Method for producing cut tobacco from tobacco leaf material for use in hnb tobacco articles, and hnb tobacco article
Patent Information
- Application Number
- EP2023758628
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2022-08-23
- Filing Date
- 2023-08-18
- Publication Date
- 2025-05-14
AI Technical Summary
Current heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco articles rely on reconstituted tobacco, which becomes sticky and difficult to process when high proportions of vapor-forming substances like glycerin and propylene glycol are used, leading to processing errors.
A method involving fermented green tobacco leaf material is threshed, treated with a humectant mixture of glycerin and/or propylene glycol, cut into strips, and dried to a moisture content below 15%, allowing the humectant to penetrate and absorb evenly, preventing stickiness and improving processing properties.
The method enables the production of cut tobacco with enhanced absorbency and processing properties, reducing stickiness and damage during processing, while maintaining the quality of HNB tobacco articles.
Smart Images
Figure 1.1
Abstract
Description
[0001] Process for producing cut tobacco from tobacco leaf material for use in HNB tobacco articles and HN B tobacco articles
[0002] Description
[0003] The invention relates to a method for producing cut tobacco from tobacco leaf material for use in HNB tobacco articles in the tobacco processing industry. Furthermore, the invention relates to a rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB tobacco article, and a tobacco blend.
[0004] When using a heat-not-burn tobacco product, the tobacco material is heated to a temperature lower than the temperature at which a conventional cigarette burns. The tobacco material is therefore not burned, but merely heated. No combustion process takes place, so unlike a conventional cigarette, no combustion products are produced. As the tobacco material is heated, flavor and other ingredients evaporate from the tobacco material and are released into a heated air stream, ready for consumption.
[0005] A heat-not-burn tobacco product shall be referred to as an HNB tobacco product in the context of this description.
[0006] Currently, only Recon (reconstituted tobacco) is used in HNB tobacco products. Recon is currently well-suited because it can be mixed with a vapor-forming substance, a mixture of glycerin and / or propylene glycol. With high levels of vapor-forming substances, Recon becomes very sticky and difficult to process, and such a material can lead to processing errors.
[0007] It is an object of the invention to provide a method for producing cut tobacco from tobacco leaf material and a tobacco leaf mixture for use in HNB tobacco articles, as well as a rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB tobacco article, wherein tobacco leaf material is to be used in the HNB tobacco article.
[0008] It is also an object of the invention to provide a method for producing cut tobacco from tobacco leaf material and a tobacco mixture with a high proportion of vapor-forming substance, in particular a mixture of glycerin and / or propylene glycol, for use in smoking articles, in particular HNB tobacco articles, as well as a smoking article, in particular an HNB tobacco article, wherein tobacco leaf material is used in the smoking article, in particular the HNB tobacco article, and wherein this tobacco leaf material has positive processing properties.
[0009] The object is achieved by a method for producing cut tobacco for use in smoking articles, in particular in HNB smoking articles of the tobacco processing industry, comprising the following steps: a) providing, in particular fermented, green tobacco leaf material b), in particular threshing the, preferably fermented, green tobacco leaf material to threshed green tobacco leaf material, c) applying a humectant to the green, preferably threshed, tobacco leaf material, wherein the humectant comprises glycerol and / or propylene glycol as a vapor-forming substance, wherein the ratio between green tobacco leaf material (dry matter without water) and humectant is preferably between 80:5 and 80:35, preferably between 80:15 and 80:25, d) cutting the green tobacco leaf material to a cut green tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form,preferably with an orthogonal orientation of the green tobacco leaf material to a cutting blade, e) drying the cut green tobacco leaf material to a tobacco leaf material with a moisture content of less than 15% (mass of water / total mass of moist tobacco leaf material).
[0010] The moisture content of tobacco leaf material is defined in this application as the mass of water in the tobacco leaf material relative to the mass of the moist tobacco leaf material, namely tobacco leaf material and water.
[0011] Tobacco leaf material is defined in this application as tobacco material consisting of components of the tobacco plant, in particular leaves of the tobacco plant, which are divided into pieces, which are in particular threshed, wherein the pieces have an area greater than 1 mm 2 and / or a volume greater than 0.1 mm 3Tobacco leaf material is not reconstituted tobacco, in which the components of the tobacco plant are ground into particles or fibers and processed into a film using binding agents.
[0012] Green tobacco leaf material is tobacco leaf material that has not been dried to a moisture content below 14%, preferably after harvesting, and especially not below 13%. This drying process, which results in moisture content below 14%, especially 13%, damages the cell structure of the tobacco leaves and limits the absorption and retention of humectants.
[0013] By moistening green tobacco leaf material with a humectant, this humectant can penetrate the cell structure of the green tobacco leaf material and be stored there. In contrast to tobacco leaf material that has already been dried to a moisture content below 14%, especially 13%, the humectant only deposits itself on the surface of the tobacco leaf material. The humectant preferably comprises glycerin and / or propylene glycol. If such a humectant is present on the surface of the tobacco leaf material, the surface exhibits sticky properties, and the tobacco leaf material can be processed with disadvantageous properties. In particular, the tobacco leaf material sticks to the processing and manufacturing machines and / or the tobacco leaf material sticks together, forming sticky clusters.
[0014] In a preferred embodiment of the process, the preferably fermented green tobacco leaf material, before it is threshed in particular in step b) or before it is cut in step d), is brought in an additional step b1) and / or d1) to a moisture content between 20% and 30% and / or a temperature between 30°C and 50°C, preferably between 40°C and 48°C. Moistening and / or heating the tobacco leaf material enables gentle cutting during the threshing and / or cutting process.
[0015] In a preferred embodiment of the method, the humectant which is applied to the green tobacco leaf material in step c) has a ratio between glycerol and / or propylene glycol and tobacco leaf material between 90:10 and 70:30 or between 60:40 and 40:60, wherein furthermore in particular the humectant is applied to the tobacco leaf material at a temperature between 40°C and 70°C, preferably between 45°C and 60°C.
[0016] In a preferred embodiment of the method, the drying of the cut tobacco leaf material in step e) takes place in at least two stages, wherein in sub-step e1) pre-drying to a moisture content of less than 16% takes place, preferably with a drying temperature T1 between 100°C and 120°C, and wherein in sub-step e2) post-drying to a moisture content of less than 12% takes place, preferably with a drying temperature T2 between 45°C and 55°C, wherein in particular T1 > T2, preferably T1 > T2+40°C. Through a two-stage drying process, the drying of the tobacco leaf material is simultaneously energy-efficient, fast and gentle.
[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the method, in step e) the cut tobacco leaf material is dried with warm air, wherein in particular the warm air has a temperature between 40°C and 60°C or of at least approximately 45°C, and / or preferably has a moisture content of less than 17% or 16% or 15% or 14% or 13% or 12%.
[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the process, the green tobacco leaf material provided with the humectant is brought to a temperature between 42°C and 48°C, in particular to a temperature between 44°C and 46°C, and / or to a moisture content between 20% and 21% in a further step d1*) before being cut in step d). The heated and moistened tobacco leaf material is easier to process because the tobacco leaf material is flexible and less brittle, so that the cutting process causes no or less damage to the tobacco leaf material.
[0019] In a preferred embodiment of the process, the cut tobacco leaf material is dried in step e) to a moisture content of between 6% and 10% or between 9% and 12% and / or the green tobacco leaf material is not dried to a moisture content of less than 17%, preferably less than 16% or 15%, particularly preferably less than 14% or 13%, before cutting in step d).
[0020] In a preferred embodiment of the method, in step d) the green tobacco leaf material is cut into cut green tobacco leaf material with a width between 0.6 mm and 1.7 mm, in particular to a width greater than 1.5 mm, or to a width between 0.1 mm and 0.4 mm. In order to be able to process the tobacco leaf material into rod-shaped smoking articles, it is preferably processed using established production methods. A preferred production method is the spreading of loose tobacco leaf material on an absorbent rod. For this purpose, the cut tobacco leaf material has a preferred width between 0.6 mm and 1.7 mm. The cut tobacco leaf material preferably has a length between 3 mm and 30 mm, preferably between 3 mm and 12 mm. The cut tobacco leaf material and / or the tobacco blend or the cut tobacco particularly preferably has a fiber length between 20 mmRe and 25 mmRe, preferably between 21 mmRe and 24 mmRe.
[0021] The object is also achieved by a smoking article, in particular a rod-shaped HNB article, comprising tobacco leaf material produced by the process according to the invention and / or comprising a tobacco blend according to the invention. To avoid repetition, the description of the advantages of a smoking article according to the invention refers to the entire disclosure of the application.
[0022] The object is also achieved by a tobacco mixture which comprises the following: - cut tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form with a width between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm, the tobacco mixture preferably comprises more than 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% tobacco leaf material (dry mass of tobacco leaf material / dry mass of tobacco mixture), - a humectant, preferably propylene glycol and / or glycerin, wherein the ratio between tobacco mixture (dry mass without water) and humectant is between 80:5 to 80:35, preferably between 80:15 to 80:25, wherein the tobacco mixture has a reflex value greater than 1.2, in particular greater than 1.3 or 1.5 or a reflex value between 1.25 and 1.8, and / or wherein the static friction of the tobacco mixture s is between 0.2 and 0.7, preferably between 0.25 and 0.5, or the static friction of the tobacco mixture s is less than 0.35 or 0.3, and / or the sliding friction pd is between 0.2 and 0.7, preferably between 0.25 and 0.5,or the sliding friction pd of the tobacco mixture is less than 0.35 or 0.3, and / or wherein the tobacco mixture has a moisture content of greater than 20% at a relative humidity of 75% (mass of water / total moist mass) and / or wherein the tobacco mixture has a moisture content of less than 18% at a relative humidity of 60% and / or wherein the tobacco mixture has a moisture content of less than 10% at a relative humidity of 30%, and / or wherein the tobacco mixture comprises cut tobacco leaf material in strip form with a strip width B and with a fiber length between 20 mmRe and 25 mmRe, preferably between 21 mmRe and 24 mmRe, and / or a ratio VFISb of fiber length and strip width between 10 mmRee / mm and 35 mmRe / mm, preferably between 12 mmRee / mm and 17 mmRe / mm or preferably between 27 mmRee / mm and 33 mmRe / mm.,
[0023] A key concept of the invention is to increase the absorption of humectants into the tobacco leaf material. By applying the humectant to green tobacco leaf material, the components of the tobacco plant can advantageously absorb the humectant, and the humectant can penetrate into the tobacco leaf material. This increases the absorbency of the tobacco leaf material and prevents the humectant from being located only on the outer surfaces of the tobacco leaf material. By accumulating the humectant, particularly glycerin and / or propylene glycol, on the outer surfaces of the tobacco leaf material, the material exhibits a high adhesive strength. This can lead to the formation of nests and clumps and complicate the processing of the tobacco leaf material.An advantage of the invention is the arrangement of the humectant in the tobacco leaf material, which can be described by a plurality of features listed by a and / or combination, but which form a group of inventions since they are based on the same inventive idea.
[0024] Fiber length is an important quality parameter for cut tobacco and tobacco blends and influences the quality characteristics of the smoking product, particularly the standard deviation of weight, hardness, head drop, draw resistance, and filling power. To determine fiber length, a sieve tower with various sieve inserts is used, and the fiber length is determined using the Reemtsma method (unit mmRe). The Reemtsma method is based on the basic idea of dividing a sample in a sieve tower into percentage weight components and assigning a fiber length to each weight component according to the mesh size or opening size of the sieve inserts. Four different sieve inserts are used and arranged one below the other from coarse to fine. The sieve inserts have a mesh size or opening size of 4 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, and 0.5 mm.For example, the JEL 200 / 80 screening machine from Borgwaldt Technik GmbH can be used to determine fiber length. The GA is calculated from the weight fractions. nn (GA40, GA20, GA and GA05) and an allocation factor, the fiber length FL in mmRe is given as:
[0025] FL =GA4o*35mmRe+ GA2o*35mmRe+ GAio*15mmRe+ GAos*4mmRe
[0026] The measurement procedure must be carried out under standard laboratory conditions, namely 22°C (+ / -2°C) and a relative humidity of 60% (+ / - 5%). The required amount of cut tobacco or tobacco blend is 50g. For one tobacco sample, 10 sievings are carried out using the sieve inserts listed and a tray arranged underneath. The sieve tower is set in horizontal vibration for 8 minutes during the sieving process. The sieve inserts with a mesh size of 4mm and 2mm are assigned a fiber length of 35mm, the sieve insert with a mesh size of 1mm is assigned a fiber length of 15mm, and the sieve insert with a mesh size of 0.5mm is assigned a fiber length of 4mm. This weighted average determines the fiber length of the cut tobacco or tobacco blend. Unless otherwise stated, the principles and procedure of the sieve analysis correspond to DIN standard 66165 (1987).
[0027] The width of the fibers or strips is determined by an optical method in which an image is taken of distributed fibers and the maximum fiber width or strip width, which in this application is also referred to simply as width, is determined by means of image processing algorithms.
[0028] To determine the filling power, a densimeter DD 60 A from Borgwaldt GmbH, for example, should be used. The determination or measurement should be carried out under standard laboratory conditions. To measure the filling power of cut tobacco or a tobacco blend, a measuring head with a suitable measuring container (cylinder) with a diameter of d = 60 mm and a height of 104 mm should be used. Six samples of 20 g (+ / - 1 g) each should be used. Two samples P1, P2 are conditioned at a relative humidity of 58% (+ / - 3%) and the other two samples P3, P4 at a relative humidity of 68% (+ / - 3%). The last two samples P5, P6 are not conditioned. All six samples should be measured, filled into the measuring container and loaded with a weight of 2 kg for 30 seconds.After 30 seconds, the density of the tobacco blend or cut tobacco is determined by measuring the volume of the compressed tobacco blend or cut tobacco. The volume and mass of the sample directly determine the density under load, namely the filling force FKp. n of samples P1 to P6. However, the filling force must be specified at a moisture content of 12%. Therefore, a moisture correction term must be determined from the four samples P1 to P4 (58%, 68%) in order to convert the filling force of samples P5 and P6 to a moisture content of 12%, assuming a linear relationship. After measuring the filling force of samples P5 and P6, the moisture content of both samples must be determined. The moisture correction term for samples P5 and P6 is therefore the factor (FKPI + FKP2) / 20 - (FKP3 + FKp4) / 20.
[0029] The moisture content of cut tobacco or the tobacco blend is determined using an oven method in which a 10g sample is heated for 30 minutes in an oven with an internal air temperature of 128°C. The moisture content is defined by the mass ratio of the water removed by the oven to the total mass of the sample. Thus, a moisture content of 20% results in a dried mass of 8g for a 10g sample.
[0030] When humidifying or conditioning for the measurement methods, the tobacco leaf material, cut tobacco or tobacco blend is stored for at least 24 hours at the specified relative humidity so that the tobacco leaf material, cut tobacco or tobacco blend can absorb the appropriate moisture from the air.
[0031] To determine the reflectance value, a densimeter DD 60 A from Borgwaldt GmbH, for example, can be used. The determination or measurement must be carried out under standard laboratory conditions. To measure the reflectance value of cut tobacco or a tobacco blend, a measuring head with a suitable measuring container (cylinder) with a diameter of d = 60 mm and a height of 104 mm must be used. Two samples of 20 g (+ / - 1 g) each must be used. All six samples must be measured, filled into the measuring container, and loaded with a weight of 2 kg for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the density of the tobacco blend or cut tobacco is determined by determining the volume of the compressed tobacco blend or compressed cut tobacco. The 2 kg load is removed, and the samples are not loaded for 60 seconds. After 60 seconds, the samples must be loaded with a weight of 0.5 kg.After 30 seconds, the density of the tobacco blend or cut tobacco is determined by measuring the volume of the compressed tobacco blend or cut tobacco. The reflex value is calculated from the volume ratio as Vo.5 kg / 2 kg. The numerator and denominator of the fraction are the arithmetic mean of the two volume values of the two samples. Analogous to the filling power determination, the measured sample must be converted to a moisture content of 12% using the moisture correction term.
[0032] Static and sliding friction are determined using a zwickiLine Z0.5 TN. A load cell is used to pull a sled containing a specimen across a horizontal plane by means of a cable. The evaluation is performed using ZwickRoell testing software. A piece of paper is clamped onto the sled, according to the clamping device, with double-sided adhesive tape, namely Tesa 4964, covering the contact surface. The adhesive tape is 6 cm wide and 6.5 cm long. The sled with the adhesive tape is placed in a container containing the tobacco blend or cut tobacco for 15 seconds and then placed on the test track. The bottom of the container is completely covered with the cut tobacco or tobacco blend.
[0033] A preferred embodiment of the tobacco mixture is characterized in that the filling power of the tobacco mixture is between 4 cm 3 / g and 10 cm 3 / g, preferably between 5 cm 3 / g and 6.5 cm 3 / g or preferably a filling power greater than 6 cm 3 / g.
[0034] A preferred embodiment of the tobacco mixture is characterized in that the cut tobacco leaf material has a strip shape, wherein at least 90 mass% of the cut tobacco leaf material has a length between 20 mm and 24 mm, preferably between 21.5 mm and 23 mm.
[0035] A preferred embodiment of the tobacco mixture is characterized in that the tobacco mixture comprises propylene glycol PG and glycerin GZ and the mass MVHZ and / or volume ratio VVHZ of glycerin and PG is: MVHZ = GZ / PG > 10 or MVHZ = GZ / PG > 15 and / or
[0036] VVHZ =GZ / PG > 10 or VVHZ =GZ / PG > 15.
[0037] The object is also achieved by a rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB smoking article, with a mouth-side end, a distal end and an aerosol-forming segment, wherein the aerosol-forming segment comprises a tobacco mixture, wherein the aerosol-forming segment preferably has a density between 150 mg / cm 3 and 300 mg / cm 3 and the tobacco mixture comprises cut tobacco leaf material and a humectant, preferably glycerol and / or propylene glycol, between 10% and 45% (relative to the total dry mass of the tobacco mixture), preferably between 18% and 32%.
[0038] A preferred embodiment of the rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB article, is characterized in that the tobacco mixture is an embodiment of the tobacco mixture according to the invention.
[0039] A preferred embodiment of the rod-shaped smoking article is characterized in that the rod-shaped smoking article does not have any cellulose acetate, in particular no filter segment with cellulose acetate.
[0040] The invention is explained below using preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures:
[0041] Fig. 1 is a schematic flow diagram of a method according to the invention for treating tobacco;
[0042] Fig. 2a is a representation of a first embodiment of a tobacco mixture according to the invention;
[0043] Fig. 2b shows a representation of a second embodiment of a tobacco mixture according to the invention; Fig. 3a shows a detailed representation of a first embodiment of a tobacco mixture according to the invention;
[0044] Fig. 3b is a detailed view of a second embodiment of a tobacco mixture according to the invention;
[0045] Fig. 4 a measuring device for determining the adhesion and
[0046] sliding friction; and
[0047] Fig. 5 shows a measuring method for determining the reflex value.
[0048] Fig. 1 shows a schematic flow diagram of a method according to the invention for producing cut tobacco with the method steps from a) to e2). The provision of green tobacco leaf material takes place in step a). After step a), the provided green tobacco leaf material is optionally moistened to a moisture content between 20% and 30%, preferably 22%, 24%, or 26%, and heated to a temperature between 30°C and 50°C, preferably to 35°C, 40°C, 45°C, or 50°C. This is done to ensure fair processing and to minimize damage to the structure of the tobacco leaf material, which occurs in particular during the subsequent method step b), threshing the green tobacco leaf material. A humectant is applied to the threshed green tobacco leaf material in step c).This humectant can penetrate the tobacco leaf material, and the tobacco leaf material absorbs and / or absorbs the humectant. By using green tobacco leaf material, in contrast to pre-dried tobacco leaf material, a large amount of humectant can be absorbed by the tobacco leaf material. For example, 200kg of humectant is applied to 1000kg of tobacco leaf material with a moisture content of 20%, i.e., 800kg of dry matter of the tobacco leaf material and 200l or 200kg of water. The humectant can, for example, contain 100kg of propylene glycol and 100kg of glycerin, or, for example, 200kg of glycerin. Any other mixing ratios are possible. Particularly advantageous is when the humectant has a higher mass of glycerin than propylene glycol. The ratio of the dry matter of the green tobacco leaf material to the humectant is 8:2 in the example given.
[0049] After application of the humectant, the green tobacco leaf material is to be moistened and heated in step d1) analogously to step b1) in order to prepare the tobacco leaf material for the mechanical stress in the subsequent step d), cutting. Alternatively to step d1) or in a further step d1*), the tobacco leaf material provided with the humectant is to be brought to a temperature between 42°C and 48°C, in particular to a temperature between 44°C and 46°C, and to a moisture content between 20% and 21%. The tobacco leaf material is preferably cut into strips with a width between 0.6 mm and 1.7 mm, for example 1.49 mm or 0.71 mm. The cutting width of the strips can also be specified in CPI (cuts per inch), with preferred strip widths being, for example, 15 CPI or 17 CPI, namely 1.49 mm, or 34 CPI or 40 CPI or 54 CPI or 51 CPI.Cutting is preferably performed using a straight-layer cut. This cutting method is applied to unthreshed tobacco leaf material, such as whole tobacco leaves, or pre-cut or threshed tobacco leaf material. The tobacco leaves are aligned such that the strong stiffeners of the tobacco leaf, such as the ribs or veins, are cut orthogonally by the cutting blades. This creates so-called "bird's eyes," which have a favorable structure and are easy to process in conventional production machines. The number of larger pieces of ribs or veins in the cut tobacco leaf material is reduced by this cutting method.
[0050] After cutting, drying takes place in step e). The drying process can be configured as a single-stage, two-stage, or multi-stage drying process. A two-stage drying process is preferably shown in Fig. 1 by process steps e1) and e2). In step e1), pre-drying to a moisture content of 16% takes place at a drying temperature T1 between 100°C and 120°C, for example, 108°C. In the subsequent step e2), post-drying to a moisture content of approximately 12% takes place at a drying temperature T2 between 45°C and 55°C, for example, 46°C or 48°C.
[0051] Figure 2 shows two embodiments of the cut tobacco according to the invention, which has a step width of 19 CPI in Figure 2a and a cut width of 51 CPI in Figure 2b. The cut tobacco or tobacco blend shown has a ratio of dry matter of the tobacco leaf material to humectant of 8:2 and can be advantageously processed without disruptive sticking of the cut tobacco strips.
[0052] Figure 3 shows a detailed view of the two tobacco blends or cut tobaccos in Figure 2. Figures 3a and 3b refer to the tobacco blends in Figures 2a and 2b, respectively. The cut widths are 19 CPI and 51 CPI, respectively. The fiber lengths are 22 mm Ree and 15 mm Ree, respectively.
[0053] Fig. 4 shows a measuring device for determining static and dynamic friction. Shown is a zwickiLine Z0.5 TN. A load cell 100 is used to pull a slide 105 with a specimen 106 across a horizontal plane 108 by a cable 101. The evaluation is performed using the Zwick-Roell testing software. A piece of paper with double-sided adhesive tape, namely Tesa 4964, is clamped onto the slide in accordance with the clamping device using the clamps 109, 110. The adhesive tape is 6 cm wide and 6.5 cm long. The slide 106 with the adhesive tape is to be placed in a container containing the tobacco blend or cut tobacco for 15 seconds so that the cut tobacco or tobacco blend adheres to the adhesive tape. The slide 106 with the specimen is then placed on the test section 120. The bottom surface of the container is completely covered with the cut tobacco or tobacco blend.The tensile force until the slide 106 is deflected is to be determined using the load cell. This tensile force is to be related to the normal force of the slide 106 acting on the horizontal plane 108.
[0054] Fig. 5 a to d shows the four measurement stages of the tobacco blend or cut tobacco when determining the reflectance value. The sample container has a diameter of 60 mm and a height of 104 mm. The 20 g sample is placed in the sample container (Fig. 5a). The sample is loaded with 2 kg for 30 seconds (Fig. 5b). The load is removed after 30 seconds, and the sample is allowed to expand for 60 seconds. The sample is then loaded with 0.5 kg for a further 30 seconds. The volumes V1 and V2 are determined from the heights H1 and H2. The ratio of V2 / V1 is the reflectance value. The reflectance value can be converted to a relative humidity of 12% using the humidity correction term for the reflectance value, analogous to the filling force measurement.
[0055] All mentioned features, including those that can be inferred from the drawing alone, as well as individual features disclosed in combination with other features, are considered essential to the invention, both individually and in combination. Embodiments according to the invention can be fulfilled by individual features or a combination of several features. Within the scope of the invention, features marked "in particular" or "preferably" are to be understood as optional features.
Claims
A method for producing cut tobacco for use in smoking articles, in particular in HNB smoking articles of the tobacco processing industry, comprising the following steps: a) providing, in particular fermented, green tobacco leaf material, b) in particular threshing the, preferably fermented, green tobacco leaf material to threshed green tobacco leaf material, c) applying a humectant to the green, preferably threshed, tobacco leaf material, wherein the humectant comprises glycerol and / or propylene glycol as a vapor-forming substance, wherein the ratio between green tobacco leaf material and humectant is between 80:5 and 80:35, preferably between 80:15 and 80:25, d) cutting the green tobacco leaf material to a cut green tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form, (e) drying the cut green tobacco leaf material to a tobacco leaf material with a moisture content of less than 15%.
2. Process according to claim 1, characterized in that the, preferably fermented, green tobacco leaf material, before it is threshed in particular in step b) or before it is cut in step d), is brought in an additional step b1) and / or d1) to a moisture content between 20% and 30% and / or a temperature between 30°C and 50°C, preferably between 40°C and 48°C.
3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the humectant which is applied to the green tobacco leaf material in step c) has a ratio between glycerol and / or propylene glycol and tobacco leaf material of between 90:10 and 70:30, wherein furthermore in particular the humectant is applied to the tobacco leaf material at a temperature between 40°C and 70°C, preferably between 45°C and 60°C.
4. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the drying of the cut tobacco leaf material in step e) takes place in at least two stages, wherein in sub-step e1) a pre-drying to a moisture content of less than 16% takes place, preferably with a drying temperature T1 between 100°C and 120°C, and wherein in sub-step e2) a subsequent drying to a moisture content of less than 12% takes place, preferably with a drying temperature T2 between 45°C and 55°C, wherein in particular T1 > T2, preferably T1 > T2+40°C.
5. Method according to one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that in step e) the cut tobacco leaf material is dried with warm air, wherein in particular the warm air has a temperature between 40°C and 60°C or at least approximately 45°C, and / or preferably has a moisture content of less than 17%.
6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the green tobacco leaf material provided with the humectant, before being cut in step d), is brought in a further step d1*) to a temperature between 42°C and 48°C, in particular to a temperature between 44°C and 46°C, and to a moisture content between 20% and 21%.
7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the cut tobacco leaf material is dried in step e) to a moisture content of between 6% and 10% or between 9% and 12% and / or that the green tobacco leaf material is not dried to a moisture content of less than 17%, preferably less than 16% or 15%, particularly preferably less than 14% or 13%, before cutting in step d).
8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that in step d) the green tobacco leaf material is cut into cut green tobacco leaf material having a width between 0.6 mm and 1.7 mm, in particular to a width greater than 1.5 mm, or to a width between 0.1 to 0.4 mm.
9. Smoking article, in particular a rod-shaped HNB article, comprising tobacco leaf material produced according to one of claims 1 to 8 and / or comprising a tobacco mixture according to one of claims 10 to 15. Tobacco blend containing: - cut tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form with a width between 0.5 mm and 1.5 mm, preferably the tobacco mixture comprises more than 60%, 70%, 80% or 90% tobacco leaf material, - a humectant, preferably propylene glycol and / or glycerin, wherein the ratio between tobacco mixture (dry mass without water) and humectant is between 80:5 and 80:35, preferably between 80:15 and 80:25, wherein the tobacco mixture has a reflex value greater than 1.2, in particular greater than 1.3 or 1.5, or a reflex value between 1.25 and 1.80.and / or wherein the static friction of the tobacco mixture ps is between 0.2 and 0.7, preferably between 0.25 and 0.5, or the static friction of the tobacco mixture ps is less than 0.35 or 0.3, and / or the sliding friction pd is between 0.2 and 0.7, preferably between 0.25 and 0.5, or the sliding friction pd of the tobacco mixture is less than 0.35 or 0.3, and / or wherein the tobacco mixture has a moisture content of greater than 20% at a relative air humidity of 75% and / or wherein the tobacco mixture has a moisture content of less than 18% at a relative air humidity of 60% and / or wherein the tobacco mixture has a moisture content of less than 10% at a relative air humidity of 30%. Tobacco mixture according to claim 10, characterized in that the filling power of the tobacco mixture is between 4 cm. 3 / g and 10 cm 3 / g, preferably between 5 cm 3 / g and 6.5 cm 3 / g or preferably a filling power greater than 6 cm 3 / g. Tobacco mixture according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the cut tobacco leaf material has a strip shape, wherein at least 90 mass% of the cut tobacco leaf material has a length between 20 mm and 24 mm, preferably between 21.5 mm and 23 mm. Tobacco mixture according to one of claims 10 to 12, characterized in that the tobacco mixture comprises propylene glycol PG and glycerol GZ, and the mass ratio MVHZ and / or volume ratio VVHZ of glycerol and PG is: MVHZ = GZ / PG > 10 or MVHZ = GZ / PG > 15 and / or VVHZ = GZ / PG > 10 or VVHZ = GZ / PG > 15. Rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB smoking article, with a mouth-side end, a distal end and an aerosol-forming segment, wherein the aerosol-forming segment comprises a tobacco blend, wherein the aerosol-forming segment preferably has a density between 150 mg / cm 3and 300 mg / cm 3 and the tobacco mixture comprises cut tobacco leaf material and a humectant, preferably glycerin and / or propylene glycol, between 10% and 45%, preferably between 18% and 32%. A rod-shaped smoking article, in particular an HNB article, according to claim 14, characterized in that the tobacco mixture is designed according to one of claims 10 to 13. A rod-shaped smoking article according to claim 14 or claim 15, characterized in that the rod-shaped smoking article does not contain any cellulose acetate, in particular any filter segment with cellulose acetate.