A tobacco moisture preservative and a method for preparing the same

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of tobacco storage, in particular to a tobacco moisture preservative and a preparation method thereof, the tobacco moisture preservative comprises hopantenate, an emulsifier, a gel and deionized water; the hopantenate is encapsulated by the network structure formed by the gel. The present application realizes the water locking of hopantenate by constructing the microstructure of the gel encapsulating hopantenate, cooperates with the physical barrier effect of the gel, fundamentally improves the moisture retention capacity of tobacco in a dry environment, and greatly improves the water locking durability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of tobacco leaf preservation, and in particular to a tobacco humectant and its preparation method. Background Technology

[0002] As a natural plant raw material, maintaining a suitable and stable moisture content in tobacco leaves during processing, storage, and the shelf life of cigarettes is a core technical aspect affecting the product's physical state, processing performance, and final sensory quality. Tobacco leaves with unstable moisture content are prone to problems such as brittleness, high breakage rate, and aroma loss. Furthermore, when smoking, moisture content directly affects the moistness, smoothness, and irritation of the smoke. Therefore, developing highly effective tobacco humectants has always been an important research direction in this field.

[0003] Currently, the most widely used humectants in the industry are polyols such as propylene glycol, glycerol, and sorbitol. These humectants, with their strong hygroscopic properties, can capture moisture from the environment and increase the moisture content of tobacco shreds in a short period. For example, invention patent application number CN201711224976.7 discloses a tobacco humectant and its preparation method. The tobacco humectant is made from the following raw materials in parts by weight: a total of 100 parts, including 43-45 parts propylene glycol, 33-35 parts glycerol, 3-4 parts cyclohexanehexyl alcohol, 6-8 parts seaweed polysaccharide, 1-2 parts polydextrose, and 8-10 parts amino acid humectant.

[0004] However, the moisturizing agents prepared from polyols are greatly affected by the ambient humidity. Although they can adsorb ambient moisture, their water-locking ability is limited, and they are easily lost after adsorbing moisture, resulting in insufficient moisturizing durability. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a tobacco humectant and its preparation method. The tobacco humectant utilizes jobaba ester, which has excellent water-locking properties, and employs gel encapsulation, which can significantly improve the water-holding capacity of tobacco leaves.

[0006] The technical solution to the problem of the present invention is as follows: Firstly, a tobacco humectant is provided, comprising jojoba ester, an emulsifier, a gel, and deionized water; wherein the jojoba ester is encapsulated by a network structure formed by the gel.

[0007] The jojoba ester selected in this application is derived from natural jojoba oil derivatives, containing abundant long-chain fatty acid esters. It can provide basic, unaffected, and moisture-retaining capacity that is not directly driven by environmental humidity, and has better compatibility with natural tobacco leaves. When used, it exists in the form of encapsulated microdroplets in a gel network. Through the transport of emulsifiers, this structured system forms an aqueous homogeneous solution after being dispersed in water. It is suitable for spraying or coating processes. At the same time, the gel encapsulation can prevent the rapid migration or loss of small molecule esters, making the moisturizing effect more durable and stable.

[0008] Preferably, the components include, by mass parts: 2-7 parts jojoba ester, 0.2-2 parts emulsifier, 0.1-0.5 parts gel, and the balance being deionized water, with the total mass parts of all components being 100 parts.

[0009] Preferably, the gel includes at least one of konjac gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum, etc.

[0010] Preferably, the emulsifier includes at least one of Span, Tween, and soybean lecithin.

[0011] Secondly, the present invention also provides a method for preparing the tobacco humectant as described above, comprising the following steps:

[0012] S1. Mix jojoba ester, emulsifier and deionized water evenly to obtain a mixed solution;

[0013] S2. Under continuous stirring, the gel is added to deionized water and heated until completely dissolved to obtain a gel solution;

[0014] S3. Pour the mixed solution into the gel solution, heat and react to obtain a gel-encapsulated jojoba ester solution;

[0015] S4. Cool the gel-encapsulated jojoba ester solution to room temperature, dilute it, and prepare a tobacco humectant.

[0016] Under heating conditions, this invention utilizes pre-dissolved polymer chains (gelling agents) in the aqueous phase to undergo ion coordination reactions with polyvalent metal ions released in situ from the emulsion system, causing the gel to instantly form a dense cross-linked network shell around the hydrophobic jojoba ester emulsion droplets, thereby encapsulating them.

[0017] Preferably, in step S1, the mass ratio of jojoba ester, emulsifier and deionized water is (2~7):(0.2~2):(50~85).

[0018] Preferably, in step S2, the mass ratio of gel to deionized water is (0.1~0.5):(50~70).

[0019] Preferably, in step S2, heating until completely dissolved includes: placing the mixture in a water bath at 65°C to 90°C and stirring for 2 to 4 hours until the gel is completely dissolved.

[0020] Preferably, in step S3, the heating and reaction includes: placing the mixture in a water bath at 50°C to 80°C and stirring at 100 rpm to 300 rpm for 2 to 4 hours.

[0021] Preferably, in step S4, the dilution factor is 10 to 30 times.

[0022] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0023] This application constructs a microstructure for encapsulating jojoba ester in a gel, thereby achieving water-locking properties of jojoba ester and, in conjunction with the physical barrier effect of the gel, fundamentally improving the moisture retention capacity of tobacco leaves in dry environments and greatly enhancing water-locking durability. Detailed Implementation

[0024] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments. Those skilled in the art will be able to implement the present invention based on these descriptions. Furthermore, the embodiments of the present invention described below are generally only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Therefore, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without inventive effort should fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] Example 1

[0026] S1. Hobaba ester, Span and deionized water are mixed evenly in a mass ratio of 3.6:0.2:70 to obtain a mixed solution;

[0027] S2. Under continuous stirring, add konjac gum to deionized water, place in a water bath at 65°C, and stir for 3 hours until the konjac gum is completely dissolved to obtain a homogeneous konjac gum solution; wherein the mass ratio of konjac gum to deionized water is 0.2:50.

[0028] S3. Pour the mixed solution into the konjac gum solution, place it in a 50℃ water bath and stir at 100 rpm for 2 hours to obtain a konjac gum-encapsulated jojoba ester solution.

[0029] S4. Cool the konjac gum-encapsulated jojoba ester solution to room temperature, dilute it 10 times with deionized water, and prepare the tobacco humectant.

[0030] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and weigh 0.01 kg of tobacco humectant at 1% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaves. Spray the humectant evenly on the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, and dry them at 90℃ for 10 minutes. After drying and shaping, humectant reconstituted tobacco leaves are obtained.

[0031] Example 2

[0032] S1. Hobaba ester, Span and deionized water are mixed evenly in a mass ratio of 3.6:0.2:70 to obtain a mixed solution;

[0033] S2. Under continuous stirring, add konjac gum to deionized water, place in a water bath at 75°C, and stir for 3 hours until the konjac gum is completely dissolved to obtain a homogeneous konjac gum solution; wherein the mass ratio of konjac gum to deionized water is 0.2:50.

[0034] S3. Pour the mixed solution into the konjac gum solution, place it in a 60℃ water bath and stir at 100 rpm for 3 hours to obtain a konjac gum-encapsulated jojoba ester solution.

[0035] S4. Cool the konjac gum-encapsulated jojoba ester solution to room temperature, dilute it 20 times with deionized water, and prepare the tobacco humectant.

[0036] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and weigh 0.03 kg of tobacco humectant at 3% of the weight of the reconstituted tobacco leaves. Spray the humectant evenly on the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, and dry them at 90℃ for 10 minutes. After drying and shaping, humectant reconstituted tobacco leaves are obtained.

[0037] Example 3

[0038] S1. Hobaba ester, Span and deionized water are mixed evenly in a mass ratio of 3.6:0.2:70 to obtain a mixed solution;

[0039] S2. Under continuous stirring, add konjac gum to deionized water, place in a water bath at 75°C, and stir for 3 hours until the konjac gum is completely dissolved to obtain a homogeneous konjac gum solution; wherein the mass ratio of konjac gum to deionized water is 0.2:50.

[0040] S3. Pour the mixed solution into the konjac gum solution, place it in an 80℃ water bath and stir at 100 rpm for 3 hours to obtain a konjac gum-encapsulated jojoba ester solution.

[0041] S4. Cool the konjac gum-encapsulated jojoba ester solution to room temperature, dilute it 20 times with deionized water, and prepare the tobacco humectant.

[0042] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and weigh 0.04 kg of tobacco humectant at 4% of the weight of the reconstituted tobacco leaves. Spray the humectant evenly on the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, and dry them at 90℃ for 10 minutes. After drying and shaping, humectant reconstituted tobacco leaves are obtained.

[0043] Example 4

[0044] S1. Hobaba ester, Span and deionized water are mixed evenly in a mass ratio of 3.6:0.2:70 to obtain a mixed solution;

[0045] S2. Under continuous stirring, add konjac gum to deionized water, place in a water bath at 85°C, and stir for 3 hours until the konjac gum is completely dissolved to obtain a homogeneous konjac gum solution; wherein the mass ratio of konjac gum to deionized water is 0.2:50.

[0046] S3. Pour the mixed solution into the konjac gum solution, place it in a 70℃ water bath and stir at 100 rpm for 3 hours to obtain a konjac gum-encapsulated jojoba ester solution.

[0047] S4. Cool the konjac gum-encapsulated jojoba ester solution to room temperature, dilute it 30 times with deionized water, and prepare the tobacco humectant.

[0048] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and weigh 0.05 kg of tobacco humectant at 5% of the weight of the reconstituted tobacco leaves. Spray the humectant evenly on the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, and dry them at 90℃ for 10 minutes. After drying and shaping, humectant reconstituted tobacco leaves are obtained.

[0049] Comparative Example 1-1

[0050] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, add 0.01 kg of water at 1% of the weight of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, spray the water evenly onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, dry and shape the leaves to obtain moistened reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0051] Comparative Examples 1-2

[0052] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and weigh 0.01 kg of glycerin at 1% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaves. Spray the glycerin evenly onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, dry and shape it to obtain moisturized reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0053] Comparative Example 2-1

[0054] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, add 0.03 kg of water at 3% of the weight of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, spray the water evenly onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, dry and shape the leaves to obtain moistened reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0055] Comparative Example 2-2

[0056] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and weigh 0.03 kg of glycerin at 3% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaves. Spray the glycerin evenly onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, dry and shape it to obtain moisturized reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0057] Comparative Example 3-1

[0058] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, add 0.04 kg of water at 4% of the weight of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, spray the water evenly onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, dry and shape the leaves to obtain moistened reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0059] Comparative Example 3-2

[0060] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and weigh 0.04 kg of glycerin at 4% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaves. Spray the glycerin evenly onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, dry and shape it to obtain moisturized reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0061] Comparative Example 4-1

[0062] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, add 0.05 kg of water at 5% of the weight of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, spray the water evenly onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, dry and shape the leaves to obtain moistened reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0063] Comparative Example 4-2

[0064] Weigh 1 kg of reconstituted tobacco leaves, and weigh 0.05 kg of glycerin at 5% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaves. Spray the glycerin evenly onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, dry and shape it to obtain moisturized reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0065] Performance testing

[0066] To verify the overall performance of the humectant of the present invention, simulated environmental tests were conducted on the humectant-reclaimed tobacco leaves in the above embodiments and comparative examples.

[0067] Place the sample in a constant temperature and humidity chamber and proceed as follows:

[0068] Equilibrium moisture content test: After being placed under standard conditions of 22℃ and 65% relative humidity for 18 hours, the equilibrium moisture content is measured.

[0069] Hygroscopicity test: The device was then transferred to a high temperature and high humidity environment (30℃, RH 90%), and the moisture content was recorded after 2, 4 and 6 hours to examine its hygroscopic capacity and rate.

[0070] Moisture retention (water-locking) test: The sample was then placed in a dry environment (20℃, RH 40%), and the moisture content was recorded after 1, 2, and 3 hours. The focus was on its moisture retention capacity, which directly reflects the water-locking durability of the moisturizer. The test results are shown in Table 1.

[0071] Table 1 Comparison of water-holding capacity of reconstituted tobacco leaves .

[0072] As shown in Table 1, under all test conditions, the moisture content data of Examples 1-4 were significantly better than those of the comparative examples. Among them, Example 3 showed the best performance.

[0073] Under equilibrium conditions (22°C / 65%RH), the moisture content (13.62-16.01%) of the humectants sprayed with konjac gum-encapsulated jojoba ester was higher than that of the comparative examples using only water (9.03-12.22%) and the comparative examples using glycerin (12.11-13.51%).

[0074] Under hygroscopic conditions (30℃ / 90%RH), all embodiments exhibited high moisture content at various time points (2h, 4h, 6h), indicating that the present invention possesses extremely strong hygroscopic capacity. Taking Example 3 as an example, at 6h, compared to Comparative Example 3-1, its water-holding capacity was increased by 16.24% compared to spraying the same specific gravity of water; compared to Comparative Example 3-2, its water-holding capacity was increased by 12.74% compared to spraying the same specific gravity of glycerin.

[0075] Under humidification conditions (20℃ / 40%RH), the moisture content of the tobacco leaves in all comparative examples decreased sharply within 3 hours. However, the moisture retention capacity of each embodiment significantly slowed down the rate of moisture loss, demonstrating the significant advantage of the encapsulation structure provided by this invention compared to traditional humectants. Taking Comparative Example 3-2 as an example, its moisture content decreased from 13.51% to 10.23% within 3 hours, a reduction of 3.39 percentage points. In contrast, the moisture content of Example 3 decreased from 16.01% to 14.32% within 3 hours, a reduction of 1.69 percentage points, representing a reduction of approximately 50.15% compared to the comparative examples, thus ensuring more prolonged moisture retention of the tobacco leaves.

Claims

1. A tobacco humectant, characterized in that, It includes jojoba ester, emulsifier, gel and deionized water; the jojoba ester is encapsulated by a network structure formed by the gel.

2. The tobacco humectant according to claim 1, characterized in that, The product comprises the following components by mass: 2-7 parts jojoba ester, 0.2-2 parts emulsifier, 0.1-0.5 parts gel, with the balance being deionized water, and the total mass of all components is 100 parts.

3. The tobacco humectant according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gel includes at least one of konjac gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum, etc.

4. The tobacco humectant according to claim 1, characterized in that, Emulsifiers include at least one of Span, Tween, and soy lecithin.

5. A method for preparing a tobacco humectant as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: S1. Mix jojoba ester, emulsifier and deionized water evenly to obtain a mixed solution; S2. Under continuous stirring, the gel is added to deionized water and heated until completely dissolved to obtain a gel solution; S3. Pour the mixed solution into the gel solution, heat and react to obtain a gel-encapsulated jojoba ester solution; S4. Cool the gel-encapsulated jojoba ester solution to room temperature, dilute it, and prepare a tobacco humectant.

6. The method for preparing the tobacco humectant according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step S1, the mass ratio of jojoba ester, emulsifier and deionized water is (2~7):(0.2~2):(50~85).

7. The method for preparing the tobacco humectant according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step S2, the mass ratio of gel to deionized water is (0.1~0.5):(50~70).

8. The method for preparing the tobacco humectant according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step S2, heating until completely dissolved includes: placing the mixture in a water bath at 65°C to 90°C and stirring for 2 to 4 hours until the gel is completely dissolved.

9. The method for preparing the tobacco humectant according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step S3, the heating and reaction includes: placing the mixture in a water bath at 50°C to 80°C and stirring at 100 rpm to 300 rpm for 2 to 4 hours.

10. The method for preparing the tobacco humectant according to claim 5, characterized in that, In step S4, the dilution factor is 10 to 30 times.