Method for producing cut tobacco and a tobacco mixture for use in smoking articles, and smoking article

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing tobacco leaf material, cut tobacco and a tobacco mixture for use in tobacco articles, and to a tobacco article. The method for producing tobacco leaf material and cut tobacco comprises the following steps: providing green tobacco leaf material, cutting the green tobacco leaf material to form a cut green tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form, expanding the cut green tobacco leaf material, and drying the cut green tobacco leaf material to form a tobacco leaf material having a moisture content of less than 15%. The invention relates to a tobacco mixture having a high filling capacity in combination with a high strength of the tobacco fibers.

Description

[0001] Process for producing cut tobacco and a tobacco mixture for use in smoking articles and smoking articles

[0002] Description

[0003] The invention relates to a method for producing cut tobacco from tobacco leaf material for use in combustible tobacco articles in the tobacco processing industry. Furthermore, the invention relates to a rod-shaped smoking article and a tobacco blend.

[0004] When manufacturing combustible smoking products, it is advantageous to use a small amount of tobacco leaf material or tobacco while still meeting the requirements regarding filling power, nicotine content and processability of the tobacco leaf material or tobacco.

[0005] There are state-of-the-art processes in which the tobacco leaf material is expanded or inflated with gases, such as nitrogen or CO2, to increase filling power. This allows a cigarette with the same haptic properties to contain less tobacco.

[0006] The expansion process makes the tobacco fibers unstable, causing them to easily disintegrate during processing and creating dust. Furthermore, the expansion process reduces the nicotine content in the tobacco leaf material, so high-quality tobacco leaf material must be used as the starting material to achieve the desired nicotine content in the final product.

[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 combustible smoking articles, as well as a rod-shaped smoking article and a tobacco mixture, so that, in particular, the tobacco leaf material is processed gently, a high filling power is achieved and the tobacco leaf material withstands the mechanical stresses during the processing into smoking articles without any significant changes in quality.

[0008] The object is achieved by a method for producing cut tobacco for use in smoking articles of the tobacco processing industry, comprising the following steps: a) providing green tobacco leaf material, b) in particular threshing the green tobacco leaf material to threshed green tobacco leaf material, b*) in particular no or little application of a humectant to the green, preferably threshed, tobacco leaf material, wherein the humectant comprises glycerin and / or propylene glycol as a vapor-forming substance, wherein the ratio between green tobacco leaf material and humectant is preferably between 80:0 and 80:3, preferably between 80:0 and 80:1, c) cutting the green tobacco leaf material to a cut green tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form, d) expanding the cut green tobacco leaf material by heating the green tobacco leaf material to a temperature between 85°C and 95°C,preferably between 88°C and 92°C, in particular the heating is carried out by steam, and e) drying the cut green tobacco leaf material to a dried tobacco leaf material with a moisture content of less than 15%. 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 in particular tobacco leaf material and water.

[0009] 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.

[0010] Green tobacco leaf material is tobacco leaf material that has not been dried to a moisture content below 14%, especially not below 13%, preferably after harvesting. This drying process, which involves drying to a moisture content below 14%, especially 13%, causes damage to the cell structure of the tobacco leaves.

[0011] This damage limits the resistance and expansion capacity of the tobacco leaf material.

[0012] By expanding the green tobacco leaf material by heating, preferably with steam, the internal cell structure of the green tobacco leaf material is preserved. In particular, the areas of the tobacco leaf that enable gas exchange and / or photosynthesis are not closed or destroyed. In contrast to tobacco leaf material that has already been dried to a moisture content below 14%, in particular 13%, certain areas of the tobacco leaf material are already destroyed or closed, so that the expansion process cannot be advantageously implemented without additional gases, such as nitrogen or CO2. The expansion process, in particular step d), leads in particular to a volume increase of at least 10%, preferably at least 20% or 30%, particularly preferably at least 40%, and / or preferably to a volume increase of a maximum of 40% or 50%.In general, the expansion process or "expanding" simply refers to an increase in filling power, which results from altered properties of the expanded tobacco leaf material. Despite the high filling power, the tobacco leaf material remains robust and resistant to mechanical stress in the processing and manufacturing machines.

[0013] A preferred development of the method is characterized in that the green tobacco leaf material, before it is threshed in particular in step b) or before it is cut in step c), is brought in an additional step b1) and / or c1) to a moisture content between 22% and 26%, preferably 24%, and / or a temperature between 40°C and 48°C, preferably between 42°C and 47°C, preferably 45°C.

[0014] Thermal treatment and / or moistening prior to mechanical stressing of the tobacco leaf material facilitates processing, reduces dust formation, and handles the tobacco leaf material more gently. In particular, the combination of moistening to a moisture content between 22% and 26% and / or heating to a temperature between 42°C and 47°C in combination with the expansion in step d) leads to a beneficial result, particularly increased filling power of the cut tobacco.

[0015] A preferred development of the method is characterized in that the nicotine content of the green tobacco leaf material in step a) corresponds to the nicotine content of the dried tobacco leaf material in step e), and / or the ratio of the nicotine contents N_(tobacco leaf material) / N_(green tobacco leaf material) is between 0.9 and 1, preferably between 0.95 and 1. Due to the gentle treatment of the tobacco leaf material, in particular the one-time final drying in step e), extremely little nicotine is flushed out of the tobacco leaf material. This leads to enormous cost savings in the purchase of the starting material.

[0016] A preferred development of the method is 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 13% 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.

[0017] Two-stage drying results in extremely gentle treatment of the tobacco leaf material and minimal leaching of nicotine. This type of drying process also saves energy.

[0018] A preferred development of the method is 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 of at least approximately 45°C, and / or preferably has a moisture content of less than 17%.

[0019] A preferred development of the method is characterized in that the green tobacco leaf material has ribs and, before being cut in step c), is aligned in a further step c1*) such that the ribs of the tobacco leaf material are arranged substantially orthogonally to cutting blades to perform a straight-layer cut. The straight-layer cut cuts the more solid components of the tobacco leaf material at right angles to their longitudinal axial extent. This results in small components of the ribs or veins of the tobacco leaf material, so that these components can be advantageously processed and do not necessarily have to be separated and discharged.

[0020] A preferred development of the method is characterized in that the cut tobacco leaf material is dried in step e) to a moisture content 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%, prior to cutting in step c). This results in advantageous further processing and desired properties for the smoking product to be produced.

[0021] A preferred development of the method is characterized in that in step c) 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 to 0.4 mm.

[0022] The object is also achieved by a smoking article, in particular a rod-shaped combustible smoking article, comprising tobacco leaf material which is produced according to the above-mentioned method, a further development of the method or combinations of the further developments and / or comprising a tobacco mixture described below.

[0023] The task is also solved by a tobacco blend that has the following:

[0024] - 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, - in particular one or no humectant, preferably propylene glycol and / or glycerin, wherein the ratio between tobacco mixture (dry matter without water) and humectant is between 80:0 to 80:3, preferably between 80:1 to 80:2, in particular the tobacco mixture comprises no humectant, and wherein the filling power of the tobacco mixture is between 7.0 cm 3 / g and 11 .0 cm 3 / g, preferably between 8.0 cm 3 / g and 9.5 cm 3 / g or the filling power is greater than 8.5 cm 3 / g or larger than 9.0 cm 3 / g, 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 tobacco mixture has a sieve resilience of greater than 80% or greater than 90% or greater than 94% or greater than 96% or greater than 98% and / or in particular a fiber length greater than 15 mmRe or 18 mmRe or 19 mmRe, preferably a fiber length between 18 mmRe and 26 mmRe or particularly preferably between 19 mmRe and 24 mmRe, and / or wherein the Reemtsma residue ReR in determining the fiber length is less than 2%, preferably less than 1.5% or particularly preferably less than 1.3%, and / or wherein the filling power-moisture change ratio of the tobacco mixture is between 0.9 and 1.1 , preferably between 0.95 and 1.05 or particularly preferably substantially 1.

[0025] The tobacco blend according to the invention comprises cut tobacco leaf material, wherein the tobacco blend exhibits high filling power and is extremely resistant to mechanical stress. The measurability of the mechanical stress is specified by the reflex value, the sieve resilience, the Reemtsma residual, and / or the filling power-to-moisture change ratio. A preferred embodiment of the tobacco blend is characterized in that the tobacco blend contains no humectant.

[0026] A preferred embodiment of the tobacco mixture is characterized in that the cut tobacco leaf material has a strip shape, with at least 90% by mass of the cut tobacco leaf material having a length between 20 mm and 24 mm, preferably between 21.5 mm and 23 mm. Such fiber distribution can be determined by optical analysis, for example, by a camera recording with subsequent image evaluation.

[0027] The tobacco blend can preferably be a mixture of cut tobacco or tobacco leaf material produced by the process according to the invention and conventional tobacco material or conventional tobacco leaf material. The proportion of cut tobacco or tobacco leaf material produced by the process according to the invention in the tobacco blend can preferably be at least 10%, 20%, or 30% and / or a maximum of 50%, 60%, 70%, 80%, or 90%. The blend ratio of cut tobacco according to the invention and conventional tobacco material or conventional tobacco leaf material has a direct influence on the quality parameters, for example, on the screen resilience.

[0028] The object is also achieved by a rod-shaped smoking article, in particular a combustible smoking article, with a mouth-side end, a distal end and a tobacco-containing segment, wherein the tobacco-containing segment has a previously described tobacco mixture and / or a material mixture described below.

[0029] A preferred embodiment of the rod-shaped smoking article is characterized in that the rod-shaped smoking article does not contain cellulose acetate, in particular does not contain a filter segment containing cellulose acetate. Due to the absence of cellulose acetate, for example, due to the use of paper filter segments, the smoking article is environmentally friendly. This object is also achieved by a material mixture for use in combustible and / or non-combustible smoking products, characterized in that the material mixture contains another, in particular cellulose-containing, material instead of the tobacco leaf material, for example a paper material or a plant material, preferably a sheet material made of corn starch.

[0030] To improve the smoking properties of smoking articles, the tobacco leaf material can be replaced with another material, for example another natural material. According to the invention, this other material has the corresponding inventive properties of the cut tobacco or tobacco blend, namely the filling power and the screen resilience and / or the reflex value and / or the filling power-moisture change ratio. Starting from any material, especially natural ones, this is significantly easier to produce than the cut tobacco or tobacco blend. For example, a paper material with advantageous stiffness can be cut and embossed or deformed to produce a cut material with the corresponding properties.This material can be mixed with nicotine or other active and / or flavoring liquids to achieve appropriate smoking properties for a combustible or non-combustible smoking product.

[0031] In order to be able to process the tobacco leaf material or the other material into rod-shaped smoking articles, it is preferably processed using established manufacturing processes. A preferred manufacturing process is the spreading of loose tobacco leaf material or other material on an absorbent rod. For this purpose, the cut tobacco leaf material or other material has a preferred width of between 0.6 mm and 1.7 mm. The cut tobacco leaf material preferably has a length of 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 and / or the other material particularly preferably has a fiber length of between 20 mmRe and 25 mmRe, preferably between 21 mmRe and 24 mmRe.

[0032] 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 GA10 and GA05) and an allocation factor, the fiber length FL in mmRe results:

[0033] FL =GA4o*35mmRe+ GA2o*35mmRe+ GAio*15mmRe+ GAo5*4mmRe

[0034] 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 listed sieve inserts 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).

[0035] To determine sieve resilience, the fiber length measurement procedure using the Reemtsma method must be performed twice in succession. The quotient of the determined fiber lengths FL1 (first measurement) and FL2 (second measurement) yields the sieve resilience FL2 / FL1. For example, if the fiber length after the first measurement is FL1 = 23 mmRe and after the second measurement FL2 = 21 mmRe, this results in a sieve resilience of 21 / 23, or approximately 91.3%.

[0036] When determining the fiber length according to the Reemtsma method, each sieve insert contains a certain mass or a certain weight fraction GA nnThe fiber length according to the Reemtsma method is determined from the weight fractions GA40, GA20, GA, and GA05. The weight fraction GAoo results from the components of the tobacco sample that fall through the lowest sieve insert with a mesh size or opening of 0.5 mm and collect in the collecting tray located below the sieve insert. If, for example, 5.5 g of the tobacco sample is in the lowest collecting tray after sieving, this results in a Reemtsma residue of ReR = 0.55 g / 50 g = 1.1%. Therefore, if the tobacco sample is resistant to mechanical stress, the Reemtsma residue is very low.

[0037] The width and / or length of the fibers or strips is determined by an optical method in which an image is taken of individual 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.

[0038] To determine the filling power, a densimeter DD 60 A from Bordwaldt 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 c or the cut tobacco is determined by measuring the volume of the compressed tobacco blend or the compressed cut tobacco. The volume and mass of the sample directly determine the density under load, namely the filling force FK. Pn 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 (FK Pi + FK P2 ) / 20-(FK P3 + FK P4 ) / 20.

[0039] The filling power-moisture change ratio is defined as the amount of | (FKPI + FK P2 ) / (FKP3 + FK P4) |. A fill power-moisture change ratio of approximately 1 means that the fill power does not change significantly as a function of moisture for the values ​​58% and 68%. In the case of an unstable tobacco fiber or an unstable cut tobacco leaf material, increased moisture leads to a reduction in fill power. If the tobacco fiber or the cut tobacco leaf material is resilient, increased moisture results in a slight change in fill power. Preferably, the fill power-moisture change ratio is between 15 and 1 / 15 or particularly preferably between 20 and 1 / 20 or preferably the fill power-moisture change ratio is within one of the following intervals: [1, 1 / 15], [1, 1 / 20], [1, 15] and / or [1, 20]. A low fill power-moisture change ratio reflects a slight change in fill power as a function of moisture.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] To determine the reflectance value, a densimeter DD 60 A from Bordwaldt 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.5kg / V2kg. 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.

[0043] The invention is explained below using preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying figures.

[0044] Fig. 1 is a schematic flow diagram of a method according to the invention for treating tobacco;

[0045] Fig. 2a, b a representation of a first and a second embodiment of a tobacco mixture according to the invention;

[0046] Fig. 3a, b a detailed view of the first and second embodiment of the tobacco mixture according to the invention from Fig. 2 a and b respectively; and

[0047] Fig. 4 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 moistened in step b1) optionally to a moisture content between 20% and 30%, preferably 22% or 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. In step b*), a humectant is optionally applied to the threshed green tobacco leaf material.This humectant can penetrate the tobacco leaf material, and the tobacco leaf material absorbs and / or absorbs the humectant. The ratio of the dry mass of the green tobacco leaf material to the humectant is 80:1 or 80:2 in the example given. Preferably, step b*) is not performed, and thus the ratio is 80:0.

[0049] In step c1), the green tobacco leaf material is moistened and heated analogously to step b1) to prepare the tobacco leaf material for the mechanical stress in the subsequent step c), cutting. Preparation for the straight-layer cut takes place alternatively to step c1) or in a further step c1*). This cutting process is to be used on unthreshed tobacco leaf material, for example, whole tobacco leaves, or pre-cut or threshed tobacco leaf material. In step c1*), the tobacco leaves are to be 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 process. 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.

[0050] After step c), step d) is followed by expanding, which is achieved by heating the green tobacco leaf material to a temperature between 85°C and 95°C, preferably between 88°C and 92°C, particularly with steam. Example temperatures are 91°C, 90°C, or 94°C.

[0051] After expansion, 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.

[0052] 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. 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 blend of Figures 2a and 2b, respectively.

[0053] The cutting widths are 19 CPI and 51 CPI, respectively. The fiber lengths are 22 mm Ree and 15 mm Ree, respectively. The fill power is 8.3 cm. 3 / g or 9.7 cm 3 / G.

[0054] Fig. 4 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. 4a). The sample is loaded with 2 kg for 30 seconds (Fig. 4b). The load is removed after 30 seconds, and the sample is allowed to expand for 60 seconds (Fig. 4c). The sample is then loaded with 0.5 kg for a further 30 seconds (Fig. 4d). 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 shown in 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 may 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

(amended) patent claims 1. A method for producing cut tobacco for use in smoking articles of the tobacco processing industry, comprising the following steps: a) providing green tobacco leaf material, b) in particular threshing the green tobacco leaf material to threshed green tobacco leaf material, b*) no or little application of a humectant to the green, preferably threshed, tobacco leaf material, wherein the humectant comprises glycerol and / or propylene glycol as a vapor-forming substance, c) cutting the green tobacco leaf material to a cut green tobacco leaf material, preferably in strip form, d) expanding the cut green tobacco leaf material by heating the green tobacco leaf material to a temperature between 88°C and 92°C, in particular the heating is carried out by steam, and e) drying the cut green tobacco leaf material to a dried tobacco leaf material with a moisture content of less than 15%.

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the green tobacco leaf material, before it is threshed in particular in step b) or before it is cut in step c), is brought in an additional step b1) and / or c1) to a moisture content between 22% and 26%, preferably 24%, and / or a temperature between 40°C and 48°C, preferably between 42°C and 47°C, preferably 45°C.

3. Method according to one of claims 1 or 2, characterized in that the nicotine content of the green tobacco leaf material in step a) corresponds to the nicotine content of the dried tobacco leaf material in step e), and / or the ratio of the nicotine contents N_(tobacco leaf material) / N_(green tobacco leaf material) is between 0.9 and 1, preferably between 0.95 and 1.

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 13% 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 of 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 has ribs and, before being cut in step c), is aligned in a further step c1 *) such that the ribs of the tobacco leaf material are arranged substantially orthogonally to cutting blades in order to carry out a straight-layer cut.

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 c).

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that in step c) 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. 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, one or no humectant, preferably propylene glycol and / or glycerin, wherein the ratio between tobacco mixture (dry matter without water) and humectant is between 80:0 to 80:3, preferably between 80:1 to 80:2, in particular the tobacco mixture does not comprise any humectant, wherein the filling power of the tobacco mixture is between 7.0 cm 3 / g and 11 .0 cm 3 / g, preferably between 8.0 cm 3 / g and 9.5 cm 3 / g or the filling power is greater than 8.5 cm 3 / g or larger than 9.0 cm 3 / g, 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 tobacco mixture has a sieve resilience of greater than 80% or greater than 90% or greater than 94% or greater than 96% or greater than 98% and / or wherein the Reemtsma residue ReR in determining the fiber length is less than 2%, preferably less than 1.5% or particularly preferably less than 1.3%, and / or the filling power-moisture change ratio of the tobacco mixture is between 0.9 and 1.1, preferably between 0.95 and 1.05 or particularly preferably is substantially 1.

10. Tobacco mixture according to claim 9, characterized in that the tobacco mixture does not contain a humectant.

11. Tobacco mixture according to claim 9 or 10, 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.

12. A rod-shaped smoking article, in particular a combustible smoking article, having a mouth end, a distal end and a tobacco-containing segment, wherein the tobacco-containing segment comprises a tobacco mixture according to at least one of claims 9 to 11.

13. Rod-shaped smoking article according to claim 12, characterized in that the rod-shaped smoking article does not contain any cellulose acetate, in particular no filter segment with cellulose acetate.

14. Material mixture for use in combustible and / or non-combustible smoking products according to at least one of claims 9 to 11, characterized in that the material mixture comprises another, in particular cellulose-containing, material instead of the tobacco leaf material, for example a paper material or a vegetable material, preferably a web material made of corn starch.

15. Smoking article, in particular rod-shaped combustible smoking article, comprising tobacco leaf material, which according to one of the claims 1 to 8 and / or comprising a tobacco mixture according to any one of claims 9 to 11.

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