Tobacco extract composition and method for producing same

Abstract

To provide a tobacco extract composition that exhibits a superior smoking flavor and aroma, and a method for producing the tobacco extract composition. [Solution] A method for producing a tobacco extract composition includes a heating step of heating a tobacco raw material to a temperature of 100 to 270°C, and a recovery step of recovering the volatile matter produced in the heating step.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to tobacco extract compositions and methods for making the same. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, non-combustion flavor inhalation articles have been developed. In these articles, an aerosol is generated by heating an aerosol-generating substrate. Patent Document 1 relates to a method for producing a pre-vapor formulation for use in such electronic vaping devices, and discloses a production method including the steps of heating a tobacco material to recover volatile matter and combining the volatile matter with a pre-vapor formulation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Special Publication No. 2019-507592 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The inventors have preliminarily studied the method described in Patent Document 1, and found that there is room for improvement, particularly in terms of smoking flavor. In view of these circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a tobacco extract composition that exhibits a more excellent smoking flavor. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The inventors have found that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by heating the tobacco raw material at a specific temperature. That is, the above-mentioned problems are solved by the present invention described below. Aspect 1 a heating step of heating the tobacco raw material to a temperature of 100 to 270°C; a recovery step of recovering the volatile matter generated in the heating step; A method for producing a tobacco extract composition, comprising: Aspect 2 The method according to aspect 1, wherein the temperature is 200 to 250°C. Aspect 3 3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the particle size of the tobacco raw material measured in accordance with ASTM E11-95 is 0.5 to 2 mm. Aspect 4 A method according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein the tobacco material is selected from burley, flue-cured tobacco, or a combination thereof. Aspect 5 When the diameter of the pipe through which the volatile matter is discharged in the heating step is D1 and the diameter of the pipe through which the volatile matter is introduced in the recovery step is D2, D2 / D1≦0.17 The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein Aspect 6 A tobacco extract composition produced by the production method according to any one of aspects 1 to 5. Aspect 7 A tobacco extract composition according to aspect 6, wherein the turbidity (OD660) measured using a spectrophotometer is 0.90 to 1.80 when the concentration of the polyol component is 15 to 35% by weight. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] The present invention can provide a tobacco extract composition that exhibits a superior flavor and aroma. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] Conceptual diagram of a tobacco extract composition manufacturing device [Figure 2] Schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a non-combustion indirectly heated smoking article DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present invention will be described in detail below. In the present invention, "X to Y" includes the extreme values ​​X and Y.

[0009] 1. Manufacturing method The method for producing a tobacco extract composition according to this embodiment includes a heating step of heating a tobacco raw material to a temperature of 100 to 270°C, and a recovery step of recovering volatile matter produced in the heating step. The tobacco extract composition is a composition that exhibits a flavor extracted from the tobacco raw material. Figure 1 shows one aspect of the production method according to this embodiment. In the figure, 100 denotes the tobacco raw material, 110 denotes a container, 102 denotes an air introduction tube, 104 denotes an exhaust pipe, 200 denotes the tobacco extract composition, 120 denotes a collection container, 122 denotes an ice-water bath, and 130 denotes a pipe.

[0010] (1)Heating process 1) Tobacco raw materials Various tobacco raw materials 100 can be used, including flue-cured tobacco, burley, oriental tobacco, native tobacco, other species belonging to Nicotiana tabacum or Nicotiana rustica, and mixtures thereof. A suitable blend of the aforementioned varieties can be used as the mixture to achieve the desired flavor and aroma. Furthermore, raw materials from any origin can be selected so that the tobacco extract composition according to this embodiment has the desired flavor and aroma characteristics. For example, when the tobacco extract composition according to this embodiment is used in a product with a high nicotine content, it is preferable to prepare the tobacco extract composition from a high-nicotine variety with a nicotine content of 6% by weight or more. Examples of such varieties and origins include Japanese burley and Philippine sun-dried tobacco. Details of these tobacco varieties are disclosed in "Encyclopedia of Tobacco," Tobacco Research Center, March 31, 2009. Furthermore, as described in WO2021 / 070932, leaves with a high nicotine content obtained through specific fertilization and harvesting can also be used. Specifically, the leaves are obtained by applying 6 to 15 kg / 10a of nitrogen fertilizer between one week before and one week after top pruning in burley cultivation; pruning one to two leaves deeper than usual; harvesting and removing unnecessary leaves early; harvesting the leaves after extending the period from pruning to harvest by one to two weeks longer than usual; and air-drying. Alternatively, the tobacco raw material may be subjected to a known alkali treatment.

[0011] The tobacco raw material 100 may be shredded or powdered tobacco raw material (hereinafter also referred to as "raw material pieces"). In such cases, if the particle size is excessively large, the stirring efficiency in this step may decrease. On the other hand, if the particle size is excessively small, it may be difficult to process the raw material into a molded product or the like. From this perspective, it is preferable that the particle size of the raw material pieces, measured in accordance with ASTM-E11-95, is 0.5 to 2 mm. Having this particle size means that the raw material pieces do not pass through a sieve with 0.5 mm openings (>0.5 mm) but pass through a sieve with 2.36 mm openings (<2.5 mm). This measurement is preferably performed using dried raw material pieces by a mechanical shaking method.

[0012] The particle size of the raw material pieces can be adjusted to the desired range by classification. For example, the particle size can be adjusted as follows: i) Prepare a sieve L with an opening size near the smallest particle size of the raw material pieces, a sieve M with an opening size near the largest particle size of the raw material pieces, and several sieves with openings between L and M. ii) Use these sieve openings to sift and classify the raw material pieces using a dry mechanical shaking method. iii) Collect the classified fractions appropriately to obtain raw material pieces with the desired particle size. Specifically, to obtain raw material pieces with a particle size of 0.5 to 2 mm, fractions obtained by classification using sieves with openings of 2.36 mm, 2 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.18 mm, 1 mm, 0.85 mm, 0.71 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.425 mm can be mixed.

[0013] The average particle size can be determined by classifying the particles according to the above steps i) to iii), measuring the amount of the fraction remaining on each sieve, and dividing the weights accordingly. For example, the average particle size can be determined by measuring the weights of the fractions obtained by classifying the particles using sieves with openings of 2.36 mm, 2 mm, 1.7 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.18 mm, 1 mm, 0.85 mm, 0.71 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.5 mm, and 0.425 mm, and dividing the weights accordingly.

[0014] 2) Temperature Preferably, the container 110 is equipped with a stirring device, and the tobacco material 100 is stirred. In this process, the tobacco material 100 is heated to a temperature of 100 to 270°C. The temperature of the tobacco material 100 can be measured by placing a temperature sensor inside the container 110 so that it is in contact with the tobacco material 100. The temperature sensor may be a thermocouple. The temperature is preferably 200 to 250°C. Heating the tobacco material 100 generates volatile components. A branch is provided in the pipe 130 via a valve, so that volatile components generated before the temperature reaches the lower limit and volatile components generated when the temperature exceeds the upper limit are not introduced into the collection container 120.

[0015] 3) Atmosphere The atmosphere in which the tobacco raw material 100 is placed is not limited, but from the perspective of increasing the efficiency of exhausting volatile components, it is preferably an air-flowing atmosphere.

[0016] The tobacco raw material 100 can be heated in a bulk state without using a solvent, or it can be heated while immersed in a solvent. Preferred solvents include polyols such as glycerin and propylene glycol. By pre-mixing the tobacco raw material with a solvent or pre-immersing the tobacco raw material in a solvent before the heat treatment, the solvent and raw material are heated in a sufficiently mixed state, thereby improving collection efficiency. For example, the tobacco raw material 100 can be mixed with a solvent and left to stand under balanced conditions (relative humidity 60%, 23°C) for approximately 12 to 24 hours. Furthermore, in this process, a solvent supply port can be provided in the container 110, and the solvent can be supplied into the container through the supply port.

[0017] (2) Recovery process The collecting vessel 120 is connected to the vessel 110 via a pipe 130. The volatile components exhausted from the vessel 110 are introduced into the collecting vessel 120. The collecting vessel 120 may be filled with a collecting solvent. It is also preferable that the collecting vessel 120 constitutes an enclosed space. To obtain an extract processed at a predetermined product temperature, a device for separating the extract according to the product temperature may be used in combination.

[0018] The collection solvent is not limited as long as it can dissolve the flavor components, but preferably water or an aqueous organic solvent such as glycerin or ethanol can be used. The ambient temperature or the temperature of the collection solvent during collection is not limited, but is preferably about -20 to 10°C from the viewpoint of increasing collection efficiency. For this reason, collection container 20 may be immersed in an ice-water bath.

[0019] When the diameter of the pipe through which the volatile components are discharged in the heating step (also referred to as the "exhaust pipe") is D1 and the diameter of the pipe through which the volatile components are introduced in the recovery step (also referred to as the "inlet pipe") is D2, it is preferable that these satisfy the following relationship. When this relationship is satisfied, the volatile components are liquefied by inertial collision, improving the recovery efficiency of the volatile components. The diameter of the inlet pipe may be constant throughout the pipe or may vary. When the diameter of the inlet pipe varies, the diameter of the part connected to the outlet pipe is designated as D2. D2 / D1≦0.17 When this relationship is satisfied, it is possible to collect the volatile components without requiring additional steps or equipment such as bubbling or cooling, thereby simplifying the process.

[0020] 2. Tobacco extract composition In the manner described above, the tobacco extract composition 200 is produced. The tobacco extract composition contains at least a nicotine component, which is an indicator of flavor components. The tobacco extract composition 200 further contains components that can impart tobacco-like astringency, fragrantness, and sweetness that could not be achieved with conventional flavorings. It is presumed that these components result from the generation of volatile components at the above-mentioned temperature.

[0021] The tobacco extract composition has a characteristic that, when the concentration of the polyol component contained in the tobacco extract composition is 15 to 35% by weight, the turbidity (OD660) measured using a spectrophotometer is about 0.90 to about 1.80. A tobacco extract composition with low turbidity is less likely to produce burnt components when used in smoking articles. The turbidity is measured with reference to JIS K 0101.

[0022] 3. Smoking articles The tobacco extract composition according to this embodiment is suitable for use in smoking articles. For example, it is useful as an aerosol source for a non-combustion indirectly heated flavor inhalation article as shown in FIG. 2. It is also useful as a flavor source for a combustion smoking article or a non-combustion directly heated smoking article, or as a flavoring agent for a filter, etc. In particular, since the tobacco extract composition is useful as an aerosol source for a non-combustion indirectly heated flavor inhalation article as shown in FIG. 2, the following description will be given using this article as an example.

[0023] 2(1) and (2) show preferred embodiments of a non-combustion flavor inhalation article and a non-combustion flavor inhalation system. In the figures, 10 denotes a non-combustion flavor inhalation article, 1c denotes a capsule serving as a flavor-generating segment, 2 denotes an atomizing unit, 4 denotes an aerosol source, 40 denotes an aerosol-generating segment, 5 denotes a mouthpiece, 6 denotes a housing, and 8 denotes a power source. The non-combustion flavor inhalation article of this embodiment is also referred to as a "non-combustion indirectly heated flavor inhalation article" because the capsule is indirectly heated. This article generates aerosol from an aerosol-generating source located upstream of the flavor-generating segment, and causes the aerosol to carry flavor components from the flavor-generating segment, thereby producing a flavor.

[0024] 1) Capsules The capsule 1c is sealed so that gas can communicate between the outside and the inside. The aerosol generated from the aerosol source 4 is introduced into the container and is sealed so that it can pass from the container toward the mouth end. Therefore, openings are preferably provided at both longitudinal ends of the container. The container is filled with a flavor source. Examples of the flavor source include known tobacco materials. The shape of the tobacco material is not limited, but it is preferably in a granular form.

[0025] 2) Aerosol source The aerosol source 4 can be constructed by supporting the aerosol-generating substrate on a porous body such as a fiber packing. The length of the aerosol source 4 is not limited, but is preferably 10 to 25 mm. The tobacco extract composition according to this embodiment can be supported on the porous body and used as the aerosol source.

[0026] 3) Atomization section The atomization unit 2 preferably electrically heats the aerosol source 4 to approximately 200 to 300°C. This heating generates an aerosol, which is introduced into the capsule 1c, passes through the filled material while maintaining an atmosphere at 30 to 80°C, carries the flavor components, and is then inhaled by the user. The combination of a non-combustion flavor inhalation article and a power source is also referred to as a non-combustion flavor inhalation system. The atomization unit 4 may be, for example, a coil, and can generate the aerosol using electricity supplied from a power source 8, as shown in FIG. 2(2). Such a system 10 is disclosed, for example, in International Publication No. WO 2016 / 075749.

[0027] 4) Mouthpiece The mouthpiece 5 may be equipped with a filter.

[0028] 5) Housing The housing 6 may be made of a known material, but is preferably made of, for example, a polymer. [Example]

[0029] [Example 1] Brazilian barley leaf cuts and Brazilian yellow leaf cuts were mixed at a weight ratio of 1:1. The particle size of each cut, measured according to ASTM E11-95, was 0.5 to 1.18 mm. Glycerin was added to the mixed cuts in an amount of 16% by weight based on the total weight of the cuts, to prepare a mixture. 50 g of the mixture was taken and placed in a 1000 mL separable flask equipped with a stirrer. An air inlet tube and an air inlet tube for evacuating volatile components from the flask were connected to the flask. A thermocouple was placed inside the flask in a position that would come into contact with the cuts.

[0030] The flask was heated with a mantle heater (set temperature: 250°C), and air was introduced into the flask at a flow rate of 5 L / min. Approximately 6 minutes after the start of heating, the temperature measured by the thermocouple reached 100°C, so the volatile components emitted from the exhaust pipe were introduced into a collection vessel. The collection vessel was immersed in an ice-water bath at 0°C. The temperature of the thermocouple continued to rise, reaching 184°C approximately 11 minutes after the start of heating. Collection was terminated at this point. The temperature profile is shown in the table below.

[0031] [Table 1]

[0032] The collected liquid obtained as described above was diluted two-fold with a solvent obtained by mixing glycerin and propylene glycol in a 7 / 3 (weight ratio). The tobacco extract composition thus obtained was filled into the cartridge of a non-combustion indirectly heated smoking article shown in Figure 2. The product was subjected to a smoking test by five well-trained panelists. The results revealed that the product had a flavor and taste that could not be achieved with conventional flavorings. Specific evaluation comments were as follows: It was possible to reproduce the astringency, aroma, and sweetness of tobacco, which had not been possible to reproduce using flavorings or other additives until now. It has a flavor and taste that enhances the tobacco experience never before seen. The smoke was of good quality, had little obstruction and was satisfying to draw, and had a smoke quality similar to that of a non-combustion, direct-heat smoking article.

[0033] [Examples 2 to 5] A tobacco extract composition was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the following chopped matter was used instead of the mixed chopped matter. As a result, the same evaluation as in Example 1 was obtained. Example 2: Brazilian barley leaf cut (alone) Example 3: Brazilian yellow leaf caramel (alone) Example 4: Oriental Leaf Carvings (alone) Example 5: Leaf cuttings (single) obtained by the following method

[0034] In the cultivation of burley varieties, 6 to 15 kg / 10a of nitrogen fertilizer was applied between one week before and one week after top pinching. The tops were pinched one to two leaves deeper than usual, and unnecessary leaves were harvested and removed early. The period from pinching to harvest was extended by one to two weeks, and the leaves were harvested. The leaves were then air-dried. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 1c Capsule (flavor-generating segment) 2 Atomization section 4. Aerosol Sources 40 Aerosol Generation Segment 5 mouthpiece 6. Housing 8 Power supply 10 Non-combustible flavor inhalation products 30 Heating device 31 Body 32 Heater 33 Metal tube 34 Battery unit 35 Control Unit 36 Recess 37 Ventilation holes 100 Tobacco raw materials 110 Container 102 Air intake pipe 104 Exhaust pipe 200 Tobacco extract composition 120 Collection container 122 Ice bath 130 Pipe

Claims

1. a heating step of heating the tobacco raw material to a temperature of 100 to 270°C; a recovery step of recovering the volatile matter generated in the heating step; A method for producing a tobacco extract composition, comprising:

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the temperature is 200 to 250°C.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the particle size of the tobacco raw material measured in accordance with ASTM E11-95 is 0.5 to 2 mm.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tobacco raw material is selected from burley, flue-cured tobacco, or a combination thereof.

5. When the diameter of the pipe through which the volatile matter is discharged in the heating step is D1 and the diameter of the pipe through which the volatile matter is introduced in the recovery step is D2, D2 / D1≦0.17 The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein

6. A tobacco extract composition produced by the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. 7. The tobacco extract composition according to claim 6, wherein the turbidity (OD660) measured using a spectrophotometer is 0.90 to 1.80 when the concentration of the polyol component is 15 to 35% by weight.

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