A mint flavored heat-not-burn cigarette

Abstract

The present application relates to a kind of mint taste heating cigarette, the preparation method of the mint taste heating cigarette includes: (1) after cutting Chinese medicine composition and tobacco raw material are mixed to obtain mixture, then the mixture is sequentially carried out microbial treatment and supercritical extraction, obtain supercritical material;(2) after supercritical material, mint additive and smoke agent are mixed, tobacco section is prepared by machine to obtain;(3) after filter tip section and tobacco section are wrapped by wrapping paper and formed, the mint taste heating cigarette is obtained;The Chinese medicine composition includes radix puerariae, radix scrophulariae and rhizoma coptidis;The mint additive includes any one or at least two combinations of mint leaf, mint class cooling agent or mint blasting bead.The heating cigarette of the present application is easy to stimulate gastrointestinal and other problems caused by mint additive, by adding suitable traditional Chinese medicine ingredients, combined with the pharmacological action of active ingredient, targetedly relieve this kind of gastrointestinal irritation, and will not cause additional burden to human body.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of heated cigarette technology, and more specifically to a mint-flavored heated cigarette. Background Technology

[0002] As the tobacco industry moves towards "harm reduction and diversification," heated cigarettes, as a core category of new tobacco products, have become a focus of industry research and development and market promotion due to their "heat-not-burn" characteristic, which significantly reduces the release of harmful components such as tar and carbon monoxide compared to traditional lit cigarettes. Among them, menthol-flavored heated cigarettes, with their unique cooling taste, effectively alleviate the spiciness and irritation of tobacco, improving smoking comfort and meeting the demand of young consumers for a refreshing taste. Their market share has been steadily increasing in recent years.

[0003] CN109497610A discloses a low-temperature heated cigarette with a mint flavor, comprising interconnected atomizing matrix sections and a cooling nozzle. The cooling nozzle has a hollow cylindrical tubular structure, comprising, from the outside in, a shell, an adhesive layer, and a cooling layer. The adhesive layer bonds the shell and the cooling layer together. The adhesive layer contains thermosensitive microcapsules containing a solvent and a mint-containing tobacco flavoring. Upon reaching a response temperature, the thermosensitive microcapsules release the solvent and tobacco flavoring, thereby altering the adhesion and aroma states between the shell and the cooling layer, increasing the surface area of ​​the cooling layer, and changing the smoke flow path. This invention reduces the adhesion between the cooling layer and the shell through the lubrication and dissolution effects of the solvent released by the thermosensitive microcapsules on the adhesive, thus achieving the effect of the cooling layer detaching from the shell. The smoke cooling effect is significant, and the mint-containing tobacco flavoring provides a good sensory cooling effect.

[0004] CN119745107A discloses a method for preparing a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, comprising the following steps: A) mixing tobacco powder and fiber and centrifuging to obtain a solid; B) loosening the solid, adding menthol dicarbonate, flavoring, glycerin, and water, mixing, and centrifuging to obtain a mixture; C) preparing the mixture into a thin sheet, heating it to obtain a heated cigarette. The method for preparing a menthol-flavored heated cigarette provided by this invention uses menthol dicarbonate instead of menthol, resulting in better stability of the menthol-flavored heated cigarette.

[0005] The core manufacturing logic of existing menthol-flavored heated cigarettes involves mixing menthol or menthol-based additives with a tobacco matrix (such as tobacco leaf fragments or reconstituted tobacco), or attaching it to the surface of the tobacco matrix through surface spraying or impregnation. This is then combined with a heating device (the heating temperature is typically controlled between 300-500℃) to allow the active ingredients in the tobacco matrix and the menthol additives to volatilize together, forming an aerosol with a cooling aroma for the consumer to inhale. When the heated cigarette is inhaled, a large amount of the menthol additives rapidly enters the mouth and throat along with the aerosol and is absorbed by the mucous membranes. This can easily affect the gastrointestinal tract through swallowing or blood circulation, and the cooling sensation can irritate the stomach and intestines, leading to digestive symptoms such as diarrhea and abdominal pain. This is especially pronounced in people who are fasting or have sensitive gastrointestinal tracts. Therefore, the industry urgently needs a heated cigarette with less irritation and an excellent cooling sensation to meet consumer demand. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides a mint-flavored heated cigarette.

[0007] To achieve this objective, the present invention employs the following technical solution: In a first aspect, the present invention provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, the preparation method of which includes: (1) After the Chinese herbal medicine composition is shredded, it is mixed with tobacco raw material to obtain a mixture. Then the mixture is subjected to microbial treatment and supercritical extraction in sequence to obtain supercritical material; (2) The supercritical material, thin-layer additive and smoking agent are mixed and then processed into tobacco segments by machine; (3) The filter section and the tobacco section are wrapped in wrapping paper to form the mint-flavored heated cigarette; The traditional Chinese medicine composition includes kudzu root, scutellaria baicalensis, and coptis chinensis; The mint additive includes any one or a combination of at least two of mint leaves, mint-based cooling agents, or mint popping beads.

[0008] In the peppermint-flavored heated cigarette of this invention, the addition of a traditional Chinese medicine composition can alleviate the adverse effects of the cooling sensation of peppermint on the stomach and intestines. Among them, kudzu root contains active ingredients such as puerarin, which can effectively improve intestinal microcirculation and relieve intestinal smooth muscle spasms; scutellaria baicalensis helps relieve gastrointestinal discomfort and can reduce the occurrence of diarrhea and abdominal pain; berberine in coptis chinensis can inhibit abnormal intestinal peristalsis and reduce intestinal secretion. The three ingredients work synergistically to further reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal discomfort caused by peppermint-based additives, and the soothing effect is not lost due to heating. In addition, the three ingredients have strong compatibility with menthol-based additives and can volatilize synchronously by mixing with the tobacco matrix to exert a soothing effect, relieving gastrointestinal discomfort caused by the cooling sensation without reducing the peppermint taste.

[0009] Preferably, the raw materials for preparing the tobacco segment include, by weight, 15-30 parts of tobacco raw material, 1-5 parts of pepper additive, 10-25 parts of smoke-generating agent, and 5-10 parts of traditional Chinese medicine composition.

[0010] The amount of tobacco raw material added in the preparation of the tobacco segment of the present invention can be 16 parts, 17 parts, 18 parts, 19 parts, 20 parts, 21 parts, 22 parts, 23 parts, 24 parts, 25 parts, 26 parts, 27 parts, 28 parts or 29 parts, etc. The amount of the pepper additive can be 1.5 parts, 2 parts, 2.5 parts, 3 parts, 3.5 parts, 4 parts, or 4.5 parts, etc.; The amount of the smoke-generating agent added can be 11 parts, 12 parts, 13 parts, 14 parts, 15 parts, 16 parts, 17 parts, 18 parts, 19 parts, 20 parts, 21 parts, 22 parts, 23 parts, or 24 parts, etc. The amount of the traditional Chinese medicine composition can be 5.5 parts, 6 parts, 6.5 parts, 7 parts, 7.5 parts, 8 parts, 8.5 parts, 9 parts, or 9.5 parts, etc.

[0011] Preferably, the mass ratio of kudzu root, scutellaria root and coptis root is (1-3):(1-2):(2-5).

[0012] Where “1-3” can be 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9, 2, 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, 2.7 or 2.9, etc.; “1-2” can be 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9, etc.; “2-5” can be 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, 2.8, 3, 3.2, 3.5, 3.8, 4, 4.2, 4.5 or 4.8, etc.

[0013] Preferably, the traditional Chinese medicine composition further includes Atractylodes macrocephala and / or Poria cocos.

[0014] Preferably, the traditional Chinese medicine composition also includes Atractylodes macrocephala and Poria cocos.

[0015] In this invention, Atractylodes macrocephala and Poria cocos work synergistically to further enhance the traditional Chinese medicine composition in relieving gastrointestinal irritation symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating caused by menthol-based additives. Moreover, both are mild in nature and have a light aroma, so they will not interfere with the cool fragrance of menthol cigarettes.

[0016] Preferably, the traditional Chinese medicine composition includes kudzu root, scutellaria root, coptis root, atractylodes rhizome, and poria cocos.

[0017] Preferably, the mass ratio of kudzu root, scutellaria root, coptis root, atractylodes rhizome, and poria cocos is (1-3):(1-2):(2-5):(0.1-1):(0.5-1.5).

[0018] Where “1-3” can be 1.1, 1.3, 1.5, 1.7, 1.9, 2, 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, 2.7 or 2.9, etc.; “1-2” can be 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9, etc.; “2-5” can be 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, 2.8, 3, 3.2, 3.5, 3.8, 4, 4.2, 4.5 or 4.8, etc.; "0.1-1" can be 0.2, 0.3, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, or 0.9, etc.; "0.5-1.5" can be 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 or 1.4, etc.

[0019] Preferably, the tobacco raw material includes any one of tobacco leaves, shredded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco leaves, or tobacco stems.

[0020] Preferably, the smoke-generating agent comprises any one or a combination of at least two of propylene glycol, glycerol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-butanediol, erythritol, xylitol, or triethylene glycol.

[0021] Preferably, the smoke-generating agent is a combination of glycerol, 1,3-butanediol and triethylene glycol.

[0022] In this invention, due to the addition of a traditional Chinese medicine composition, a combination of glycerol, 1,3-butanediol, and triethylene glycol is specifically selected as the smoke-generating agent. All three belong to the polyol class of compounds, possessing good water solubility, thermal stability, and volatility. During heating, they rapidly vaporize, absorbing heat to form a fine aerosol, mimicking the smoke pattern of traditional cigarettes and providing consumers with the tactile sensation and satisfaction of inhaling smoke. Simultaneously, the synergistic effect of these three compounds better carries the aroma components and active ingredients of the traditional Chinese medicine from the tobacco segment, ensuring that all components volatilize simultaneously with the smoke, achieving a synergistic presentation of function and taste.

[0023] Preferably, the mass ratio of glycerol, 1,3-butanediol and triethylene glycol is (4-6):(1-2):(1-2).

[0024] Among them, "4-6" can be 4.1, 4.3, 4.5, 4.7, 4.9, 5, 5.1, 5.3, 5.5, 5.7 or 5.9, etc.; The first "1-2" can be 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, or 1.9, etc.; The second "1-2" can be 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8 or 1.9, etc.

[0025] Preferably, the menthol-based cooling agent includes any one or a combination of at least two of menthol, menthone, menthyl acetate, menthyl lactate, menthone glycerol ketal, or menthoxypropanediol.

[0026] Preferably, the microbial treatment step (1) includes: sprinkling the microbial agent onto the mixture, mixing it evenly, and fermenting it at 25-50℃ (e.g., 26℃, 30℃, 35℃, 40℃ or 45℃, etc.) for 4-48h (e.g., 8h, 12h, 16h, 20h, 24h, 28h, 32h, 36h, 40h or 44h, etc.) to obtain fermented material.

[0027] Preferably, the microbial agent includes any one or a combination of at least two of Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, yeast, or lactic acid bacteria.

[0028] Preferably, the viable count of the microbial agent is >1×10⁻⁶. 7 CFU / mL.

[0029] Preferably, the amount of the microbial agent is 0.5-2.5% of the total amount of the mixture, for example, it can be 0.6%, 0.8%, 1%, 1.2%, 1.4%, 1.6%, 1.8%, 2%, 2.2% or 2.4%, etc.

[0030] Preferably, the supercritical extraction in step (1) includes supercritical CO2 extraction.

[0031] Preferably, the supercritical CO2 extraction step includes: placing the fermentation material and supercritical CO2 into a supercritical container, setting the temperature of the supercritical container to 30-70℃ (e.g., 35℃, 0℃, 45℃, 50℃, 55℃, 60℃, or 65℃, etc.), the pressure to 15-30 MPa (e.g., 16 MPa, 18 MPa, 20 MPa, 22 MPa, 24 MPa, 26 MPa, or 28 MPa, etc.), and the extraction time to 0.5-2 h (e.g., 0.6 h, 0.8 h, 1 h, 1.2 h, 1.4 h, 1.6 h, or 1.8 h, etc.), to obtain the supercritical material.

[0032] All the specific point values ​​within the above range can be selected, and will not be elaborated on here.

[0033] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: (1) The heated cigarette of the present invention addresses the issue that the cooling sensation brought by menthol additives can easily irritate the stomach and intestines, causing discomfort such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating in people with sensitive stomachs. The addition of appropriate Chinese herbal ingredients can specifically alleviate such gastrointestinal irritation through the pharmacological effects of their own active ingredients, without causing additional burden on the human body.

[0034] (2) The Chinese herbal ingredients selected in the heated cigarette of the present invention are mild in nature and have a light aroma. They will not react with menthol additives, nor will they mask or weaken the cooling properties of menthol. This ensures that consumers can still experience the unique refreshing and cool smoking sensation of menthol cigarettes while obtaining gastrointestinal soothing protection. This solves the contradiction between the cooling sensation and gastrointestinal safety of existing heated menthol cigarettes. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The following detailed description of the features and advantages of the present invention is sufficient to enable those skilled in the art to understand the technical content of the present invention and implement it accordingly. Furthermore, based on this specification and the claims, those skilled in the art can easily understand the related objectives and advantages of the present invention.

[0036] The terminology and expressions used herein are for descriptive purposes only, and the invention should not be limited to these terms and expressions. The use of these terms and expressions does not imply the exclusion of any illustrative and descriptive equivalents (or parts thereof), and it should be recognized that various modifications that may exist should also be included within the scope of the claims. Other modifications, variations, and substitutions may also exist. Accordingly, the claims should be considered to cover all such equivalents.

[0037] Example 1 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which consists of a filter segment and a tobacco segment. The tobacco segment is made of the following materials by weight: 26 parts tobacco, 2 parts menthyl acetate, 2 parts menthyl lactate, 20 parts smoke-generating agent, and 8 parts traditional Chinese medicine composition.

[0038] The traditional Chinese medicine composition consists of kudzu root, scutellaria root, coptis root, atractylodes rhizome, and poria cocos in a mass ratio of 2:1.5:4:0.5:1.

[0039] The smoke-generating agent is composed of glycerol, 1,3-butanediol, and triethylene glycol in a mass ratio of 5:1.5:1.5.

[0040] The method for preparing the heated cigarette is as follows: (1) After cutting the traditional Chinese medicine composition into shreds, it is mixed with tobacco raw materials to obtain a mixture. Then, a microbial agent (Aspergillus oryzae, viable count > 1×10⁻⁶) is added. 7 Sprinkle CFU / mL (1.5% of the mixture) onto the mixture, mix well, and ferment at 40℃ for 36 hours to obtain the fermented material. (2) The fermentation material and supercritical CO2 were placed in a supercritical container, and the temperature of the supercritical container was set to 50℃, the pressure to 22 MPa, and the extraction time to 1.5 h to obtain the supercritical material. (3) The supercritical material, thin-layer additive and smoke-generating agent are mixed and then processed into tobacco segments. (4) The filter section and the tobacco section are wrapped in wrapping paper to form the mint-flavored heated cigarette.

[0041] Example 2 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which consists of a filter segment and a tobacco segment. The tobacco segment is made of the following materials by weight: 30 parts tobacco shreds, 1 part peppermint leaf, 3 parts menthol, 18 parts smoke-generating agent, and 5 parts traditional Chinese medicine composition.

[0042] The traditional Chinese medicine composition consists of kudzu root, scutellaria root, coptis root, atractylodes rhizome, and poria cocos in a mass ratio of 3:1:5:0.3:1.5.

[0043] The smoke-generating agent is composed of glycerol, 1,3-butanediol, and triethylene glycol in a mass ratio of 6:1:2.

[0044] The method for preparing the heated cigarette is as follows: (1) After shredding the traditional Chinese medicine composition, it is mixed with tobacco raw materials to obtain a mixture. Then, a microbial agent (Bacillus subtilis, viable count > 1×10⁻⁶) is added. 7 Sprinkle CFU / mL (1% of the mixture) onto the mixture, mix well, and ferment at 50℃ for 24 hours to obtain the fermented material. (2) The fermentation material and supercritical CO2 were placed in a supercritical container, the temperature of the supercritical container was set to 40℃, the pressure to 30MPa, and the extraction time to 1h to obtain the supercritical material. (3) The supercritical material, thin-layer additive and smoke-generating agent are mixed and then processed into tobacco segments. (4) The filter section and the tobacco section are wrapped in wrapping paper to form the mint-flavored heated cigarette.

[0045] Example 3 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which consists of a filter segment and a tobacco segment. The tobacco segment is made of 20 parts by weight of tobacco shreds, 3 parts of menthol, 25 parts of a smoke-generating agent, and 10 parts of a traditional Chinese medicine composition.

[0046] The traditional Chinese medicine composition consists of kudzu root, scutellaria root, coptis root, atractylodes rhizome, and poria cocos in a mass ratio of 1:2:2:1:0.5.

[0047] The smoke-generating agent is composed of glycerol, 1,3-butanediol, and triethylene glycol in a mass ratio of 4:2:1.

[0048] The method for preparing the heated cigarette is as follows: (1) After cutting the Chinese herbal medicine composition into shreds, it is mixed with tobacco raw materials to obtain a mixture. Then, a microbial agent (yeast, viable count > 1×10⁻⁶) is added. 7 Sprinkle CFU / mL (2% of the mixture) onto the mixture, mix well, and ferment at 25℃ for 48 hours to obtain the fermented material; (2) The fermentation material and supercritical CO2 were placed in a supercritical container, the temperature of the supercritical container was set to 70℃, the pressure to 15MPa, and the extraction time to 2h to obtain the supercritical material. (3) The supercritical material, thin-layer additive and smoke-generating agent are mixed and then processed into tobacco segments. (4) The filter section and the tobacco section are wrapped in wrapping paper to form the mint-flavored heated cigarette.

[0049] Example 4 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which differs from Example 1 only in that the herbal composition does not include Atractylodes macrocephala and Poria cocos. The reduced amount is allocated to Pueraria lobata, Scutellaria baicalensis and Coptis chinensis by mass ratio, while the amount of herbal composition remains unchanged. The remaining ingredients and addition amounts are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0050] Example 5 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which differs from Example 1 only in that the herbal composition does not include Atractylodes macrocephala, the reduced amount is made up by Poria cocos, and the amount of herbal composition remains unchanged. The remaining ingredients and amounts are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0051] Example 6 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which differs from Example 1 only in that the traditional Chinese medicine composition does not include Poria cocos, and the reduced amount is made up by Atractylodes macrocephala, while the amount of traditional Chinese medicine composition remains unchanged. The remaining ingredients and amounts are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0052] Example 7 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which differs from Example 1 only in that the smoking agent does not include glycerol. The reduction is made up by 1,3-butanediol and triethylene glycol in a mass ratio, while the amount of smoking agent remains unchanged. The remaining materials and amounts are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0053] Example 8 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which differs from Embodiment 1 only in that the smoking agent does not include 1,3-butanediol. The reduction is made up by glycerol and triethylene glycol in a mass ratio, while the amount of smoking agent remains unchanged. The remaining materials and amounts are the same as in Embodiment 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Embodiment 1.

[0054] Example 9 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which differs from Example 1 only in that the smoking agent does not include triethylene glycol. The reduction is made up by glycerol and 1,3-butanediol in a mass ratio, while the amount of smoking agent remains unchanged. The remaining materials and amounts are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0055] Example 10 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which differs from Example 1 only in that the amount of the traditional Chinese medicine composition added is 15 parts, while the other ingredients and amounts added are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0056] Example 11 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which differs from Example 1 only in that the amount of the traditional Chinese medicine composition added is 3 parts, while the other ingredients and amounts added are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0057] Example 12 This embodiment provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette, which differs from Embodiment 1 only in the preparation method. The preparation method is as follows: (1) After the Chinese herbal medicine composition is shredded, it is mixed with tobacco raw materials, mint additives and smoking agent, and then prepared into tobacco segments by machine; (2) The filter section and the tobacco section are wrapped in wrapping paper to form the mint-flavored heated cigarette.

[0058] Comparative Example 1 This comparative example provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette. The only difference between this heated cigarette and Example 1 is that the tobacco segment does not contain the traditional Chinese medicine composition. The other ingredients and amounts are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0059] Comparative Example 2 This comparative example provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette. The only difference between this heated cigarette and Example 1 is that the tobacco segment does not contain kudzu root, scutellaria baicalensis, and coptis chinensis. The reduced amount is made up by atractylodes macrocephala and poria cocos according to the mass ratio, and the amount of traditional Chinese medicine composition remains unchanged. The remaining materials and addition amounts are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0060] Comparative Example 3 This comparative example provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette. The only difference between this heated cigarette and Example 1 is that the tobacco segment does not contain kudzu root. The reduction in kudzu root is made up by Scutellaria baicalensis and Coptis chinensis in a mass ratio, while the amount of traditional Chinese medicine composition remains unchanged. The remaining ingredients and amounts are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0061] Comparative Example 4 This comparative example provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette. The only difference between this heated cigarette and Example 1 is that the tobacco segment does not contain Scutellaria baicalensis. The reduced amount is made up by kudzu root and Coptis chinensis in a mass ratio, while the amount of traditional Chinese medicine composition remains unchanged. The remaining materials and amounts are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0062] Comparative Example 5 This comparative example provides a menthol-flavored heated cigarette. The only difference between this heated cigarette and Example 1 is that the tobacco segment does not contain Coptis chinensis. The reduction in the amount of Coptis chinensis is made up by the mass ratio of Pueraria lobata and Scutellaria baicalensis, while keeping the amount of the traditional Chinese medicine composition unchanged. The remaining materials and amounts are the same as in Example 1, and the preparation method is the same as in Example 1.

[0063] Test Example 1: Consumer Sensory Effect Evaluation Eighty-five male volunteers with gastrointestinal sensitivities (who experienced diarrhea, abdominal pain, and other symptoms when smoking conventional menthol-flavored heated cigarettes) were selected and divided into 17 groups of 5. The 17 groups of volunteers smoked the menthol-flavored heated cigarettes prepared in Examples 1-12 and Comparative Examples 1-5. The heating devices and heating curves used were consistent. When smoking, the smoke was inhaled into the mouth, then swallowed through the throat, and then slowly exhaled through the nasal cavity. The duration of a single puff should be (2.00±0.02) s, the puff volume should be (35.0±0.3) mL, and the puff frequency should be one puff every (60.0±0.5) s. After inhaling, volunteers were asked to report any symptoms such as abdominal pain or diarrhea, and to rate the product's taste (cooling sensation), vapor production, and harmony. The average score was taken, and the evaluation results are shown in the table below, using a 5-point scale: 4.5 points and above indicate excellent (very satisfied); 4-4.5 points indicate good; 3-4 points indicate moderately acceptable; and below 3 points indicate poor (unacceptable). Each group's score is the average of 5 participants, and the volunteer results are shown in Table 3.

[0064] Table 1 As can be seen from Table 1, compared with the heated cigarettes of Comparative Example 1, the heated cigarettes of Examples 1-3 of the present invention, after adding the traditional Chinese medicine composition, not only do not affect the taste, harmony and smoke volume of the cigarettes, but also have lower gastrointestinal irritation. People with sensitive stomachs will not experience symptoms such as abdominal pain and diarrhea after smoking them.

[0065] As shown in Examples 4-6, adding Atractylodes macrocephala and Poria cocos can further alleviate the gastrointestinal irritation caused by heating cigarettes with pepper, and Atractylodes macrocephala and Poria cocos have a synergistic effect.

[0066] As can be seen from Examples 7-9, the use of specific smoke-generating agents in the heated cigarettes of the present invention can improve the taste, harmony and smoke volume of the cigarettes. The increase in smoke volume can allow the smoke to carry more Chinese medicine ingredients, thereby better relieving the gastrointestinal irritation caused by the heated cigarettes.

[0067] As can be seen from Examples 10-11, the amount of Chinese herbal medicine composition added also affects the beneficial effects of the heated cigarette of the present invention. When too little is added, the effect of relieving gastrointestinal irritation is not obvious, while when too much is added, the cost is increased and the harmony of the heated cigarette is affected.

[0068] As can be seen from Example 12, when the traditional Chinese medicine composition is directly mixed with tobacco, the amount of active ingredients in the traditional Chinese medicine is reduced, which in turn affects the effect of relieving gastrointestinal irritation.

[0069] Comparative Examples 2-5 show that kudzu root, scutellaria root, and coptis root have a synergistic effect. Only when the three are used together can the final heated cigarette not only maintain its taste but also have a better effect in relieving gastrointestinal irritation.

[0070] Test Example 2 The berberine content of the smoke from the products prepared in Examples 1-3, Examples 10-12 and Comparative Example 1 was evaluated. The specific evaluation method was as follows: (1) Heated cigarettes were installed on a linear smoking machine conforming to ISO 3308 standard and standard smoking was performed. The smoking volume was 55 mL, the smoking interval was 30 s, the smoking duration was 2 s, and each cigarette was smoked 7 times. 44 mm Cambridge filters were used to capture particulate matter in the smoke. Each filter captured the smoke from 5 cigarettes, and a total of 5 cigarettes' total particulate matter was collected. After smoking, the Cambridge filters were removed with clean tweezers, and the inner wall of the collector was wiped with a quarter of a clean new filter to ensure that the residue was completely collected. All used filters were placed in a 50 mL clean stoppered test tube and sealed for extraction.

[0071] (2) Add 20 mL of methanol-water mixture (1:1, containing 0.1% formic acid) to a test tube containing a Cambridge filter, tighten the stopper, and place it in an ultrasonic cleaner for ultrasonic extraction for 30 min at room temperature. After extraction, take an appropriate amount of the extract and filter it through a 0.22 μm microporous membrane. Transfer the filtrate to a vial for later use. If the concentration of the extract is too low, it can be concentrated to an appropriate volume using a nitrogen blower at 40°C before filtration and then brought to a final volume.

[0072] (3) The berberine content in flue gas was detected using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS / MS). The chromatographic conditions were as follows: an ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (50 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 μm) was used; the column temperature was 40℃; the flow rate was 0.2 mL / min; and the injection volume was 2 μL. Mobile phase A was an aqueous solution containing 0.1% formic acid and 5 mmol / L ammonium acetate; mobile phase B was acetonitrile containing 0.1% formic acid. The gradient elution program was: 0-1 min, 10% B; 1-5 min, 10%→90% B; 5-6 min, 90% B; 6-6.1 min, 90%→10% B; 6.1-8 min, 10% B. The mass spectrometry conditions were: electrospray ionization (ESI), positive ion mode, and multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. The quantitative ion pair of berberine is m / z 336.1→320.1, and the qualitative ion pair is m / z 336.1→292.1. The concentration of berberine in the extract was calculated based on the standard curve and converted into the berberine release per unit cigarette smoke (μg / cigarette).

[0073] The results are shown in Table 2.

[0074] Table 2 As shown in Table 2, compared with Comparative Example 1, the heated cigarettes of Examples 1-3 of the present invention carry berberine in the smoke, which has a significant therapeutic effect on diarrhea and abdominal pain, by adding traditional Chinese medicine composition. However, as shown in Examples 10-11, when the content of traditional Chinese medicine composition is too low, the content of berberine in the smoke is also too low. When the amount of traditional Chinese medicine composition is too high, the content of berberine in the smoke does not increase significantly and increases the production cost.

[0075] The applicant declares that this invention illustrates a mint-flavored heated cigarette through the above embodiments, but the invention is not limited to the above embodiments, that is, it does not mean that the invention must rely on the above embodiments to be implemented. Those skilled in the art should understand that any improvements to this invention, equivalent substitutions of the raw materials of the product, addition of auxiliary components, and selection of specific methods, etc., all fall within the protection scope and disclosure scope of this invention.

[0076] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above. However, the present invention is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solution of the present invention, and these simple modifications all fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0077] It should also be noted that the various specific technical features described in the above specific embodiments can be combined in any suitable manner without contradiction. In order to avoid unnecessary repetition, the present invention will not describe the various possible combinations separately.

Claims

1. A mint-flavored heated cigarette, characterized in that, The method for preparing the menthol-flavored heated cigarette includes: (1) After the Chinese herbal medicine composition is shredded, it is mixed with tobacco raw material to obtain a mixture. Then the mixture is subjected to microbial treatment and supercritical extraction in sequence to obtain supercritical material; (2) The supercritical material, thin-layer additive and smoking agent are mixed and then processed into tobacco segments by machine; (3) The filter section and the tobacco section are wrapped in wrapping paper to form the mint-flavored heated cigarette; The traditional Chinese medicine composition includes kudzu root, scutellaria baicalensis, and coptis chinensis; The mint additive includes any one or a combination of at least two of mint leaves, mint-based cooling agents, or mint popping beads.

2. The mint-flavored heated cigarette as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The raw materials for preparing the tobacco segment include, by weight, 15-30 parts of tobacco raw material, 1-5 parts of pepper additive, 10-25 parts of smoke-generating agent, and 5-10 parts of traditional Chinese medicine composition.

3. The mint-flavored heated cigarette according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The mass ratio of kudzu root, scutellaria baicalensis and coptis chinensis is (1-3):(1-2):(2-5).

4. The menthol-flavored heated cigarette according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The traditional Chinese medicine composition also includes Atractylodes macrocephala and / or Poria cocos; Preferably, the traditional Chinese medicine composition also includes Atractylodes macrocephala and Poria cocos.

5. The mint-flavored heated cigarette according to claim 4, characterized in that, The traditional Chinese medicine composition includes kudzu root, scutellaria baicalensis, coptis chinensis, atractylodes macrocephala, and poria cocos; Preferably, the mass ratio of kudzu root, scutellaria root, coptis root, atractylodes rhizome, and poria cocos is (1-3):(1-2):(2-5):(0.1-1):(0.5-1.5).

6. The menthol-flavored heated cigarette according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The tobacco raw materials include any one of tobacco leaves, shredded tobacco, or tobacco stems.

7. The menthol-flavored heated cigarette according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, The smoke-generating agent includes any one or a combination of at least two of the following: propylene glycol, glycerol, 1,2-propanediol, 1,3-butanediol, erythritol, xylitol, or triethylene glycol. Preferably, the smoke-generating agent is a combination of glycerol, 1,3-butanediol and triethylene glycol; Preferably, the mass ratio of glycerol, 1,3-butanediol and triethylene glycol is (4-6):(1-2):(1-2).

8. The menthol-flavored heated cigarette according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The menthol-based cooling agents include any one or a combination of at least two of menthone, menthyl acetate, menthyl lactate, menthone glycerol ketal, or menthoxypropanediol.

9. The menthol-flavored heated cigarette according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, The steps of microbial treatment in step (1) include: sprinkling microbial agents on the mixture, mixing evenly, and fermenting at 25-50℃ for 4-48 hours to obtain fermented material; Preferably, the microbial agent includes any one or a combination of at least two of Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus oryzae, Bacillus subtilis, Escherichia coli, yeast, or lactic acid bacteria; Preferably, the viable count of the microbial agent is >1×10⁻⁶. 7 CFU / mL; Preferably, the amount of the microbial agent used is 0.5-2.5% of the total amount of the mixture.

10. The menthol-flavored heated cigarette according to any one of claims 1-9, characterized in that, The supercritical extraction in step (1) includes supercritical CO2 extraction; Preferably, the supercritical CO2 extraction step includes: placing the fermentation material and supercritical CO2 into a supercritical container, setting the temperature of the supercritical container to 30-70℃, the pressure to 15-30 MPa, and the extraction time to 0.5-2 h, to obtain the supercritical material.

Images