A humectant for cigarettes, its preparation method and use

Abstract

This invention relates to the technical field of tobacco leaf preservation, and particularly to a tobacco humectant, its preparation method, and its application. The tobacco humectant is formed by a eutectic reaction of a hydrogen bond donor and a hydrogen bond acceptor. The hydrogen bond acceptor includes at least one selected from betaine, urea, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, ammonium chloride, and ammonium acetate. The hydrogen bond donor includes at least one selected from sodium phytate, tartaric acid, itaconic acid, potassium lactate, and D-glucopyranose. This invention, by forming a eutectic solvent system and constructing a stable hydrogen bond network, enables the prepared tobacco humectant to possess excellent dual functions of hygroscopic absorption and water retention. When sprayed onto reconstituted tobacco leaves, it solves the problems of rapid moisture release and easy drying of reconstituted tobacco leaves, significantly improving their water-holding capacity. Simultaneously, through precise selection of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors, it further reduces the impact on the user's smoking experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the technical field of tobacco leaf preservation, and in particular to a tobacco humectant, its preparation method, and its application. 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 researched tobacco humectants include hygroscopic humectants, blocking humectants, and hydrated salt humectants. Among them, the humectants widely used in the industry are still hygroscopic humectants with polyols such as propylene glycol, glycerol, and sorbitol as the main components. They can capture moisture from the environment and increase the moisture content of tobacco in a short period of time due to their strong hygroscopicity. For example, the invention patent with 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 of propylene glycol, 33-35 parts of glycerol, 3-4 parts of cyclohexanehexyl alcohol, 6-8 parts of seaweed polysaccharide, 1-2 parts of polydextrose, and 8-10 parts of amino acid humectant.

[0004] However, humectants prepared from polyols are highly susceptible to environmental humidity. They are easily affected by moisture in high-humidity environments. Although they can absorb moisture from the environment, their water-locking ability is limited, and the absorbed moisture is easily lost, resulting in insufficient moisturizing durability. In addition, these polyol-based humectants easily produce harmful substances when burned. For example, the combustion and decomposition of glycerin can produce formaldehyde, acrolein, and crotonaldehyde, while propylene glycol can produce propionaldehyde and acetone, which greatly affects the user's inhalation experience. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the problems existing in the prior art, this invention provides a tobacco humectant, its preparation method, and its application. By forming a eutectic solvent system and constructing a stable hydrogen bond network, the prepared tobacco humectant possesses excellent dual functions of moisture absorption and water retention. When sprayed onto reconstituted tobacco leaves, it solves the problems of rapid moisture release and easy drying of reconstituted tobacco leaves, significantly improving their water retention capacity. At the same time, through precise selection of hydrogen bond donors and hydrogen bond acceptors, the impact on the user's smoking experience is further reduced.

[0006] The technical solution to the problem of the present invention is as follows: Firstly, a tobacco humectant is provided, which is a eutectic solvent formed by a hydrogen bond donor and a hydrogen bond acceptor; the hydrogen bond acceptor includes at least one of betaine, urea, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, ammonium chloride, and ammonium acetate; the hydrogen bond donor includes at least one of sodium phytate, tartaric acid, itaconic acid, potassium lactate, and D-glucopyranose.

[0007] This invention utilizes specific ammonium and quaternary ammonium compounds as hydrogen bond acceptors (HBAs) and combines them with specific polycarboxylic acids, organic acid salts, or sugar hydrogen bond donors (HBDs) to form a structurally stable, highly hygroscopic and water-locking ammonium salt eutectic solvent (DES) under suitable conditions. This DES possesses a unique three-dimensional hydrogen bond network and ionic environment. Unlike small-molecule polyols such as glycerol that rely on physical hygroscopicity, the stable hydrogen bond connections of the DES formed in this invention provide stronger intermolecular forces, "anchoring" water molecules within the three-dimensional network. This significantly slows down the rate of moisture loss, allowing the tobacco moisture content to remain stable for a longer period despite fluctuations in ambient humidity. Furthermore, the ammonium salt HBAs (such as betaine, urea, and ammonium acetate) and specific HBDs (such as phytic acid and tartrates) used in this invention do not contain hydroxyl-rich structures, reducing the release of irritating aldehydes in the smoke from the source. During thermal decomposition, their products are partially identical to components of the smoke, having almost no impact on the user's smoking experience.

[0008] Preferably, the hydrogen bond acceptor is betaine and the hydrogen bond donor is sodium phytate.

[0009] Preferably, the molar ratio of the hydrogen bond acceptor to the hydrogen bond donor is (1-10):(1-2).

[0010] Preferably, the molar ratio of the hydrogen bond acceptor to the hydrogen bond donor is (3-6):1.

[0011] Secondly, the present invention also provides a method for preparing the tobacco humectant as described above, comprising the following steps: weighing hydrogen bond acceptor and hydrogen bond donor in proportion and dissolving them in water, heating in a water bath and stirring to obtain the tobacco humectant.

[0012] Preferably, the water bath heating temperature is 50-70℃.

[0013] Preferably, the stirring time is 2-3 hours.

[0014] Thirdly, the present invention also provides an application of the tobacco humectant as described above, wherein the tobacco humectant is diluted with water and then evenly sprayed onto the surface of reconstituted tobacco leaves, which are then dried and shaped.

[0015] Preferably, the concentration of the tobacco humectant after dilution with water is 30-50%.

[0016] Preferably, the amount of the tobacco humectant applied to the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaf is 3-10% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaf.

[0017] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0018] 1. The tobacco humectant provided by the present invention forms a stable hydrogen bond network, which has excellent dual functions of moisture absorption and water retention. It can significantly improve the moisture retention ability of tobacco under varying environmental humidity, and the humectant effect is long-lasting and stable, overcoming the defects of traditional polyol humectants that are easy to absorb and release moisture.

[0019] 2. Since the selected raw materials have a much lower tendency to produce harmful aldehydes during pyrolysis than propylene glycol and glycerin, the application of this humectant can effectively reduce the dryness and irritation of the smoke, improve the moisture, smoothness and comfort of the smoke, and comprehensively improve the smoking experience. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. In these drawings, similar reference numerals are used to denote similar elements. The drawings described below are some embodiments of the invention, but not all embodiments. Other drawings will be readily available to those skilled in the art based on these drawings without any inventive effort.

[0021] Figure 1 The image shown is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of Example 1-1.

[0022] Figure 2 This is a scanning electron microscope (SEM) image of Comparative Example 1-1;

[0023] Figure 3 The images are scanning electron microscope (SEM) images of comparative examples 1-2. 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 1-1

[0026] Weigh 200g of reconstituted tobacco leaves and place them in an oven at 50℃. Bake at a low temperature for 4 hours until completely dry. Prepare 10g of tobacco humectant at 5% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0027] The preparation process of the tobacco humectant is as follows: 4.32g of betaine (Mw=43.2%) and 5.68g of sodium phytate (Mw=56.8%) were weighed out at a molar ratio of 6:1, totaling 10g. 3g of water was added to dissolve and mix them evenly. The mixture was heated and stirred in a water bath at 60℃ for 2 hours to obtain the tobacco humectant.

[0028] Add 12g of water to the tobacco humectant to dilute it into a 40% solution. Spray the diluted solution onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaf to obtain a humectant-treated reconstituted tobacco leaf sample.

[0029] Examples 1-2

[0030] It is basically the same as Example 1-1, except that:

[0031] Weigh out 5.07g of ammonium acetate (Mw=50.7%) and 4.93g of tartaric acid (Mw=49.3%) at a molar ratio of 2:1.

[0032] Examples 1-3

[0033] It is basically the same as Example 1-1, except that:

[0034] Weigh out 5.04g of diammonium hydrogen phosphate (Mw=50.4%) and 4.96g of itaconic acid (Mw=49.6%) at a molar ratio of 1:1.

[0035] Examples 1-4

[0036] It is basically the same as Example 1-1, except that:

[0037] Weigh out 2.94g of ammonium chloride (Mw=29.4%) and 7.06g of potassium lactate (Mw=70.6%) at a molar ratio of 1:1.

[0038] Examples 1-5

[0039] It is basically the same as Example 1-1, except that:

[0040] Weigh out 5.71g of urea (Mw=57.1%) and 4.29g of D-glucopyranose (Mw=42.9%) at a molar ratio of 4:1.

[0041] Comparative Example 1-1

[0042] Weigh 200g of reconstituted tobacco leaves, place them in an oven at 50℃, bake at a low temperature for 4 hours until completely dry, and spray 25g of water evenly to obtain a reconstituted tobacco leaf sample.

[0043] Comparative Examples 1-2

[0044] Weigh 200g of reconstituted tobacco leaves and place them in an oven at 50℃. Bake at a low temperature for 4 hours until completely dry. Weigh 10g of glycerin, which is 5% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0045] Add 15g of water to glycerin to dilute the tobacco humectant into a 40% solution. Spray the diluted solution onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves to obtain a reconstituted tobacco leaf sample treated with glycerin.

[0046] Scanning electron microscopy analysis

[0047] Figure 1 The microstructure of Example 1-1 was characterized using scanning electron microscopy. As can be seen from the scanning electron microscope images, compared to Comparative Example 1-1 without wetting treatment (…), Figure 2 Comparative examples 1-2 () and glycerin sprayed as a traditional moisturizer Figure 3 The surface fibers in Examples 1-1 are significantly smoother, finer, and fuller, demonstrating that the present invention has superior moisture retention.

[0048] Moisturizing performance evaluation

[0049] The reconstituted tobacco samples from Examples 1-1 to 1-5, Comparative Examples 1-1 and 1-2 were placed in multiple preservation boxes and left to stand for 30 minutes. They were then baked at 90°C for 15 minutes until completely dry, weighed, and transferred to a constant temperature and humidity chamber. They were then equilibrated for 24 hours at T=22°C and RH=60% humidity and the equilibrium moisture content was calculated.

[0050] Subsequently, a moisture absorption performance test was conducted under high temperature and high humidity conditions (T=30℃, RH=90%). Samples were taken and weighed at regular intervals, and the changes in the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaves were recorded at 2h, 4h, 6h, and 24h. The moisture content of the tobacco shreds under high temperature and high humidity conditions was calculated.

[0051] Subsequently, the examples and comparative examples were transferred to a dry environment (T=20℃, RH=40%) for moisture release performance tests. Samples were taken and weighed at regular intervals, and the changes in the quality of the reconstituted tobacco leaves were recorded at 1h, 2h, and 3h, respectively. The moisture content of the tobacco shreds in the dry environment was calculated.

[0052] The test results are detailed in Table 1.

[0053] Table 1 Comparison of the wetting performance of sprayed 5% tobacco wetting agent .

[0054] Compared to conventional reconstituted tobacco leaves (No. 1), without the addition of humectants such as glycerin and propylene glycol, the moisture content of reconstituted tobacco leaves sprayed with the 5% eutectic solvent provided by this invention is significantly increased. After being stored in a high temperature and high humidity environment for 24 hours, the moisture content increases by 19.4%-24.9%, and after being stored in a dry environment for 3 hours, the moisture content increases by 64.4%-84.7%.

[0055] Compared to the reconstituted tobacco leaves sprayed with glycerin moisturizer No. 2, the reconstituted tobacco leaves sprayed with 5% eutectic solvent showed an increase in moisture content of 1.0%-5.7% after 24 hours of storage in a high temperature and high humidity environment, and an increase in moisture content of 11.2%-24.9% after 3 hours of storage in a dry environment.

[0056] In terms of sensory quality, the reconstituted tobacco sprayed with 5% eutectic solvent exhibited a significantly smoother and more mellow smoke compared to comparative examples ① and ②, with improved taste comfort and reduced off-flavors, irritation, and dryness. Overall, ammonium salt-based eutectic solvent-based tobacco humectants can effectively improve the taste of smoke, reduce irritation, and enhance aftertaste comfort, with sensory effects superior to glycerin used in existing technologies.

[0057] Example 2-1

[0058] Weigh 200g of reconstituted tobacco leaves and place them in an oven at 50℃. Bake at a low temperature for 4 hours until completely dry. Prepare 20g of tobacco humectant at 10% of the weight of the reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0059] The preparation process of the tobacco humectant is as follows: 9.24g of diammonium hydrogen phosphate (Mw=46.2%) and 10.76g of sodium phytate (Mw=53.8%) were weighed out at a molar ratio of 6:1, totaling 20g. 5g of water was added to dissolve and mix the mixture evenly. The mixture was then heated and stirred in a water bath at 60℃ for 2 hours to obtain the tobacco humectant.

[0060] Add 15g of water to the tobacco humectant to dilute it into a 50% solution. Spray the diluted solution onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaf to obtain a humectant-treated reconstituted tobacco leaf sample.

[0061] Example 2-2

[0062] It is basically the same as Example 2-1, except that:

[0063] Weigh out 8.76g of betaine (Mw=43.8%) and 11.24g of tartaric acid (Mw=56.2%) at a molar ratio of 1:1.

[0064] Example 2-3

[0065] It is basically the same as Example 2-1, except that:

[0066] Weigh out 5.72g of urea (Mw=28.6%) and 14.28g of tartaric acid (Mw=71.4%) at a molar ratio of 1:1.

[0067] Comparative Example 2-1

[0068] Weigh 200g of reconstituted tobacco leaves, place them in an oven at 50℃, bake at low temperature for 4 hours until completely dry, and spray 40g of water evenly to obtain a reconstituted tobacco leaf sample.

[0069] Comparative Example 2-2

[0070] Weigh 200g of reconstituted tobacco leaves and place them in an oven at 50℃. Bake at a low temperature for 4 hours until completely dry. Weigh 20g of glycerin, which is 10% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0071] Add 20g of water to glycerin to dilute the tobacco humectant into a 50% solution. Spray the diluted solution onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves to obtain a reconstituted tobacco leaf sample treated with glycerin.

[0072] Moisturizing performance evaluation

[0073] The evaluation method is the same as above, and the test results are shown in Table 2.

[0074] Table 2 Comparison of the wetting performance of sprayed 10% tobacco wetting agent .

[0075] Compared to conventional reconstituted tobacco leaves (No. 1), without the addition of humectants such as glycerin and propylene glycol, the moisture content of reconstituted tobacco leaves sprayed with the 10% eutectic solvent provided by this invention is significantly increased. After being stored in a high temperature and high humidity environment for 24 hours, the moisture content increases by 26.2%-28.7%, and after being stored in a dry environment for 3 hours, the moisture content increases by 91.7%-103.7%.

[0076] Compared to the reconstituted tobacco leaves sprayed with glycerin moisturizer No. 2, the reconstituted tobacco leaves sprayed with 10% eutectic solvent had a moisture content increase of 3.6%-5.6% after being stored in a high temperature and high humidity environment for 24 hours, and a moisture content increase of 29.6%-37.7% after being stored in a dry environment for 3 hours.

[0077] In terms of sensory quality, the reconstituted tobacco sprayed with 10% eutectic solvent exhibited a significantly smoother and more mellow smoke compared to comparative examples ① and ②, with improved taste comfort and a marked reduction in off-flavors, irritation, and dryness. Overall, ammonium salt-based eutectic solvent-based tobacco humectants can effectively improve the taste of smoke, reduce irritation, and enhance aftertaste comfort, demonstrating superior sensory performance compared to glycerin used in existing technologies.

[0078] Example 3-1

[0079] Weigh 200g of reconstituted tobacco leaves and place them in an oven at 50℃. Bake at a low temperature for 4 hours until completely dry. Prepare 6g of tobacco humectant at 3% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0080] The preparation process of the tobacco humectant is as follows: 2.00g of ammonium acetate (Mw=33.4%) and 4.00g of sodium phytate (Mw=66.6%) were weighed out in a molar ratio of 6:1, and 3g of water was added to dissolve and mix them evenly. The mixture was heated and stirred in a water bath at 60℃ for 2 hours to obtain the tobacco humectant.

[0081] Add 11g of water to the tobacco humectant to dilute it into a 30% solution. Spray the diluted solution onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaf to obtain a humectant-treated reconstituted tobacco leaf sample.

[0082] Example 3-2

[0083] It is basically the same as Example 3-1, except that:

[0084] Weigh out 2.36g of urea (Mw=39.4%) and 3.64g of sodium phytate (Mw=60.6%) at a molar ratio of 10:1.

[0085] Example 3-3

[0086] It is basically the same as Example 3-1, except that:

[0087] Weigh out 2.36g of betaine (Mw=39.4%) and 3.64g of D-glucopyranose (Mw=60.6%) at a molar ratio of 1:1.

[0088] Comparative Example 3-1

[0089] Weigh 200g of reconstituted tobacco leaves, place them in an oven at 50℃, bake at low temperature for 4 hours until completely dry, and spray 20g of water evenly to obtain a reconstituted tobacco leaf sample.

[0090] Comparative Example 3-2

[0091] Weigh 200g of reconstituted tobacco leaves and place them in an oven at 50℃. Bake at a low temperature for 4 hours until completely dry. Weigh 6g of glycerin, which is 3% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaves.

[0092] Add 14g of water to glycerin to dilute the tobacco humectant into a 30% solution. Spray the diluted solution onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves to obtain a reconstituted tobacco leaf sample treated with glycerin.

[0093] Moisturizing performance evaluation

[0094] The evaluation method is the same as above, and the test results are shown in Table 3.

[0095] Table 3 Comparison of the wetting performance of sprayed 3% tobacco wetting agent .

[0096] Compared to conventional reconstituted tobacco leaves (No. 1), without the addition of humectants such as glycerin and propylene glycol, the moisture content of reconstituted tobacco leaves sprayed with the 3% eutectic solvent provided by this invention is significantly increased. After being stored in a high temperature and high humidity environment for 24 hours, the moisture content increases by 6.9%-8.8%, and after being stored in a dry environment for 3 hours, the moisture content increases by 2.2%-7.2%.

[0097] Compared to the reconstituted tobacco leaves sprayed with glycerin moisturizer No. 2, the reconstituted tobacco leaves sprayed with 3% eutectic solvent had a moisture content increase of 9.1%-11.0% after 24 hours of storage in a high temperature and high humidity environment, and a moisture content increase of 1.8%-6.8% after 3 hours of storage in a dry environment.

[0098] In terms of sensory quality, the reconstituted tobacco sprayed with 3% eutectic solvent exhibited a significantly smoother and more mellow smoke compared to comparative examples ① and ②, with improved taste comfort and a slight reduction in off-flavors and irritation. Overall, ammonium salt-based eutectic solvent-based tobacco humectants can effectively improve the taste of smoke, reduce irritation, and enhance aftertaste comfort, demonstrating superior sensory performance compared to glycerin used in existing technologies.

Claims

1. A tobacco humectant, characterized in that, It is a eutectic solvent formed by a hydrogen bond donor and a hydrogen bond acceptor; the hydrogen bond acceptor includes at least one of betaine, urea, diammonium hydrogen phosphate, ammonium chloride, and ammonium acetate; the hydrogen bond donor includes at least one of sodium phytate, tartaric acid, itaconic acid, potassium lactate, and D-glucopyranose.

2. The tobacco humectant according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hydrogen bond acceptor is betaine, and the hydrogen bond donor is sodium phytate.

3. The tobacco humectant according to claim 1, characterized in that, The molar ratio of the hydrogen bond acceptor to the hydrogen bond donor is (1-10):(1-2).

4. The tobacco humectant according to claim 3, characterized in that, The molar ratio of the hydrogen bond acceptor to the hydrogen bond donor is (3-6):

1.

5. A method for preparing a tobacco humectant as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The process includes the following steps: weighing hydrogen bond acceptors and hydrogen bond donors in proportion and dissolving them in water, heating in a water bath and stirring to obtain a humectant for tobacco.

6. The method for preparing the tobacco humectant according to claim 5, characterized in that, The water bath heating temperature is 50-70℃.

7. The method for preparing the tobacco humectant according to claim 5, characterized in that, The stirring time is 2-3 hours.

8. The application of a tobacco humectant as described in any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The tobacco humectant is diluted with water and then evenly sprayed onto the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaves, which are then dried and shaped.

9. The application of the tobacco humectant according to claim 8, characterized in that, The concentration of the tobacco humectant after dilution with water is 30-50%.

10. The application of the tobacco humectant according to claim 8, characterized in that, The amount of the tobacco humectant applied to the surface of the reconstituted tobacco leaf is 3-10% of the mass of the reconstituted tobacco leaf.

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