Aroma-carrying gel stick for cigarette, filter stick and heating non-combustion cigarette cooling section

Abstract

The utility model provides an aroma-carrying gel rod for a cigarette, a filter rod and a heating non-burning cigarette cooling section, the aroma-carrying gel rod comprises an aroma-carrying gel core rod (2) and a high-molecular polymer tube (1), and the high-molecular polymer tube (1) is filled with the aroma-carrying gel core rod (2); in a room temperature environment, the fragrance-carrying gel core rod (2) is in a solid state. The fragrance-carrying gel stick for the cigarette has better fragrance storage and release capacity, and meanwhile, compared with a gel-containing cigarette product produced in a traditional liquid filling mode, the fragrance-carrying gel stick for the cigarette has better temperature resistance and better storage and transportation conditions. Materials used for manufacturing the fragrance-carrying gel stick are wide in source, high in safety and low in cost, and the fragrance-carrying gel stick is simple in structure, easy to prepare and apply and suitable for traditional cigarettes or heating non-combustion fuming products.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to flavoring materials for cigarettes, and in particular to a flavoring gel stick for cigarettes. Background Technology

[0002] Gel-based flavor carriers or thermosensitive phase change slow-release flavor carriers have been extensively researched and applied in the cigarette industry. These materials typically consist of polyethylene glycol, plant waxes, animal waxes, and other substances as their main components. When applied to cigarettes, they remain solid at room temperature and melt into a liquid state due to the increased temperature when the cigarette is burned, thereby releasing the encapsulated flavor components. For example, patent application WO 2020211294 A1 discloses a paper-based gel thread using polyethylene glycol as a flavor carrier, which, when used in cigarettes, gives it a large flavor capacity and long-lasting release effect. Chinese invention patent application CN 112940856 A discloses the use of wax materials and polyols, polyethylene glycol, and other materials to make thermosensitive flavor carrier particles for use in heated non-combustible cigarettes, enhancing the effect of slow aroma release. Another example is Chinese invention patent ZL 202210434722.2, which disperses and fills the gaps in volcanic rock particles with gel-based flavor carrier materials. However, these existing phase change slow-release flavoring materials are usually applied to cigarette filters in the form of centerline, particulate or coating, and are basically in an open or simple embedded state. This results in defects such as irregular cross-sectional shape, powder falling off the product cross-section, or poor flavor retention. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The purpose of this invention is to solve the problems of irregular appearance and poor fragrance retention that are common in tobacco gel-based fragrance products, and to provide a new tobacco fragrance product based on gel-based fragrance technology.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this utility model provides a flavoring gel stick for cigarettes, the flavoring gel stick including a flavoring gel core 2, wherein the flavoring gel stick further includes a polymer tube 1, and the flavoring gel core 2 is filled inside the polymer tube 1; at room temperature, the flavoring gel core 2 is solid.

[0005] In this invention, the polymer tube is a polyethylene tube, a polypropylene tube, a polytetrafluoroethylene tube, or a polylactic acid tube.

[0006] To facilitate production and addition to cigarette filter rods, the outer diameter of the polymer tube 1 is 2~5mm and the inner diameter is 1.5~4.5mm; the wall thickness of the polymer tube 1 is 0.2~1.0mm; the length of the rolled aroma-carrying gel rod is usually not less than 100m, the preferred length is 1000m, and they are neatly arranged and coiled on the shaft core.

[0007] In this invention, the fragrance-carrying gel core rod 2 is in a liquid state when the temperature is above 80°C. The formulation and process required to prepare the fragrance-carrying gel core rod are known, such as using the thermosensitive phase change fragrance-carrying material disclosed in CN 117122090A, or other existing phase change fragrance-carrying materials.

[0008] In a preferred embodiment, the polymer tube 1 is transparent or translucent, or has a pattern and / or color.

[0009] Preferably, the fragrance-carrying gel stick is cut into pieces of 0.5~5.0cm.

[0010] This utility model also relates to applying the aforementioned flavor-carrying gel rod for cigarettes to the filter tow of conventional cigarettes, or to its application in heated tobacco products. Based on this, this utility model provides a filter rod containing the aforementioned flavor-carrying gel rod for cigarettes, and a cooling section for heated tobacco products containing the aforementioned flavor-carrying gel rod for cigarettes.

[0011] In this invention, after slitting, the front and rear ends of the polymer tube are not sealed, thus enhancing the flavoring effect when applied to cigarettes. Furthermore, when the cigarette is burned, the flavor-carrying gel core of this invention melts and flows due to the temperature of the smoke and the airflow, releasing the flavor components.

[0012] The preparation method of the flavor-carrying gel stick for cigarettes of this utility model includes the following steps:

[0013] 1. Weigh out the phase change material and melt it into a liquid state at 80℃ (water bath or air bath);

[0014] 2. Add liquid fragrance to the molten phase change material and disperse it thoroughly until a hot-melted fragrance core liquid is formed;

[0015] 3. At 80℃, the hot-melted fragrance core liquid is injected or drawn into the polymer tube through a pressure device, so that the core liquid fills the tube cavity;

[0016] 4. After filling, the pipe is placed at room temperature and allowed to stand until the core material is completely solidified to obtain the final product.

[0017] This invention provides the following advantages for cigarette flavor-encapsulating gel rods: First, at room temperature, most of the flavor-encapsulating gel material is encased in an airtight tube, preventing the aroma from dissipating during storage and transportation. When the cigarette is smoked, the core material melts upon heating, releasing the aroma. Second, the tube and gel materials are widely available, safe, and low-cost. The tubes can be readily available commercially available products, such as PTFE capillary tubes from Guangdong Shengpai Insulation Materials Co., Ltd., and capillary silicone tubes from Dongguan Ruixiang Precision Silicone Products Co., Ltd. The phase change gel material can be prepared using commonly used materials such as polyethylene glycol, plant waxes, and cocoa ester substitutes, resulting in lower raw material costs and achieving food-grade or pharmaceutical-grade standards, ensuring safety and reliability. Third, the product's industrialization technology is mature. Only a centerline filter rod forming machine is needed to prepare the built-in tube filter rod, eliminating the need for expensive special equipment required for the production of menthol-filled filter rods. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the flavor-carrying gel rod for cigarettes in Example 1; wherein: 1, a polymer tube; 2, a flavor-carrying gel core rod;

[0019] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of cigarette product structure in Example 1; wherein: 11, first filament bundle segment; 12, second filament bundle segment; 13, tobacco shred segment; 14, cigarette paper; 15, forming paper; 16 flavor gel tube. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The following examples are used to explain the technical solutions of the present invention in a non-limiting manner.

[0021] In this invention, unless otherwise specified, “%” for concentration refers to weight percentage and “:” refers to weight ratio.

[0022] Example 1

[0023] Weigh out 0.5 kg each of polyethylene glycol PEG 1500 and PEG 4000, mix them, and place them in a beaker. In a water bath at 80°C for 2 hours, allow the polyethylene glycol to fully melt into a liquid state. Weigh out 0.2 kg of menthol and pour it into the melted polyethylene glycol liquid. Dissolve and stir until homogeneous to obtain the melted fragrance core liquid.

[0024] Immerse the purchased PTFE capillary tubes (PTFE inner and outer diameters 3X4mm, length 100m) in an 80℃ water bath for 30 minutes to ensure they are fully heated. Then, insert one end of the capillary tube into the molten fragrance core liquid, and connect the other end to a vacuum pump. Turn on the vacuum pump to draw the fragrance core liquid into the capillary tube under negative pressure. Once the core liquid fills the cavity of the capillary tube, turn off the vacuum pump.

[0025] Remove the tube filled with core liquid from the water bath, fix both ends of the capillary tube with a stopper or clamp to prevent the core liquid from flowing out, and let it stand at room temperature for more than 4 hours to ensure that the core material is completely solidified, thus obtaining uncut, rolled cigarette flavor gel sticks.

[0026] Cigarettes were cut into 15mm long segments using flavor gel rods. Ten identical segments were made as sample A. The cross-section of sample A is shown below. Figure 1 As shown, the polymer tube 1 is filled with a fragrance-carrying gel core rod 2.

[0027] As a reference, the polymer tube wall of sample A was cut open, and the fragrance-loaded gel core stick was removed as sample B to ensure that a reference with the same fragrance load as sample A was obtained.

[0028] Then, samples A and B were placed in separate open containers and left to stand at room temperature for 20 days.

[0029] Sensory evaluation: Samples A and B, after equilibration in an open environment for 20 days, were manually placed in the center of a cigarette filter tow (this evaluation used Yunyan (Premium) cigarettes), and the results were as follows: Figure 2 The cigarette samples shown are then evaluated by a 10-person tasting panel, who compared the intensity of the menthol flavor in samples A and B, as well as the difference in intensity between the front and back sections of the cigarette samples.

[0030] Evaluation results:

[0031] 1. Temperature Resistance Test: Cigarettes containing samples A and B were placed in a 45°C constant temperature chamber and heated continuously for 4 hours. The flavor-carrying gel rods were then removed and their condition observed. The results showed that sample A only experienced slight shrinkage and indentation of the tube cross-section, maintaining a good appearance; while sample B showed significant deformation, and some gel material permeated into the filter rod fibers. This demonstrates that the flavor-carrying gel rod (sample A) has better temperature resistance and better storage and transportation properties.

[0032] 2. Sensory Evaluation Results: Based on the average score of the sensory evaluation group, the following conclusions were drawn:

[0033] The mint aroma of cigarettes with built-in sample A was significantly stronger than that of sample B, proving that the aroma-carrying gel rod with polymer tube has a significant effect on aroma retention; while the aroma of the exposed aroma-carrying gel core rod is lost more quickly.

[0034] In addition, the mint intensity of the second half of the cigarette with the built-in sample A was greater than that of the first half during the smoking process, proving that the flavor gel stick has a flavor-enhancing effect that gradually increases with the number of puffs, which helps to solve the common problem of insufficient aroma in the later part of the cigarette; while the mint intensity of the first and second halves of the cigarette with the built-in sample B did not change much.

[0035] It is evident that the aroma-carrying gel stick of this invention has better aroma storage and release capabilities, and also exhibits better temperature resistance and storage and transportation conditions compared to traditional liquid-filled cigarette products containing gel (equivalent to aroma-carrying gel core sticks). Furthermore, the materials used to make the aroma-carrying gel stick are widely available, highly safe, and low in cost. The aroma-carrying gel stick has a simple structure, is easy to prepare and apply, and is suitable for traditional cigarettes or heated tobacco products.

Claims

1. A flavoring gel stick for cigarettes, the flavoring gel stick comprising a flavoring gel core (2), characterized in that... The fragrance-carrying gel rod also includes a polymer tube (1), and the fragrance-carrying gel core rod (2) is filled inside the polymer tube (1); at room temperature, the fragrance-carrying gel core rod (2) is solid.

2. The flavor-carrying gel stick for cigarettes according to claim 1, characterized in that... The polymer tube is a polyethylene tube, a polypropylene tube, a polytetrafluoroethylene tube, or a polylactic acid tube.

3. The flavor-carrying gel stick for cigarettes according to claim 1, characterized in that... The outer diameter of the polymer tube (1) is 2~5mm and the inner diameter is 1.5~4.5mm; the wall thickness of the polymer tube (1) is 0.2~1.0mm.

4. The flavor-carrying gel stick for cigarettes according to claim 1, characterized in that... When the temperature is above 80℃, the fragrance-carrying gel core (2) is in a liquid state.

5. The flavor-carrying gel stick for cigarettes according to claim 1, characterized in that... The polymer tube (1) is transparent or translucent.

6. The flavor-carrying gel stick for cigarettes according to claim 1, characterized in that... The fragrance-carrying gel sticks are cut into 0.5~5.0cm pieces.

7. A filter rod, characterized in that... The filter rod contains a flavoring gel rod for cigarettes as described in any one of claims 1-6.

8. A cooling section for heated non-combustible cigarettes, characterized in that... The heated non-combustible cigarette cooling section contains a flavor-carrying gel rod for cigarettes as described in any one of claims 1-6.

Images