Preparation method of water-wet low-irritation cigarette

Abstract

This invention discloses a method for preparing a moisturizing, low-irritation cigarette. The moisturizing, low-irritation cigarette utilizes a composite filter rod to enhance moisture retention and reduce irritation. The composite filter rod contains a easily breakable water-encapsulated composite particle, which comprises a three-layer structure: a liquid water-encapsulated core, an easily breakable thin-walled layer, and a primary protective outer layer. This design effectively solves the problems of traditional composite particles failing to retain water and exhibiting poor moisture retention. Cigarettes fitted with the aforementioned composite filter rod show significantly reduced irritation and significantly improved moisture retention. This provides an innovative technology for achieving differentiated quality improvement in cigarette products and meeting consumer demand for "low-irritation, high-comfort" products.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of tobacco processing technology, specifically relating to an easily breakable water-encapsulated composite granule, its preparation method, and its application. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, cigarette filter rods commonly incorporate modified components such as functional granules and flavor capsules to optimize smoke taste, reduce irritation, and enhance the smoking experience. Existing flavor capsules and functional granules for cigarettes mostly use oil-based flavorings and fragrances as core materials, while the wall materials are often traditional materials such as gelatin and alginate. These have significant technical drawbacks: First, traditional wall materials have poor hydrophilicity, making it difficult to stably encapsulate high-water-content systems such as pure water, leading to easy water leakage and core material failure, thus failing to achieve the effects of moisturizing and reducing dryness in the smoke. Second, traditional wall materials have high hardness and toughness, requiring significant pressure to break, resulting in a poor user experience and potential for incomplete breakage and insufficient release of contents. Third, existing single-layer granules lack protective structures, making them susceptible to damage, leakage, and failure during cigarette production, packaging, and transportation due to slight compression, temperature, and humidity, resulting in low product stability and yield.

[0003] Existing technologies for water-filled cigarette beads employ a multi-layered gel structure to enhance water retention. However, the gel wall material is extremely tough, making it difficult to break manually, and the outer layer lacks a dedicated protective structure, resulting in high storage and transportation losses. Other hard water-filled granules, while stable in storage, are difficult to break, failing to meet the lightweight handling requirements of consumer cigarettes. In summary, the current lack of a composite granule for cigarette filter sticks that combines stable water retention, lightweight breakability, storage and transportation protection, and safety hinders the upgrading and iteration of high-moisture-retaining cigarette products.

[0004] This invention is proposed for this purpose. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the shortcomings of the existing technologies, this invention designs a three-layer core-shell composite structure of easily breakable water-encapsulated composite particles. It uses PEG compound material as the easily breakable inner wall material and is paired with a dedicated one-time protective outer layer, which precisely solves the core contradictions of water-encapsulation stability, easy breakage, and storage safety, making it suitable for industrial applications of cigarette filter rods.

[0006] The present invention relates to easily breakable water-encapsulated composite particles and their preparation method, which solves the problems of poor water retention, easy leakage, difficulty in breaking, and insufficient storage and transportation stability of existing tobacco water-encapsulated particles. It achieves the technical effects of breaking easily under light pressure, stable water storage, and long-term protection, thereby improving the smoking taste of cigarettes and the product qualification rate.

[0007] The technical solution of the present invention is as follows:

[0008] The first aspect of this invention discloses a water-encapsulated composite particle that is easily broken, having a three-layer core-shell structure, consisting of, from the inside out: a liquid water-encapsulated core, an easily broken thin-walled layer, and a primary protective outer layer;

[0009] The liquid water-encapsulated core is a liquid system containing pure water or tobacco additives, used to store and controllably release liquid water; the high water content system can greatly reduce the dryness of the flue gas, achieving the core effect of moisturizing and reducing dryness, and solving the problem that traditional tobacco particles cannot store water and have poor moisturizing effect;

[0010] The easily breakable thin-walled layer is coated on the outer surface of the liquid water-filled core and is the core pressure-bearing and rupture-resistant layer of the composite particles. It is made of polyethylene glycol composite material, which is lightweight and thin and easily broken under stress. The thin wall layer has low toughness and is easily broken under stress, so that it can be broken and released by lightly pinching with fingers, which is suitable for the operating habits of cigarette users.

[0011] The primary protective outer layer tightly covers the outer surface of the fragile PEG thin-walled layer. It is a hydrophobic and flexible protective layer used to isolate external environmental interferences such as temperature, humidity, dust, and slight compression, preventing leakage and breakage during particle storage and transportation, without hindering manual crushing operations. The primary protective outer layer is a hydrophobic and breathable protective film that can isolate moisture, dust, and slight external compression during production, transportation, and storage, preventing premature damage to the inner PEG wall material and leakage of core moisture, while not affecting subsequent manual crushing operations.

[0012] Preferably, the water content of the liquid water-encapsulated core is not less than 95 wt%, and the remaining components are any one or more of tobacco flavorings, humectants, and cooling agents. The system contains no oily additives and can be perfectly adapted to the PEG hydrophilic wall material coating system, ensuring stable core-shell structure adhesion and avoiding problems such as molding delamination and shell detachment.

[0013] Preferably, the easily breakable thin-walled layer is prepared by compounding PEG1000 and PEG4000 in a mass ratio of 1:2-1:4, with a wall thickness of 5-15μm, a bursting pressure of 1.0-2.0N, and low flexibility at room temperature, which can be completely broken by lightly pinching with fingers, leaving no hard shell residue; it completely solves the problems of incomplete breakage and residual impurities affecting the suction experience of traditional popping beads; at the same time, 0.5-1wt% of food-grade chitosan can be selectively added as a toughening regulator to fine-tune the wall material's bursting threshold, ensuring the easily breakable performance while avoiding cracking and damage during the granule forming process.

[0014] Preferably, the primary protective outer layer is a modified pullulan polysaccharide hydrophobic film with a wall thickness of 3-8 μm. It possesses hydrophobic, dustproof, and mildly compressive properties, can withstand conventional storage and transportation pressures of 0.5-0.8 N, and when subjected to a force exceeding 2.2 N, it ruptures synchronously with the inner PEG wall material without any peeling residue, exhibiting excellent uniformity in rupture. The primary protective layer is prepared using a 2-3% (w / w) pullulan polysaccharide aqueous solution combined with 0.3-0.5 wt% food-grade hydrophobic modifier, significantly improving waterproof and impermeable performance and further enhancing the storage stability of the particles.

[0015] Preferably, the overall particle size of the composite particles is 2.0-3.5mm, which is compatible with the cavity filling size of conventional cigarette filter rods and existing cigarette production equipment, and can be directly mass-produced and applied; the overall roundness of the particles is ≥95%, without dents, damage, or leakage defects, and the finished product has high consistency and regularity.

[0016] The second aspect of this invention discloses a method for preparing the easily breakable water-encapsulated composite particles, comprising the following steps:

[0017] (1) Preparation of liquid water-encapsulated core: The purified water and the functional additives for tobacco are mixed evenly according to the ratio to obtain a transparent and uniform water-encapsulated core liquid, which is then kept at a constant temperature of 25°C for later use.

[0018] (2) Preparation of PEG wall material melt: Mix PEG1000 and PEG4000 in proportion, heat and melt in a water bath at 80-90℃, stir at a constant speed for 15-20 minutes until completely homogeneous and free of particulate impurities to obtain a low viscosity PEG coating liquid;

[0019] (3) One-time coating molding: The liquid water-filled core is uniformly dripped into the PEG melt and naturally coated by surface tension. It is then solidified at a constant temperature for 3-5 seconds to form a core-shell integrated preform particle.

[0020] (4) Outer protective treatment: Immerse the primary embryo particles in the modified pullulan polysaccharide protective solution, immerse them at a uniform speed for 2-3 seconds, then remove them and dry them at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to solidify and form a primary protective outer layer.

[0021] (5) Screening the finished product: Screen the composite particles with uniform particle size, no damage and no leakage, and store them in a sealed and light-proof place to obtain the finished product of the easily crushable water-filled cigarette mouthpiece composite particles.

[0022] Preferably, step (2) further includes adding 0.5-1wt% of food-grade chitosan as a toughening regulator to fine-tune the wall material fracture threshold, ensuring that the wall material is thin and easily broken while avoiding cracking during the molding process.

[0023] The third aspect of this invention discloses the application of the easily crushable water-encapsulated composite particles in cigarette filters.

[0024] Preferably, the composite particles are individually implanted into the axial cavity of a standard cigarette filter rod, and the particles are fixed by the filter fiber bundle to obtain a moist functional cigarette filter rod. The standard cigarette filter rod has a circumference of 24.2-24.5 mm, and the composite particles are positioned 10-13 mm away from the end of the filter lip, within the area that can be controlled by human fingers. During the storage, transportation, and handling of cigarettes, the particles do not shift, fall off, or break prematurely and leak liquid. Before smoking, the composite particles are broken synchronously by gently squeezing the corresponding particle position on the filter tip. The high-water-content liquid core quickly wets the filter fiber, humidifying, cooling, and softening the high-temperature dry smoke, eliminating the dry, spicy, and astringent discomfort of the smoke, and improving the purity and smoothness of the smoke.

[0025] The fourth aspect of the present invention discloses a functional moistened cigarette filter rod, comprising a filter substrate and the aforementioned easily crushable water-encapsulated composite particles.

[0026] The fifth aspect of this invention discloses a moisturizing, low-irritation cigarette, which is equipped with the aforementioned functional moisturizing cigarette filter rod.

[0027] The beneficial effects of the easily breakable water-encapsulated composite particles of the present invention:

[0028] 1. Highly efficient and stable water encapsulation with excellent moisturizing effect: This invention uses a hydrophilic PEG wall material to encapsulate a pure water core, completely solving the problem of traditional oil-based wall materials being unable to encapsulate water and prone to leakage. The core's moisture is stably sealed, showing no significant leakage or water loss after 6 months of storage at room temperature. It can precisely release moisture during inhalation, softening the smoke and reducing dryness in the mouth. 2. Lightweight and easily broken, providing an excellent user experience: The middle layer of PEG compound wall material is thin and has a low breaking pressure (1.0~2.0N), unlike traditional gelatin or hard gel wall materials. Users can easily break it with a light pinch, fully releasing the core's moisture without leaving any wall material residue or incomplete breakage, making it suitable for general user habits. 3. Built-in protective structure for strong storage and transportation stability: An independent, one-time protective outer layer can withstand slight compression and humidity interference during production, packaging, and transportation, effectively preventing premature breakage of the inner PEG thin wall and core leakage. This significantly improves product yield and storage life, solving the pain point of existing unprotected particles being prone to failure. 4. Safe and environmentally friendly, suitable for cigarette use: All raw materials are food-grade and compliant with tobacco regulations, free of toxic and harmful substances. No odor or harmful substance release occurs during high-temperature smoking. The structure is stable, and the particle size is compatible with conventional cigarette filter rods. No modification to existing production equipment is required, allowing for direct mass production and application. 5. Strong structural compatibility and functional expansion: The core can be supplemented with cooling agents, tobacco flavorings, and moisturizing agents as needed, achieving multiple effects such as moisturizing, enhancing flavor, and reducing irritation. The product has wide applicability. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The present invention will be further described in detail below through specific embodiments, but it should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention to the following examples. Various substitutions and modifications made based on ordinary technical knowledge and conventional methods in the art without departing from the above-described methodological spirit of the invention should be included within the scope of the invention.

[0030] Example 1:

[0031] The easily breakable water-encapsulated composite particles of this embodiment have a three-layer core-shell structure as follows:

[0032] Liquid water-encapsulated core: water content 96wt%, the remainder is a tobacco cooling agent, no oil added, kept at a constant temperature of 25℃ for later use;

[0033] PEG fragile thin-walled layer: PEG1000 to PEG4000 mass ratio 1:3, wall thickness 10μm, rupture pressure 1.5N, with 0.8wt% food-grade chitosan added as a toughening regulator;

[0034] Primary protective outer layer: 2.5wt% pullulan polysaccharide aqueous solution, with 0.4wt% hydrophobic modifier octenyl succinate starch ester; wall thickness 5μm, withstanding storage and transportation pressure of 0.6N;

[0035] The overall particle size is 2.8 mm, and the roundness is 96%.

[0036] Preparation method: Prepare aqueous core liquid according to the formula; melt the PEG mixture in an 85℃ water bath and stir for 18 min until homogeneous; solidify the droplet coating for 4 s to obtain the preform; impregnate with protective liquid for 2.5 s and dry at room temperature in a ventilated place for 12 min; screen qualified particles and store them in a sealed, light-proof container.

[0037] Example 2

[0038] The easily breakable water-encapsulated composite granules of this embodiment:

[0039] Liquid water-encapsulated core: water content 95wt%, the balance being a compound system of tobacco flavoring and humectant;

[0040] PEG fragile thin-walled layer: PEG1000 to PEG4000 mass ratio 1:2, wall thickness 5μm, rupture pressure 1.0N, with 0.5wt% food-grade chitosan added as a toughening regulator;

[0041] Primary protective outer layer: 2.0wt% pullulan polysaccharide aqueous solution, with 0.3wt% hydrophobic modifier octenyl succinate starch ester added; wall thickness 3μm, withstanding storage and transportation pressure of 0.5N;

[0042] The overall particle size is 2.0 mm, and the roundness is 95%.

[0043] Preparation method: Melt PEG material in an 80℃ water bath and stir for 15 min; coat and solidify for 3 s; impregnate with protective liquid for 2 s, dry for 10 min, and the remaining steps are the same as in Example 1.

[0044] Example 3

[0045] The easily breakable water-encapsulated composite granules of this embodiment:

[0046] Liquid water-encapsulated core: water content 98wt%, the remainder is a tobacco cooling agent;

[0047] PEG fragile thin-walled layer: PEG1000 to PEG4000 mass ratio 1:4, wall thickness 15μm, rupture pressure 2.0N, with 1.0wt% food-grade chitosan added as a toughening regulator;

[0048] Primary protective outer layer: 3.0wt% pullulan polysaccharide aqueous solution, with 0.5wt% octenyl succinate starch ester hydrophobic modifier added; wall thickness 8μm, withstanding storage and transportation pressure of 0.8N;

[0049] The overall particle size is 3.5mm, and the roundness is 97%.

[0050] Preparation method: Melt PEG material in a 90℃ water bath and stir for 20 min; coat and solidify for 5 s; impregnate with protective liquid for 3 s and dry for 15 min. The remaining steps are the same as in Example 1.

[0051] Example 4

[0052] The easily breakable water-encapsulated composite granules of this embodiment:

[0053] The liquid water-encapsulated core has a water content of 96wt%, and the remaining components are trace amounts of compound tobacco humectants and flue-cured tobacco flavorings. The core does not contain any oily components.

[0054] PEG fragile thin-walled layer: PEG1000:PEG4000=1:3, wall thickness 10μm, with 0.4wt% hydrophobic modifier glyceryl monostearate, and a bursting pressure of 1.5N;

[0055] Primary protective outer layer: 2.5wt% pullulan polysaccharide aqueous solution, with 0.4wt% hydrophobic modifier octenyl succinate starch ester; wall thickness 5μm, withstanding storage and transportation pressure of 0.6N;

[0056] The overall particle size of the composite particles is 2.8 mm, and the roundness is 96%.

[0057] Test results: A standard tar-cured tobacco blank cigarette was selected, and the composite particles prepared in Example 4 were used. The single composite particles were implanted into the axial cavity of the standard cigarette filter rod at a fixed point. The particles were fixed by the filter tip fiber bundle to complete the particle positioning, and a moist functional cigarette filter rod was prepared. The circumference of the standard filter rod used was 24.2-24.5 mm, and the composite particles were placed 10-13 mm away from the filter tip.

[0058] After completing 45 days of storage at room temperature and simulated logistics bumps and stacking tests, the finished cigarettes showed no leakage, premature breakage, or displacement / detachment of the granules, demonstrating excellent storage and transportation stability. Before smoking, consumers can easily break the granules with a light pinch of their fingers, without any hard shell residue or falling debris. The high-moisture core liquid quickly wets the filter fibers, effectively humidifying and cooling the high-temperature flue-cured tobacco smoke, effectively weakening the inherent spiciness, burning sensation, and dryness of the flue-cured tobacco smoke, and alleviating discomfort such as dry mouth and throat during smoking. The trace amounts of tobacco flavoring compounded in the core can modify the natural aroma of tobacco and mask impurities in the smoke, resulting in a clear, clean, and smooth smoke that is not greasy, significantly improving the palatability of flue-cured cigarettes.

[0059] Comparative Example (Traditional Oil-Based Beaded Cigarettes)

[0060] Under the same assembly conditions, when using traditional oily capsules to replace the high-water-content composite particles of this invention, the traditional capsules, with their oil-based core, lack a large water load and have poor moisturizing and drying effects, failing to improve the problem of dry smoke and mouth. Furthermore, the oily components easily lead to a stuffy, greasy, and unpleasant taste in the latter half of the smoke. At the same time, traditional hard-shell capsules are prone to incomplete cracking and shell residue, seriously affecting the smoking quality and product stability of cigarettes, further demonstrating the application advantages of the water-encapsulated composite particles of this invention.

[0061] The above description is only used to detail the specific embodiments of the present invention, but the technical solutions proposed by the present invention are not limited to the above methods. All equivalent modifications and variations made by those skilled in the art to the technology proposed by the present invention without departing from the basic principles of the present invention should be covered within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A type of easily crushable water-encapsulated composite granule, characterized in that, It has a three-layer core-shell structure, from the inside out: a liquid water-encapsulated core, a fragile thin-walled layer, and a primary protective outer layer; The liquid water-encapsulated core is pure water or an aqueous liquid system containing smoke additives; the fragile thin-walled layer covers the outer surface of the liquid water-encapsulated core; the primary protective outer layer tightly covers the outer surface of the fragile thin-walled layer.

2. The easily crushable water-encapsulated composite granules according to claim 1, characterized in that, The water content of the liquid water-encapsulated core is not less than 95 wt%; the remaining components are any one or more of tobacco flavorings, humectants, and cooling agents.

3. The easily crushable water-encapsulated composite granules according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fragile thin-walled layer is prepared by compounding PEG1000 and PEG4000 in a mass ratio of 1:2 to 1:4, with a wall thickness of 5-15 μm and a bursting pressure of 1.0-2.0 N.

4. The easily crushable water-encapsulated composite granules according to claim 1, characterized in that, The primary protective outer layer is a modified pullulan polysaccharide hydrophobic film with a wall thickness of 3-8 μm; it ruptures synchronously with the fragile thin-walled inner layer when subjected to a force exceeding 2.2 N.

5. The easily crushable water-encapsulated composite granules according to claim 1, characterized in that, The composite particles have a particle size of 2.0-3.5 mm and an overall sphericity of ≥95%.

6. A method for preparing easily breakable water-encapsulated composite particles according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Preparation of liquid water-encapsulated core: The purified water and the functional additives for tobacco are mixed evenly according to the ratio to obtain a transparent and uniform water-encapsulated core liquid, which is then kept at a constant temperature of 25°C for later use. (2) Preparation of PEG wall material melt: Mix PEG1000 and PEG4000 in proportion, heat and melt in a water bath at 80-90℃, and stir at a constant speed for 15-20 minutes until completely homogeneous to obtain PEG coating solution; (3) One-time coating molding: The liquid water-encapsulated core is uniformly dripped into the PEG coating liquid and naturally coated by surface tension. It is then cured at a constant temperature for 3-5 seconds to form a core-shell integrated preform particle. (4) Outer protective treatment: Immerse the primary embryo particles in the modified pullulan polysaccharide protective solution, immerse them at a uniform speed for 2-3 seconds, then remove them and dry them at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to solidify and form a primary protective outer layer. (5) Screening the finished product: Screen the composite particles with uniform particle size, no damage and no leakage to obtain the finished product of the easily crushable water-encapsulated composite particles.

7. The preparation method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Step (2) also includes adding 0.5-1 wt% of food-grade chitosan as a toughening regulator.

8. The application of the easily crushable water-encapsulated composite particles according to any one of claims 1-5 in cigarette filter rods.

9. The application according to claim 8, characterized in that, The composite particles are individually implanted into the axial cavity of a standard cigarette filter rod, and the particles are fixed by the filter tip fiber bundle to obtain a moist functional cigarette filter rod; the standard cigarette filter rod has a circumference of 24.2-24.5 mm, and the composite particles are placed 10-13 mm away from the end of the filter tip.

10. A moisturizing, low-irritation cigarette, characterized in that, It is equipped with the water-lubricated functional cigarette filter rod as described in claim 9.