nicotine source, bubble holes are formed in the foam-shaped base body and used for adsorbing a nicotine source. The preparation method provided by the invention is simple, one or a combination of more of cellulose acetate, polylactic acid, polypropylene, activated carbon particles, ion exchange resin or natural plant fibers is utilized to replace traditional microcrystalline cellulose, and a foamed matrix is prepared through a foaming process to adsorb a nicotine source, so that the mouth feel of the nicotine oral product can be remarkably improved; the nicotine bag has the buccal and chewing functions at the same time, residues are not prone to leaking when the nicotine bag is eaten, comfort is enhanced, stimulation of buccal cigarettes to the oral cavity, the throat and the gastrointestinal tract is reduced, consumers can better enjoy the physiological satisfaction brought by nicotine, the production cost of the nicotine bag is greatly reduced, and the nicotine bag is suitable for industrial production.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of nicotine products, and particularly relates to a nicotine oral product and a preparation method thereof. BACKGROUND

[0002] Nicotine is a very important alkaloid in tobacco and an important component of oral smokeless tobacco products, which is the main component to bring satisfaction and pleasure to the users of tobacco products. The release rate and release amount of nicotine are important indicators of the quality and safety of oral smokeless tobacco products.

[0003] The nicotine of oral smokeless tobacco products mainly exists in the form of tobacco extract, free nicotine, liquid nicotine salt, etc., and the nicotine is adsorbed on the nicotine substrate. However, the nicotine substrate is usually microcrystalline cellulose, the main component of which is a straight-chain polysaccharide substance combined by β-1, 4-glucoside bonds. It is a white, odorless, tasteless crystalline powder composed of extremely fine short rod or powder porous particles of free-flowing natural cellulose hydrolyzed by dilute acid to the limit of polymerization degree (LODP).

[0004] For example, the patent document with publication number CN107319629A discloses a nicotine composite salt bagged oral smoke, which uses microcrystalline cellulose mixed with gum arabic as the substrate, and uses nicotine composite salt to replace the tobacco powder component in traditional bagged oral smoke, which can significantly improve the taste of bagged oral smoke and make the nicotine component release uniformly and continuously. However, the microcrystalline cellulose has a powder leakage phenomenon in the packaging bag, which pollutes the packaging bag and causes residues in the oral cavity, which can easily cause oral discomfort. In addition, the microcrystalline cellulose powder needs to have food safety, which requires very high industrial preparation and increases the cost accordingly. At the same time, the nicotine with microcrystalline cellulose powder as the substrate can cause the product to have the disadvantages of too fast nicotine release rate, too large initial strength and too small later strength, and too fast fading of tobacco flavor during the whole oral process.

[0005] As a thermoplastic resin, cellulose acetate has a high specific surface area due to the "Y-type" cross section and the longitudinal and horizontal staggered structure, has a high adsorption efficiency, and can be processed into various shapes by injection molding, extrusion and other processes, and then the flexibility can be adjusted by a plasticizer, so as to meet different needs. At present, cellulose acetate is only used in cigarette filters, for example, the patent document with publication number CN105707980A discloses a filter prepared by using a cellulose acetate open-cell microcellular foaming process, and then a flavor additive is adsorbed in the porous structure of the filter, so as to improve the aroma and taste of the cigarette. However, for nicotine oral products, there is no relevant report and research on cellulose acetate or polylactic acid as a carrier substrate.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an innovative nicotine oral product to solve the problems of oral discomfort, residue leakage, easy to stick and clump after long storage after adding spices, which is not conducive to the release of nicotine, high production cost, and poor consumer experience. SUMMARY

[0007] The purpose of the patent is to provide a nicotine oral product and a preparation method thereof, to achieve the purposes of increasing the palatability and safety of the nicotine oral product during use, reducing oral residue and packaging bag pollution, reducing clumping, promoting the sustained release of nicotine, reducing production cost, and increasing consumer experience.

[0008] To solve the above technical problems, the patent uses the following technical solutions:

[0009] A nicotine oral product, the nicotine oral product comprising a foamed matrix and a nicotine source; the foamed matrix has pores for adsorbing the nicotine source.

[0010] Further, the foamed matrix is prepared by foaming the foaming base material through a foaming process.

[0011] Further, the foaming base material comprises one or more combinations of cellulose acetate, polylactic acid, polypropylene, activated carbon particles, ion exchange resin, or natural plant fibers.

[0012] Further, the cellulose acetate comprises one or more combinations of mono-acetic acid cellulose, di-acetic acid cellulose, or tri-acetic acid cellulose.

[0013] Further, the pore density of the foamed matrix is 10 9 ~10 10 cm 3 .

[0014] Further, the pore size of the foamed matrix is 0.10~0.15 μm, 0.15~0.25 μm, or 0.25~0.30 μm.

[0015] Further, the hardness of the foamed matrix is 40~42 HA, 42~45 HA, or 45~50 HA.

[0016] Further, the molecular weight of the foaming base material is 10000~12000, 12000~18000, 18000~25000, or 25000~30000.

[0017] Further, the adsorption capacity of the nicotine source is 3%~5%, 5%~10%, 10%~12%, or 12%~15% of the weight percentage of the foamed matrix.

[0018] Further, the nicotine source includes one or more combinations of free base nicotine, nicotine salt, nicotine-ion exchange resin, nicotine complex, or non-covalently bound nicotine.

[0019] Further, the nicotine salt includes one or more combinations of nicotine malate, nicotine citrate, nicotine tartrate, nicotine salicylate, nicotine benzoate, nicotine sulfate, and nicotine cyclodextrin inclusion complex.

[0020] Further, the nicotine oral preparation also includes flavoring and sweetener.

[0021] Further, the mass ratio of the nicotine source to the flavoring is (3-4):1, (4-5):1, or (5-7):1.

[0022] Further, the mass ratio of the sweetener to the flavoring is (1-2):1, (2-3):1, or (3-4):1.

[0023] Further, the thickness of the nicotine oral preparation is 1.0-2.0 mm, 2.0-3.0 mm, or 3.0-4.0 mm, and the length of the nicotine oral preparation is 0.8-0.9 mm, 0.9-1.1 mm, or 1.1-1.2 mm.

[0024] Another aspect of the present patent provides a preparation method of a nicotine oral preparation, including the following steps:

[0025] Step A: foaming the foaming substrate by a conventional foaming process to obtain a foamed substrate;

[0026] Step B: spraying the nicotine source and the flavoring on the surface of the foamed substrate to obtain a nicotine-containing foamed substrate;

[0027] Step C: spraying the sweetener on the surface of the nicotine-containing foamed substrate, forming a sugar coating after baking, cutting after cooling, and obtaining the nicotine oral preparation after ultraviolet sterilization.

[0028] Further, step A specifically includes: uniformly mixing the foaming substrate and the foaming agent at a ratio of 1:(1-3) to obtain a first mixture; heating the first mixture to 160-200°C, stirring uniformly, pouring into a mold, cooling to 80-110°C to form a second mixture; washing the second mixture with water to obtain the foamed substrate; or,

[0029] heating the foaming substrate to 220-260°C to obtain a molten foaming substrate; spraying the molten foaming substrate into the mold at a speed of 18-22 m 3The inert gas is continuously introduced into the molten foaming base material at a flow rate, a high pressure of 4-6 bar is maintained, and the inert gas is stopped after stirring for 45-90 min, and the inert gas is released by reducing the pressure to 1-2 bar to form pores in the molten foaming base material to foam the foamy base material.

[0030] Further, the inert gas is N2, CO2 or Ar.

[0031] Further, the pH of the nicotine oral product is 6-8, and the nicotine oral product releases within 30 seconds after entry, and the nicotine content is dissolved ≥73% within 0 min to 30 min.

[0032] In an advantageous embodiment of the present application, the foaming agent can be a carbonate foaming agent or an azo foaming agent. The carbonate foaming agent can be sodium bicarbonate, ammonium bicarbonate, calcium carbonate, etc., and the azo foaming agent can release nitrogen (N2), carbon monoxide (CO) and a small amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) by containing an azo group (-N=N-) when heated to decompose, and form a honeycomb-like pore structure in the polymer matrix. The azo foaming agent includes azodicarbonamide (ADC), diisopropyl azodicarboxylate (DIPA) or barium azodicarboxylate, etc.

[0033] In an advantageous embodiment of the present application, the nicotine oral product further comprises a pH adjuster selected from acetic acid, adipic acid, citric acid, fumaric acid, glucono-delta-lactone, gluconic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, maleic acid, tartaric acid, succinic acid, propionic acid, ascorbic acid, phosphoric acid, sodium orthophosphate, potassium orthophosphate, calcium orthophosphate, sodium diphosphate, potassium diphosphate, calcium diphosphate, pentasodium triphosphate, pentapotassium triphosphate, sodium polyphosphate, potassium polyphosphate, carbonic acid, sodium carbonate, sodium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, metal hydroxide or any combination thereof.

[0034] Optionally, the sweetener includes but is not limited to acesulfame, sucralose, aspartame, acesulfame salt (such as potassium acesulfame), alitame, saccharin and its salt, cyclamates and its salt, glycyrrhizin, dihydrochalcone, thaumatin, monellin, rebaudioside, etc., alone or in combination.

[0035] Non-exhaustive examples of suitable flavorings in embodiments of the present application are coconut, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, citrus (e.g., grapefruit, orange, lime, bergamot, or lemon), menthol, licorice, caramel, honey, peanut, walnut, cashew, hazelnut, almond, pineapple, strawberry, raspberry, tropical fruit, cherry, cinnamon, peppermint, wintergreen, spearmint, eucalyptus, mint, fruit flavors (e.g., flavors from apples, pears, peaches, strawberries, apricots, raspberries, cherries, pineapples, lemon grass, limes, peppers (capsaicin), citrus, tobacco flavors, bergamot, and plums). Preferably, the flavorings also include flavor oils, including peppermint, spearmint, menthol, eucalyptus, clove oil, bay oil, anise, thyme, cedar leaf oil, nutmeg, and the like, and mixtures thereof.

[0036] In an advantageous embodiment of the present application, the nicotine oral product further comprises a cooling agent, which includes menthol extract and / or ws-23, and the menthol extract includes menthol.

[0037] In an advantageous embodiment of the present application, the nicotine oral product further comprises an antioxidant, which includes one or a combination of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, and tea polyphenol.

[0038] In an advantageous embodiment of the present application, the nicotine oral product further comprises a preservative, which includes one or a combination of benzoic acid, sodium benzoate, sorbic acid, and potassium sorbate.

[0039] As used in the present patent, "nicotine oral product" generally refers to a new type of tobacco, which is placed in the oral cavity to absorb nicotine through the oral mucosa.

[0040] As used in the present patent, "nicotine" (also known as "nicotin"), with the chemical formula of C 10 H 14 N2, belongs to pyridine alkaloids. In this document, the term "nicotine" can be used interchangeably with "nicotin".

[0041] The present patent provides a nicotine oral product and a preparation method thereof. The preparation method is simple, which uses one or a combination of cellulose acetate, polylactic acid, polypropylene, activated carbon particles, ion exchange resin, or natural plant fibers to replace traditional microcrystalline cellulose, and a foaming process is used to prepare a foamed matrix to adsorb a nicotine source. The nicotine oral product can significantly improve the taste, has both a chewing and a sucking function, is not easy to leak residue when eaten, has enhanced comfort, reduces the irritation of the oral cavity, throat, and gastrointestinal tract caused by a chewing tobacco, allows consumers to better enjoy the physiological satisfaction brought by nicotine, greatly reduces the production cost of a nicotine pouch, and is suitable for industrialized production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0042] The above summary of the application and the following detailed description of specific embodiments of the application will be better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. It should be understood that the drawings are not to scale as the illustrations are for the clarity of presentation of the technical solutions claimed in the application.

[0043] Figure 1 The nicotine release curve graphs of the nicotine oral products of Example 1 and Example 5 of the application and the comparative examples (in which the abscissa is time, in minutes; and the ordinate is the dissolved nicotine content, in %) are shown in the following figures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The detailed features and advantages of the application are described in detail in the detailed description below, which are sufficient for any person skilled in the art to understand the technical content of the application and to implement it, and according to the description, claims and drawings disclosed in the specification, those skilled in the art can easily understand the related purposes and advantages of the application.

[0045] In the specification and claims, reference will be made to a number of terms, which will be defined as having the following meanings unless otherwise indicated:

[0046] All numbers used herein to express quantities, properties, etc. should be considered to be modified by the term "in all cases within the inevitable experimental error" or "about", unless otherwise indicated. Accordingly, the numerical values set forth in the detailed description of the application are approximations that can vary depending upon the desired properties sought to be obtained by the present application. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical value should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.

[0047] All other terms used herein are intended to have their ordinary meaning to one of ordinary skill in the art, particularly as that person would understand how to implement the technical solutions of the present application after reading the claims, specification and drawings of the present application.

[0048] Even if the grammar, words, punctuation, graphics, symbols, etc. in the claims, specification and drawings of the present application are not described in detail, missing or ambiguous, a person of ordinary skill in the art can still derive a unique and correct understanding without much reasoning or testing by reading the claims, specification and drawings as a whole, and effectively exclude all kinds of incorrect understanding methods not aimed at achieving the purpose of the present application.

[0049] The ranges disclosed herein are defined by their lower and upper endpoints, given that a range is defined by selecting a lower endpoint and an upper endpoint, the selected lower and upper endpoints define the boundaries of the particular range. Ranges defined by endpoints can be inclusive or exclusive without specific recitation, and can be arbitrarily combined, i.e., any lower endpoint can be combined with any upper endpoint to form a range. For example, if ranges of 60-120 and 80-110 are listed, it is understood that ranges of 60-110 and 80-120 are also contemplated. Furthermore, if minimum range values of 1 and 2 are listed, and if maximum range values of 3, 4, and 5 are listed, then the following ranges are all contemplated: 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 2-3, 2-4, and 2-5. In this application, unless otherwise specified, a numerical range "a-b" indicates a shorthand way of describing all of the real numbers between a and b, wherein a and b are both real numbers. For example, the numerical range "0-5" indicates that all of the real numbers between "0-5" have been listed herein, and "0-5" is merely a shorthand way of describing those numerical combinations. Also, when a parameter is stated to be an integer > 2, it is equivalent to disclose that the parameter is, for example, an integer of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, etc.

[0050] In the present text, unless otherwise indicated, all embodiments and preferred embodiments mentioned herein can be combined with each other to form new technical solutions.

[0051] In the present text, unless otherwise indicated, all technical features and preferred features mentioned herein can be combined with each other to form new technical solutions.

[0052] In the present text, unless otherwise indicated, all steps mentioned herein can be performed in sequence or randomly, but preferably in sequence. For example, the method comprises steps (a) and (b), which means that the method can comprise steps (a) and (b) in sequence, or steps (b) and (a) in sequence. For example, the method can further comprise step (c), which means that step (c) can be added to the method in any sequence, for example, the method can comprise steps (a), (b) and (c), or steps (a), (c) and (b), or steps (c), (a) and (b), etc.

[0053] In the present text, unless otherwise indicated, "comprise" and "include" mentioned herein means open-ended, and can also be closed-ended. For example, "comprise" and "include" can mean that other components not listed can also be included, or only the listed components can be included.

[0054] In the description of this article, it should be noted that, unless otherwise stated, "above" and "below" include the number itself, and "several" in "one or more" means two or more.

[0055] In this description, unless otherwise stated, the term "or" is inclusive. For example, the phrase "A or B" means "A, B, or both A and B". More specifically, the condition "A or B" is satisfied by any of the following conditions: A is true (or exists) and B is false (or does not exist); A is false (or does not exist) and B is true (or exists); or both A and B are true (or exist).

[0056] Unless otherwise specified, percentages (%) in this document refer to percentages by mass relative to the composition.

[0057] Unless otherwise stated herein, the sum of the contents of the components in the composition is 100%.

[0058] In this document, unless otherwise stated, “combination of” means a multi-component mixture of the elements, such as two, three, four, and up to the maximum possible multi-component mixture.

[0059] Unless otherwise specified, the term "a" as used in this specification means "at least one".

[0060] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0061] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein in the specification of this invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0062] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the present invention clearer, the embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the experimental methods described in the embodiments of the present invention are conventional methods, and the materials and reagents used in the following embodiments are commercially available unless otherwise specified.

[0063] Example 1

[0064] The patent provides a nicotine oral product and a preparation method thereof, comprising the following steps:

[0065] 1. 100 g of polylactic acid with a molecular weight of 10000 is weighed and uniformly mixed with 200 g of sodium carbonate to obtain a first mixture; wherein the foaming base material is polylactic acid, the foaming agent is a carbonate foaming agent, and the carbonate foaming agent is sodium carbonate.

[0066] 2. The first mixture is heated to 180℃, uniformly stirred, then poured into a mold, and the mold is cooled to 100℃ for molding to obtain a second mixture.

[0067] In some other specific embodiments, the first mixture can also be heated to 160-200℃, and the heating temperature can cause the foaming base material to react with the foaming agent to produce gas, thereby forming micropores on the surface of the foaming base material.

[0068] 3. 500 g of water is added to the second mixture for water washing of the foaming agent to obtain a foamy substrate.

[0069] 4. A nicotine source and a flavoring agent are uniformly mixed at a mass ratio of (3-7):1 to obtain a third mixture. The nicotine source is nicotine malate, and the flavoring agent is lemon flavor.

[0070] In some other specific embodiments, the nicotine source can also be free base nicotine, nicotine salt, nicotine-ion exchange resin, nicotine complex, or non-covalently bound nicotine. The nicotine salt is one or a combination of hydrochloride, tartrate, and sulfate, and specifically, the nicotine salt includes one or a combination of nicotine malate, nicotine citrate, nicotine tartrate, nicotine salicylate, nicotine benzoate, nicotine sulfate, and nicotine cyclodextrin inclusion complex.

[0071] In some other specific embodiments, the flavoring agent can also be a non-exhaustive example, including coconut, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, citrus (such as grapefruit, orange, lime, bergamot, or lemon), menthol, licorice, caramel, honey, peanut, walnut, cashew, hazelnut, almond, pineapple, strawberry, raspberry, tropical fruit, cherry, cinnamon, peppermint, wintergreen, spearmint, eucalyptus, mint, fruit flavor (such as flavor from apple, pear, peach, strawberry, apricot, raspberry, cherry, pineapple, lemon grass, lime, chili (capsaicin), citrus, tobacco flavor, bergamot, and plum). Optionally, the flavoring agent also contains essential oil, including peppermint, spearmint, menthol, eucalyptus, clove oil, laurel oil, anise, thyme, cedar leaf oil, nutmeg, and oil of the above-mentioned fruits.

[0072] 5. Spraying the third mixture on the foamy substrate obtained in step 4 above, the concentration of the third mixture sprayed is 15% of the mass percentage of the foamy substrate, to obtain a foamy substrate containing nicotine.

[0073] In some other embodiments, the concentration of the third mixture sprayed is 12-18% of the mass percentage of the foamy substrate. In some other embodiments, the foamy substrate can also be soaked in the third mixture, so that the third mixture is adsorbed in the foamy substrate.

[0074] 6. Spraying a sweetener on the surface of the foamy substrate containing nicotine obtained in step 5 above, the sweetener is sucrose, and a sugar coating is formed after micro-heat baking, and a nicotine oral product is obtained after cooling.

[0075] In some other embodiments, the sweetener can also be one or more combinations of saccharin, sucralose, glucose, maltose, corn syrup, lactose, cyclamate, aspartame, acesulfame-K, xylitol, mannose, erythritol, acesulfame salt (such as potassium acesulfame), alitame, cyclohexyl sulfamic acid and its salt, glycyrrhizin, dihydrochalcone, thaumatin, monellin, stevioside.

[0076] Example 2

[0077] 1. 100 g of polylactic acid with a molecular weight of 10,000 is weighed and mixed uniformly with 200 g of sodium bicarbonate to obtain a first mixture.

[0078] 2. The first mixture is heated to 180°C, and after uniform stirring, it is poured into a mold, and the mold is cooled to 100°C for molding, to obtain a second mixture.

[0079] 3. 500 g of water is added to the second mixture for water washing of the foaming agent, to obtain a foamy substrate.

[0080] 4. Nicotine citrate nicotine source and lemon flavor are mixed uniformly according to a mass ratio of (3-7):1 to obtain a third mixture.

[0081] 5. The third mixture is sprayed on the foamy substrate obtained in step 4 above, the concentration of the third mixture sprayed is 15% of the mass percentage of the foamy substrate, to obtain a foamy substrate containing nicotine.

[0082] 6. Spraying sucrose on the surface of the foamy substrate containing nicotine obtained in step 5 above, and a sugar coating is formed after micro-heat baking, and a nicotine oral product is obtained after cooling.

[0083] Example 3

[0084] 1. Take 100 g of polylactic acid with a molecular weight of 15000 and mix it uniformly with 250 g of calcium carbonate to obtain a first mixture.

[0085] 2. Heat the first mixture to 180°C, stir it uniformly, pour it into a mold, and then cool the mold to 100°C to form a second mixture.

[0086] 3. Add 500 g of water to the second mixture to use it as a water-washing foaming agent to obtain a foamy substrate.

[0087] 4. Mix nicotine tartrate nicotine source and cherry essence uniformly according to a mass ratio of (3-7):1 to obtain a third mixture.

[0088] 5. Spray the third mixture on the foamy substrate obtained in the above step 4, and the concentration of the third mixture sprayed is 15% of the mass percentage of the foamy substrate to obtain a foamy substrate containing nicotine.

[0089] 6. Spray maltose on the surface of the foamy substrate containing nicotine obtained in the above step 5, form a sugar coating through micro-heat baking, and obtain a nicotine oral product after cooling.

[0090] Example 4

[0091] 1. Take 100 g of polylactic acid with a molecular weight of 15000 and mix it uniformly with 250 g of azodicarbonamide to obtain a first mixture.

[0092] 2. Heat the first mixture to 180°C, stir it uniformly, pour it into a mold, and then cool the mold to 100°C to form a second mixture.

[0093] 3. Add 500 g of water to the second mixture to use it as a water-washing foaming agent to obtain a foamy substrate.

[0094] 4. Mix nicotine tartrate nicotine source and cherry essence uniformly according to a mass ratio of (3-7):1 to obtain a third mixture.

[0095] 5. Spray the third mixture on the foamy substrate obtained in the above step 4, and the concentration of the third mixture sprayed is 15% of the mass percentage of the foamy substrate to obtain a foamy substrate containing nicotine.

[0096] 6. Spray maltose on the surface of the foamy substrate containing nicotine obtained in the above step 5, form a sugar coating through micro-heat baking, and obtain a nicotine oral product after cooling.

[0097] Example 5

[0098] 1. Take 100 kg of cellulose acetate as a foaming base material, heat to 250°C to obtain a molten foaming base material.

[0099] In some other specific embodiments, the foaming base material can also be polypropylene fibers, activated carbon particles, or natural plant fibers, etc. which can react with the foaming agent to form a foamed material. In some other specific embodiments, the foaming base material can also be heated to 220-260°C so that the foaming base material can be molten.

[0100] 2. A flow rate of 20 m 3 / H flow rate of inert gas N2 is continuously introduced into the molten foaming base material, a high pressure of 5 bar is maintained, stirring for 1 h, then stopping the inert gas, and releasing the inert gas by reducing the pressure to 2 bar, so that the molten foaming base material is foamed by forming pores, and a foamed cellulose acetate is obtained, which is a foamed matrix.

[0101] In some other specific embodiments, the inert gas can also be CO2 or Ar.

[0102] 3. The nicotine source and the flavoring agent are mixed uniformly at a mass ratio of 3:1 to obtain a mixture. The nicotine source is nicotine citrate, and the flavoring agent is strawberry flavor.

[0103] In some other specific embodiments, the nicotine source can also be free base nicotine, nicotine salt, nicotine-ion exchange resin, nicotine complex, or non-covalently bound nicotine. The nicotine salt is one or a combination of hydrochloride, tartrate, and sulfate, specifically, the nicotine salt includes one or a combination of nicotine citrate, nicotine tartrate, nicotine salicylate, nicotine benzoate, nicotine sulfate, and nicotine cyclodextrin inclusion complex.

[0104] In some other specific embodiments, the flavoring agent can also be a non-exhaustive example, including coconut, coffee, chocolate, vanilla, citrus (such as grapefruit, orange, lime, bergamot, or lemon), menthol, licorice, caramel, honey, peanut, walnut, cashew, hazelnut, almond, pineapple, raspberry, tropical fruit, cherry, cinnamon, peppermint, wintergreen, spearmint, eucalyptus, mint, fruit flavor (such as flavor from apple, pear, peach, strawberry, apricot, raspberry, cherry, pineapple, lemon grass, lime, chili (capsaicin), citrus, tobacco flavor, bergamot, and plum). Optionally, the flavoring agent also contains a flavor oil, including peppermint, spearmint, menthol, eucalyptus, clove oil, laurel oil, anise, thyme, cedar leaf oil, nutmeg, and oil of the above-mentioned fruits.

[0105] 4. Spraying the mixture obtained in step 3 above on the foamy substrate obtained in step 2 above, the concentration of the mixture sprayed being 15% of the mass percentage of the foamy substrate, to obtain a foamy substrate containing nicotine.

[0106] In some other specific embodiments, the concentration of the third mixture sprayed is 12-18% of the mass percentage of the foamy substrate. In some other specific embodiments, the foamy substrate can also be soaked in the third mixture, so that the third mixture is adsorbed in the foamy substrate.

[0107] 5. Spraying a sweetener on the surface of the foamy substrate containing nicotine obtained in step 4 above, and forming a sugar coating through micro-heat baking, to obtain a nicotine oral product after cooling.

[0108] The sweetener includes one or more combinations of sucrose, saccharin, sucralose, glucose, maltose, corn syrup, lactose, cyclamate, aspartame, acesulfame-K, alitame, cyclamate, glycyrrhizin, dihydrochalcone, thaumatin, monellin, stevioside, etc.

[0109] Example 6

[0110] 1. Weighing 100 kg of cellulose acetate as a foaming substrate, and heating to 260°C to obtain a molten foaming substrate.

[0111] 2. Continuously introducing inert gas into the molten foaming substrate at a flow rate of 20 m 3 / H, maintaining a high pressure of 5 bar, and stirring for 1 h, then stopping the introduction of inert gas Ar, and releasing the inert gas by reducing the pressure to 3 bar, so that pores are formed in the molten foaming substrate to foam, to obtain foamy cellulose acetate, i.e. a foamy substrate.

[0112] 3. Mixing nicotine malate and cherry essence uniformly at a mass ratio of 5:1 to obtain a mixture.

[0113] 4. Spraying the mixture obtained in step 3 above on the foamy substrate obtained in step 2 above, the concentration of the mixture sprayed being 14% of the mass percentage of the foamy substrate, to obtain a foamy substrate containing nicotine.

[0114] 5. Spraying sucrose on the surface of the foamy substrate containing nicotine obtained in step 4 above, and forming a sugar coating through micro-heat baking, to obtain a nicotine oral product after cooling.

[0115] Example 7

[0116] 1. Take 100 kg of polypropylene fiber as a foaming base material, heat to 250°C to obtain a molten foaming base material.

[0117] 2. Continuously introduce inert gas into the molten foaming base material at a flow rate of 20 m 3 / H, maintain a high pressure of 5 bar, stir for 1 h, then stop introducing inert gas Ar, release the inert gas by reducing the pressure to 2 bar, form pores in the molten foaming base material to foam, and obtain foamed cellulose acetate, which is a foamed matrix.

[0118] In some other specific embodiments, the inert gas can also be CO2 or Ar.

[0119] 3. Mix nicotine citrate and vanilla strawberry essence uniformly at a mass ratio of 3:1 to obtain a mixture.

[0120] 4. Spray the mixture obtained in the above step 3 on the foamed matrix obtained in the above step 2, the concentration of the mixture sprayed is 15% of the mass percentage of the foamed matrix, to obtain a foamed matrix containing nicotine.

[0121] 5. Spray sucrose on the surface of the foamed matrix containing nicotine obtained in the above step 4, form a sugar coating after micro-heat baking, and obtain a nicotine oral product after cooling.

[0122] Example 8

[0123] 1. Take 100 kg of polypropylene fiber as a foaming base material, heat to 260°C to obtain a molten foaming base material.

[0124] 2. Continuously introduce inert gas into the molten foaming base material at a flow rate of 20 m 3 / H, maintain a high pressure of 5 bar, stir for 1 h, then stop introducing inert gas Ar, release the inert gas by reducing the pressure to 3 bar, form pores in the molten foaming base material to foam, and obtain foamed cellulose acetate, which is a foamed matrix.

[0125] 3. Mix nicotine tartrate and lemon essence uniformly at a mass ratio of 6:1 to obtain a mixture.

[0126] 4. Spray the mixture obtained in the above step 3 on the foamed matrix obtained in the above step 2, the concentration of the mixture sprayed is 16% of the mass percentage of the foamed matrix, to obtain a foamed matrix containing nicotine.

[0127] 5. Spray sucrose on the surface of the foamed matrix containing nicotine obtained in the above step 4, form a sugar coating after micro-heat baking, and obtain a nicotine oral product after cooling.

[0128] Comparative Example

[0129] The nicotine content was 6 mg, using commercially available ZYN Chill nicotine pouches from Philip Morris International as a comparison.

[0130] Test Example 1: Physical index detection

[0131] To further illustrate the advantages of the present patent, the nicotine oral products prepared in Examples 1-8 were subjected to physical index detection according to the national standard GB / T 10799-2008, including air hole density, air hole diameter, and hardness.

[0132] The results are shown in Table 1. The physical indexes of the nicotine oral products prepared in Examples 2-4 were similar to those of the nicotine oral product prepared in Example 1, and the physical indexes of the nicotine oral products prepared in Examples 6-8 were similar to those of the nicotine oral product prepared in Example 5. Therefore, the results of Examples 1-8 and Example 5 are described.

[0133] Among them, the air hole density of the nicotine oral product prepared in Example 1 was 2.3 x 10 9 / cm 3 , the air hole diameter was 0.3 pm, and the hardness was 43 HA. The air hole density of the nicotine oral product prepared in Example 5 was 3.5 x 10 10 / cm 3 , the air hole diameter was 0.2 pm, and the hardness was 50 HA.

[0134] Table 1: Physical index results of nicotine oral products in Example 1 and Example 5

[0135] Test Example 2: In vitro nicotine release test

[0136] The nicotine oral products prepared in Examples 1 and 5 and the nicotine pouches in Comparative Example 1 were subjected to in vitro nicotine release test experiments.

[0137] (1) According to the conventional experimental method, the artificial saliva is prepared: carboxymethyl cellulose sodium is taken into 700 mL distilled water, soaked overnight, after swelling, sorbitol, sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium chloride and nipagin are added (the above reagents), after stirring, calcium phosphate and sodium phosphate solution are added, distilled water is added to the full amount, after stirring, 0.01% hydrochloric acid or 0.05% sodium hydroxide is added to adjust the pH to 7, finally the related enzymes are added, and the enzyme concentration is adjusted to α-amylase: 50-500 U / mL; lysozyme: 1-10 μg / mL; lipase: 0.5 U / mL; peroxidase: 0.5 U / mL, and then the bottle is sterilized with 100℃ flow steam for 30 min. The artificial saliva prepared in this way is colorless and translucent liquid, salty and has certain viscosity.

[0138] Among them, sorbitol, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium phosphate, sodium phosphate, nipagin, hydrochloric acid, sodium hydroxide, α-amylase, lysozyme, lipase and peroxidase are purchased from Wuhan Seville Biological Technology Co., Ltd., China.

[0139] (2) The nicotine oral products prepared in the above examples 1~2 and comparative example 1 are placed in 200 mL, pH 6.8~7.0 artificial saliva, and kept at constant temperature 37.0±0.1℃, and stirred at 100 rpm / min. 2 mL of sample is taken every 1 minute, and 10 minutes of sample collection is completed, 2 mL of artificial saliva is added after sampling (in order to simulate the cumulative release of nicotine in the oral environment, artificial saliva also needs to be added after sampling as the oral cavity continuously secretes saliva), and the 2 mL solution taken out is diluted to 10 mL with artificial saliva, the nicotine content is detected by HPLC, and the relative cumulative release amount of nicotine is calculated. The release curve is drawn with the relative cumulative release amount as the vertical coordinate and the time as the horizontal coordinate (tested according to the current standard of artificial saliva GB / T18886-2019).

[0140] The results are shown in Figure 1 The nicotine oral products prepared in examples 1~2 can feel the impact of nicotine after 30 seconds of entry, and can last for 30 minutes, the release of nicotine is durable, and the cumulative dissolution rate of nicotine is ≥73% from 0 minutes to 30 minutes, which is significantly higher than that of the comparative example.

[0141] Test example 3 taste test

[0142] The nicotine oral products prepared in the above examples 1 and 5, and the nicotine bag in the comparative example are subjected to taste test.

[0143] The taste method is specifically as follows: a professional evaluation team (n=5) performs evaluation, and the nicotine oral products or nicotine bags in Examples 1-2 and Comparative Examples are directly placed between the upper lip and the upper teeth for 10 min.

[0144] The scoring criteria are specifically as follows: irritation, astringency, bitterness, sweetness, coolness, and coolness persistence, and a 5-point system is adopted, with 1 point being extremely weak / no and 5 points being extremely strong.

[0145] The results are shown in Table 2, and the nicotine oral products prepared in Examples 1 and 5 have less astringency and bitterness, and better sweetness, coolness, and coolness persistence than the Comparative Examples.

[0146] Table 2. Taste and inhalation evaluation table of nicotine oral products or nicotine bags in different examples and comparative examples

[0147] In summary, the present patent provides a nicotine oral product and a preparation method thereof, the preparation method of which is simple, and one or more of cellulose acetate, polylactic acid, polypropylene, activated carbon particles, ion exchange resin, or natural plant fiber is used to replace traditional microcrystalline cellulose, a foam-like matrix is prepared by a foaming process to adsorb a nicotine source, the taste of the nicotine oral product can be significantly improved, and the product has both a buccal and a chewable function, is not easy to leak residue when eaten, has enhanced comfort, reduces the irritation of a buccal cigarette to the oral cavity, throat, and gastrointestinal tract, allows consumers to better enjoy the physiological satisfaction brought by nicotine, greatly reduces the production cost of nicotine bags, and is suitable for industrial production.

[0148] In the foregoing description of exemplary embodiments / concrete embodiments of the present patent, various features of the present patent are sometimes combined together in a single embodiment / concrete embodiment or its figures and descriptions, which is intended to simplify the disclosure and help understand one or more of the various inventive aspects. However, except for the opposite indication explicitly recorded or obvious technical contradiction or exclusion, the description method of the present patent should not be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed invention requires more features than those explicitly stated in each claim. On the contrary, the inventive aspect reflected by the claims is in the non-all features of the single aforementioned disclosed embodiment / concrete embodiment. Therefore, the claims following the detailed description are hereby expressly incorporated into the present detailed description, and each claim exists independently as a separate embodiment / concrete embodiment of the present patent.

[0149] The terms and expressions employed herein have been used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention that in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognized that various modifications are possible within the scope of the patent claimed. Thus, it should be understood that although the present patent has been specifically disclosed by preferred embodiments, exemplary embodiments and optional features, modification and variation of the specific implementation could be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the patent. Accordingly, it is intended to embrace all such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

[0150] The foregoing description of specific implementations has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the patent to the precise forms disclosed, and various modifications and variations are possible in the light of the above teachings or can be acieved from practising the patent. It is intended that the scope of the patent encompass these and other alternatives, modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims appended hereto. Specific embodiments are discussed in the specification to illustrate the general principles of the patent. Other embodiments could be implemented with the same or similar techniques, components, steps, features, etc. without departing from the general principles of the patent.

[0151] In addition, the scope of the patent should not be limited, to any of the specific implementations discussed, but should be given the full scope of the appended claims and any equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A nicotine oral product, characterized in that, The nicotine oral product includes a foam-like matrix and a nicotine source; The foam-like matrix has pores, which are used to adsorb the nicotine source.

2. The nicotine oral product according to claim 1, characterized in that, The foam-like matrix is ​​prepared from a foamed substrate through a foaming process; The foamed substrate includes one or more of the following: cellulose acetate, polylactic acid, polypropylene, activated carbon particles, ion exchange resin, or natural plant fibers.

3. The nicotine oral product according to claim 2, characterized in that, The pore density in the foam matrix is ​​10. 9 ~10 10 pcs / cm 3 ; The pore size in the foam matrix is ​​0.10~0.15 μm, 0.15~0.25 μm, or 0.25~0.30 μm; The hardness of the foam matrix is ​​40~42 HA, 42~45 HA or 45~50 HA.

4. The nicotine oral product according to claim 2, characterized in that, The molecular weight of the foamed substrate is 10,000~12,000, 12,000~18,000, 18,000~25,000 or 25,000~30,000.

5. The nicotine oral product according to claim 2, characterized in that, The amount of nicotine source adsorbed is 3%~5%, 5%~10%, 10%~12% or 12%~15% of the weight percentage of the foam matrix.

6. The nicotine oral product according to claim 1, characterized in that, The nicotine source includes one or more combinations of free base nicotine, nicotine salts, nicotine-ion exchange resins, nicotine complexes, or non-covalently bound nicotine. The nicotine salts include one or more combinations of nicotine malate, nicotine citrate, nicotine tartrate, nicotine salicylate, nicotine benzoate, nicotine sulfate, and nicotine cyclodextrin encapsulated complexes.

7. The nicotine oral product according to claim 6, characterized in that, The nicotine oral products also include flavorings and sweeteners; The mass ratio of the nicotine source to the flavoring is (3~4):1, (4~5):1 or (5~7):1; The mass ratio of the sweetener to the flavoring is (1~2):1, (2~3):1, or (3~4):

1.

8. The nicotine oral product according to claim 1, characterized in that, The thickness of the nicotine oral product is 1.0~2.0 mm, 2.0~3.0 mm or 3.0~4.0 mm, and the length of the nicotine oral product is 0.8~0.9 mm, 0.9~1.1 mm or 1.1~1.2 mm.

9. A method for preparing a nicotine oral product as described in any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step A: The foamed substrate is foamed using a traditional foaming process to obtain the foam-like matrix; Step B: Spray the nicotine source and fragrance onto the surface of the foam matrix to obtain a foam matrix containing nicotine; Step C: Spray sweetener onto the surface of the foam-like matrix containing nicotine, bake to form a sugar coating, cool and cut, and then sterilize with ultraviolet light to obtain the nicotine oral product.

10. The method for preparing a nicotine oral product according to claim 9, characterized in that, The nicotine oral product has a pH of 6-8, and the nicotine oral product is released within 30 seconds after ingestion, with a nicotine content of ≥73% dissolved within 0 to 30 minutes.

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