Flavored sheet with improved physical properties, smoking article containing same, and method for producing same

Abstract

Provided are a flavored sheet having improved physical properties to enhance workability in the cutting process, a smoking article including such a flavored sheet, and a method for producing such a flavored sheet and smoking material. [Solution] The scented sheet according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can include a hydrocolloid material forming a sheet, a scent, and a plasticizer. The plasticizer can improve the physical properties of the scented sheet, thereby enhancing the workability in the cutting process.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a flavored sheet having improved physical properties, a smoking article including the same, and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly to a flavored sheet having improved physical properties in order to increase the workability of a cutting process, a smoking article including such a flavored sheet and thereby having improved flavor expression and flavor persistence, and a manufacturing method thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] In order to satisfy the tastes of smokers, smoking articles (e.g., cigarettes) are flavored in various ways. A representative example of a flavoring method is adding (e.g., spraying) a flavor liquid directly to a smoking material such as shreds or a filter plug. However, the exemplified methods have various problems, such as a limit on the amount of flavor liquid that can be added, failure to express the intended flavor, and a rapid decrease in flavor expression during smoking.

[0003] Specifically, in the method of adding liquid aroma to smoking materials, it is difficult to add a large amount of liquid aroma because the liquid aroma may clump together with the smoking material. Also, the high heating temperature (or combustion temperature) during smoking can cause the liquid aroma to change in quality, resulting in the release of unintended aromas. Next, the method of adding liquid aroma to a filter plug can add a larger amount of liquid aroma than the above-mentioned method, but this method also has a limit to the amount that can be added.

[0004] However, regardless of the method, there is a problem that the added flavor liquid is rapidly released at the beginning of smoking, and the flavor release decreases toward the end of smoking. Also, if too much flavor liquid is added, the filter plug or the wrapper that encases the smoking material may become wet and contaminated. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a scented sheet having improved physical properties and a method for producing the same.

[0006] Another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a fragrance sheet having improved surface roughness and a manufacturing method thereof.

[0007] Yet another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a smoking article having improved aroma expression and aroma persistence, and a method for producing the same.

[0008] The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person skilled in the art of the present disclosure from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] In order to solve the above technical problem, the perfumed sheet according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a hydrocolloid material forming a sheet, a perfume, and a plasticizer.

[0010] In some embodiments, the hydrocolloid material may include a modified cellulosic material.

[0011] In some embodiments, the plasticizer may include at least one of glycerin and propylene glycol.

[0012] In some embodiments, the tensile strength of the scented sheet may be from 2.2 MPa to 3.6 MPa.

[0013] In some embodiments, the plasticizer content of the scented sheet may be 5 parts by weight to 30 parts by weight.

[0014] In some embodiments, the moisture content of the scented sheet may be 5 parts by weight to 20 parts by weight.

[0015] In some embodiments, the perfumed sheet may be made from a sheet composition that includes the hydrocolloid material, the perfume, the plasticizer, a solvent, and a powder-type material.

[0016] In order to solve the above technical problems, a method for manufacturing a fragrance sheet according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a step of manufacturing a sheet composition by blending a hydrocolloid substance, a solvent, a plasticizer, and a fragrance, and a step of drying the manufactured sheet composition.

[0017] In order to solve the above technical problems, the smoking article according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may include a smoking material part in which shreds of a flavoring sheet and a cut tobacco material are mixed, and the flavoring sheet may include a hydrocolloid material, a plasticizer, and a flavoring. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a flavored sheet having improved physical properties can be manufactured by adding a plasticizer during the manufacturing process. Since such a flavored sheet does not have a crumbling property even after drying, the workability of the sheet cutting process can be improved. In addition, smoking articles using cut pieces of the flavored sheet can be easily manufactured.

[0019] Furthermore, the physical properties of the fragrance sheet can be further improved by adding a moisture-retaining plasticizer such as glycerin or propylene glycol, which helps the sheet to retain moisture.

[0020] In addition, a smoking article can be manufactured by combining shredded flavor sheets with cut tobacco material, and such a smoking article can ensure excellent flavor development and flavor persistence.

[0021] In addition, by blending a powder-type material into the sheet composition or adding a powder-type material during the drying process, a flavor sheet with improved (increased) surface roughness can be manufactured. Since such a flavor sheet has a small effective area that can come into contact with other materials, clumping (e.g., adhesion) can be minimized when blended with a cut tobacco material. In addition, the cut pieces of the cut tobacco material and the flavor sheet can be blended uniformly (i.e., blendability is improved), and the workability of the blending process can be improved. In turn, the improved blendability can result in a uniform aroma expression of the smoking article.

[0022] The effects of the technical ideas of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] 1 is an exemplary flowchart that generally illustrates a method for manufacturing a perfume sheet according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] [Diagram 2] 11 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a method for manufacturing a scented sheet according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0025] [Diagram 3] 1 is an exemplary drawing that diagrammatically illustrates a smoking article according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] [Figure 4] 1 is an exemplary diagram for explaining an application method of a scented sheet according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0027] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The advantages and features of the present disclosure, and the methods for achieving them, will be apparent from the following detailed embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, and may be embodied in various different forms. However, the following embodiments are provided to complete the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure and to fully inform those skilled in the art of the present disclosure of the scope of the present disclosure, and the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure is only defined by the scope of the claims.

[0028] When adding reference symbols to components in each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are assigned the same symbols as much as possible even if they are displayed in different drawings. In addition, when describing the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of related known configurations or functions are omitted if it is determined that such descriptions may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure.

[0029] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein may be used in the sense commonly understood by those having ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. In addition, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not interpreted ideally or excessively unless specifically defined. The terms used herein are intended to describe the embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this specification, the singular form includes the plural form unless otherwise specified in the text.

[0030] In addition, when describing components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. Such terms are merely used to distinguish the components from other components, and do not limit the essence, procedure, or order of the components. When a component is described as being "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, but that other components may also be "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" between each component.

[0031] As used in this disclosure, "comprises" and / or "comprising" means that a referenced component, step, operation and / or element does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other components, steps, operations and / or elements.

[0032] We first clarify some terminology used in various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0033] In the following examples, "smoking article" may refer to any product that can be smoked or that can provide a smoking experience, whether based on tobacco, tobacco derivatives, expanded tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, or tobacco substitutes. For example, smoking articles may include smokable products such as cigarettes, cigars, and cigarillos, etc. As another example, smoking articles may include combustible smoking articles and heated smoking articles.

[0034] In the following examples, "smoking material" may refer to a material that produces smoke and / or aerosol or is used for smoking. For example, smoking material may include tobacco material. Tobacco material may include, for example, tobacco leaf shreds, tobacco stems, or materials processed therefrom. As more specific examples, tobacco material may include ground tobacco leaves, ground reconstituted tobacco, expanded shreds, expanded midribs, and tabular leaves. However, it is not limited thereto.

[0035] In the following examples, "upstream" or "upstream direction" may mean a direction away from the mouth of the smoker, and "downstream" or "downstream direction" may mean a direction toward the mouth of the smoker. The terms upstream and downstream may be used to describe the relative positions of elements that make up a smoking article. For example, in the smoking article 100 illustrated in FIG. 3, the filter portion 120 is located downstream or downstream of the smoking material portion 110, and the smoking material portion 110 is located upstream or upstream of the filter portion 120.

[0036] In the following examples, "longitudinal direction" may mean the direction corresponding to the longitudinal axis of the smoking article.

[0037] In the following examples, "puff" refers to a user's (smoker's) inhalation, which may refer to drawing air through the user's mouth or nose into the user's oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs.

[0038] In the following examples, "sheet" may refer to a thin layer element having a width and length substantially greater than its thickness. In the art, the term sheet may be used interchangeably with terms such as web, film, etc.

[0039] In the examples below, "flavor sheet" or "flavoring sheet" may refer to a flavoring-containing material manufactured in sheet form.

[0040] In the following examples, the term "powder" refers to any form such as particles, beads, granules, powder, etc.

[0041] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below.

[0042] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a flavored sheet having improved physical properties can be provided. Specifically, a flavored sheet having improved physical properties can be manufactured by adding a plasticizer during the process of manufacturing the flavored sheet (or sheet composition). Since such a flavored sheet does not have a crumbling physical property even after drying, the workability of the sheet cutting process can be improved. Accordingly, smoking articles using cut pieces of the flavored sheet can be easily manufactured.

[0043] Hereinafter, the above-mentioned scented sheet will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0044] 1 is an exemplary flow chart that shows a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing a scented sheet according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. However, this is merely a preferred embodiment for achieving the object of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some steps may be added or deleted as necessary.

[0045] 1, the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment may start with step S100 of preparing a sheet composition by blending a plasticizer. Specifically, a liquid (e.g., slurry) sheet composition may be prepared by blending a hydrocolloid material, a solvent such as distilled water or ethanol, a flavoring, and a plasticizer. Here, the liquid may include not only a liquid state, but also a state in which a liquid and a solid are mixed (e.g., a slurry state).

[0046] A solvent such as distilled water or ethanol can be an element for adjusting the viscosity of the slurry sheet composition.

[0047] Next, the hydrocolloid material can be a material that coats and fixes the flavoring and can also be a sheet former that forms a sheet. Hydrocolloid materials have the advantage that they become viscous when they come into contact with a solvent such as distilled water or ethanol, and thus flavoring sheets based on such materials can be easily attached to smoking articles without a separate adhesive. For example, when a flavoring sheet is placed on a wrapper of a smoking article, if a hydrocolloid material is used as a sheet former, the process of placing the flavoring sheet can be simplified and there can be no safety issues associated with adhesives.

[0048] Examples of hydrocolloid substances include, but are not limited to, gelatin, agar, gellan gum, pectin, guar gum, xanthan gum, glucomannan, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC), methylcellulose (MC), ethylcellulose (EC), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), starches, and the like.

[0049] In some embodiments, the sheet composition may include modified cellulose materials among various hydrocolloid materials. Here, "modified cellulose" may refer to cellulose in which a specific functional group is substituted in the molecular structure. Examples of modified cellulose include, but are not limited to, HPMC, MC, CMC, and EC. For example, HPMC may have a grade within the range of about 4 to 40,000 depending on the ratio of hydroxypropyl groups and methyl groups (or methoxy groups) substituted and the molecular weight. The viscosity of the modified cellulose may be determined depending on the grade. More specifically, the physicochemical properties of HPMC are related to the ratio of methoxy groups, the ratio of hydroxypropyl groups, and the molecular weight, and according to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP), the types of HPMC may be classified into HPMC1828, HPMC2208, HPMC2906, HPMC2910, etc. depending on the ratio of methoxy groups and hydroxypropyl groups. Here, the first two numbers may refer to the ratio of methoxy groups, and the last two numbers may refer to the ratio of hydroxypropyl groups. As a result of the inventors' continued experiments, it was confirmed that the perfumed sheet manufactured from the sheet composition containing the modified cellulose has excellent sheet physical properties and fragrance retention.

[0050] Examples of flavorings include menthol, nicotine, nicotine salts, tobacco leaf extract, tobacco leaf extract containing nicotine, natural plant flavors (e.g., cinnamon, sage, herbs, chamomile, dried grass, sweet tea, cloves, lavender, cardamom, clove fragrance, nutmeg, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, lemon, orange, cinnamon, caraway, jasmine, ginger, coriander, vanilla extract, spearmint, peppermint, cassia, coffee, celery, cascarilla, sandalwood, cocoa, ylang-ylang, fennel, anise, licorice, St. John's bread, plum extract, peach extract, etc.), sugars (e.g., glucose, fructose, isomerized sugar, caramel, etc.), cocoa (powder, extract, etc.), esters (e.g., isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, linalyl butyrate, etc.), ketones (e.g., menthone, ionone, damascenone, ethyl maltol, etc.), alcohols (e.g., geraniol, linalool, anethole, eugenol, etc.), aldehydes (e.g., vanillin, benzaldehyde, anisaldehyde, etc.), lactones (e.g., γ-undecalactone, γ-nonalactone, etc.), animal flavors (e.g., musk, ambergris, civet, castoreum, etc.), and hydrocarbons (e.g., limonene, pinene, etc.). The flavor may be used as a solid, or may be dissolved or dispersed in a suitable solvent, such as propylene glycol, ethyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, or triethyl citrate. These flavorings may be used alone or in combination, however, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned examples.

[0051] Next, the plasticizer can improve the physical properties of the sheet by imparting appropriate flexibility to the scented sheet. For example, the plasticizer can prevent the scented sheet from having crumbling physical properties, thereby improving the overall physical properties of the sheet, and thus the workability of the sheet cutting process can be greatly improved.

[0052] The plasticizer may include, but is not limited to, at least one of glycerin and propylene glycol, and the exemplified plasticizer is a moisture retaining plasticizer that can increase the moisture content of the fragrance sheet to greatly improve the physical properties of the fragrance sheet.

[0053] Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include LM-pectin (low methoxyl pectin). Alternatively, LM-pectin may be included in the sheet composition as a sheet forming agent among hydrocolloid materials. LM-pectin is low ester pectin or low methoxyl pectin that is relatively little esterified, and specifically, it may mean pectin that contains less than about 50% carboxyl groups inside the molecular structure. Unlike carrageenan, LM-pectin does not gel when cooled, and therefore can improve the workability of the manufacturing process by reducing the viscosity of the slurry sheet composition (for example, about 600 cp to 800 cp).

[0054] LM-pectin can contain less than about 50%, less than about 40%, less than about 30%, less than about 20%, or less than about 10% of carboxy groups within its molecular structure. The lower the carboxy content within the molecular structure of the LM-pectin, the lower the viscosity of a slurry containing the LM-pectin can be.

[0055] In some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include an emulsifier. The emulsifier allows the oil-soluble fragrance to be thoroughly mixed with the water-soluble hydrocolloid material, greatly increasing the fragrance retention and fragrance retention of the fragrance sheet. Examples of emulsifiers include natural emulsifiers such as Montanove wax, olive emulsifying wax, lecithin, glyceryl stearate, stearic acid, and lecithin, and synthetic emulsifiers such as monoglycerides, diglycerides, sorbitan, fatty acid esters, and sucrose esters, but are not limited thereto.

[0056] In some embodiments, the sheet composition may further include a bulking agent. The bulking agent may be a substance that can increase the volume of the perfume sheet produced by increasing the total mass (i.e., dry matter amount) of components other than distilled water, and does not affect the original function of the perfume sheet. Specifically, the bulking agent may have properties that increase the volume of the perfume sheet but do not substantially increase the viscosity of the slurry, and at the same time, do not adversely affect the perfume retention function of the perfume sheet. Preferably, the bulking agent may be starches, modified starches, or starch hydrolysates. However, the bulking agent is not limited thereto.

[0057] Modified starches include starch acetate, oxidized starch, hydroxypropyl distarch phosphate, hydroxypropyl starch, distarch phosphate, monostarch phosphate, phosphorylated distarch phosphate, and the like.

[0058] Starch hydrolysate refers to a substance obtained by a process including a step of hydrolyzing starch. Starch hydrolysate may include, for example, a substance obtained by direct hydrolysis of starch (i.e., dextrin) or a substance obtained by hydrolyzing starch after heat treatment (i.e., resistant dextrin). The bulking agent may be, for example, dextrin, more specifically, cyclodextrin.

[0059] The starch hydrolysate may generally be a starch hydrolysate having a DE value in the range of about 2 to about 40, preferably a starch hydrolysate having a DE value in the range of about 2 to about 20. Examples of starch hydrolysates having a DE value in the range of about 2 to about 20 that may be used include Pine Index #100 (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), Pine Fiber (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), and TK-16 (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.).

[0060] Here, "DE" is an abbreviation for dextrose equivalent, and the DE value indicates the degree of hydrolysis of starch, i.e., the saccharification rate of starch. In the present disclosure, the DE value may be a value measured by the Willstatter-Schudel method. The properties of hydrolyzed starch (starch hydrolysate), such as the molecular weight of the starch hydrolysate and the arrangement of sugar molecules constituting the starch hydrolysate, are not constant for each molecule of the starch hydrolysate, but exist with any distribution or variation. Depending on the distribution or variation of the properties of the starch hydrolysate, or the difference in the section to be cut, the starch hydrolysate can express different physical properties (e.g., DE value) for each molecule. In this way, the starch hydrolysate is a collection of molecules that exhibit different physical properties, but the measurement result using the Willstatter-Schudel method (i.e., DE value) is treated as a representative value indicating the degree of hydrolysis of starch.

[0061] Preferably, the starch hydrolysate may be selected from the group consisting of dextrin having a DE value of about 2 to about 5, resistant dextrin having a DE value of about 10 to about 15, and mixtures thereof. As a dextrin having a DE value of about 2 to about 5, for example, Pine Index #100 (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) may be used. As a resistant dextrin having a DE value of about 10 to about 15, for example, Pine Fiber (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) may be used.

[0062] In step S200, the produced sheet composition may be applied and dried to produce a perfume sheet. For example, the perfume sheet may be produced by applying (e.g., casting) the sheet composition onto a given substrate and drying it.

[0063] The perfume sheet manufactured as described above may have various composition ratios (content ratios) and physical properties, and the specific composition ratios and physical properties may vary depending on the compounding ratio of the sheet composition and drying conditions.

[0064] In some embodiments, the fragrance sheet may contain about 0.5 to 10 parts by weight of emulsifier based on a total of 100 parts by weight. It has been confirmed that within this range, the amount and retention of fragrance increases. For example, it has been confirmed that if the content of emulsifier is too low, the increase in the amount of fragrance held is minimal, and if the content of emulsifier is too high, the content of the sheet forming agent that covers the fragrance and the fragrance are reduced, so the amount of fragrance held does not increase significantly.

[0065] In some embodiments, the fragrance sheet may contain about 10 to 60 parts by weight or 10 to 40 parts by weight of fragrance, based on a total of 100 parts by weight, and preferably about 20 parts by weight, 22 parts by weight, 24 parts by weight or more, or 26 parts by weight or more of fragrance. It has been confirmed that when an appropriate amount of emulsifier is added, the retention amount of the fat-soluble fragrance increases by about 10%, 15%, or 20% or more compared to when no emulsifier is added.

[0066] In some embodiments, the fragrance sheet may contain about 2 to 15 parts by weight of water, about 25 to 90 parts by weight of modified cellulose, and about 0.1 to 60 parts by weight of fragrance, based on a total of 100 parts by weight. The fragrance sheet may further contain about 0.5 to 10 parts by weight of an emulsifier.

[0067] In some embodiments, the fragrance sheet may contain, based on a total of 100 parts by weight, about 2 to 15 parts by weight of water, about 1 to 60 parts by weight of hydrocolloid material, about 1 to 60 parts by weight of LM-pectin, and about 0.1 to 60 parts by weight of fragrance. The fragrance sheet may further contain about 0.5 to 10 parts by weight of an emulsifier.

[0068] In some embodiments, the plasticizer may be present in an amount of about 0.1 to 30 parts by weight, preferably about 5 to 30 parts by weight, 5 to 25 parts by weight, or 5 to 20 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the total fragrance sheet. A sheet having appropriate flexibility may be formed within such a range. For example, if too little plasticizer is added, the flexibility of the sheet may decrease and the fragrance sheet may easily crumble during the cutting process, and if too much plasticizer is added, the sheet may not be formed well or may become soft and difficult to cut.

[0069] In some embodiments, the plasticizer may be included in an amount of about 0.1 to 30 parts by weight, preferably about 5 to 30 parts by weight, 10 to 30 parts by weight, 15 to 30 parts by weight, or 15 to 25 parts by weight, based on the sheet-forming agent (e.g., hydrocolloid material such as MC). Within such a range, a sheet having appropriate flexibility can be produced, and workability in the cutting process can be improved.

[0070] In some embodiments, the moisture content may be about 5 to 30 parts by weight, preferably about 5 to 25 parts by weight, 5 to 20 parts by weight, or 5 to 15 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the total fragrance sheet. Within such a range, a sheet having excellent physical properties may be formed. For example, if the moisture content is too low, the fragrance sheet may easily crumble during the cutting process, and if the moisture content is too high, the sheet may not be well formed or may become soft.

[0071] In some embodiments, the tensile strength of the fragrance sheet may be about 2.2 MPa to 3.6 MPa. It has been confirmed that within this range, the fragrance sheet does not crumble well and has physical properties that allow it to be easily shredded.

[0072] Up to now, the scented sheets and the manufacturing methods thereof according to some embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to Fig. 1. As described above, a scented sheet having improved physical properties can be manufactured by adding a plasticizer during the manufacturing process. Such a scented sheet has a non-crumbling physical property, which can improve the workability of the sheet cutting process.

[0073] Meanwhile, when a flavored sheet is manufactured by adding a moisturizing plasticizer such as glycerin or propylene glycol, the moisture content of the flavored sheet may increase as described above. However, when the moisture content of the sheet increases, the workability of the cutting process may increase, but the workability of the blending process may decrease. For example, when a smoking article is manufactured by blending shredded flavored sheet and shredded tobacco material (e.g., shredded leaf tobacco, shredded sheet), the moisture content may cause the flavored sheet and the tobacco material to adhere to each other and harden (i.e., not be uniformly blended), which may decrease the workability of the blending process. Hereinafter, a flavored sheet that can prevent such hardening and improve the workability of the blending process and a method for manufacturing the same will be described.

[0074] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a flavor sheet with improved surface roughness may be manufactured to improve the workability of the blending process. Specifically, a flavor sheet with improved surface roughness may be manufactured by blending a powder type material to manufacture a sheet composition, and then applying and drying the manufactured sheet composition. Since such a flavor sheet has a relatively small actual area that can contact other materials, the phenomenon of hardening during blending with shredded tobacco materials (e.g., shredded leaf tobacco, shredded tabular leaves) may be minimized, and thus shredded flavor sheet and tobacco materials may be blended uniformly.

[0075] The powder type material may be a material that exists in the form of a powder at room temperature. As described above, the powder type material may play a role in increasing the surface roughness of the fragrance sheet. For example, the powder type material may remain on the surface of the fragrance sheet after drying, thereby increasing the surface roughness of the fragrance sheet. However, the type of the powder type material may vary, and this may vary depending on the embodiment.

[0076] In some embodiments, the powder-type material may be a bulking agent. In other words, the powder-type material may be a bulking agent that exists in the form of a powder at room temperature. Examples of such bulking agents include, but are not limited to, alpha-cyclodextrin (α-cyclodextrin), beta-cyclodextrin (β-cyclodextrin), and gamma-cyclodextrin (γ-cyclodextrin). Incidentally, beta-cyclodextrin has the lowest solubility in distilled water among cyclodextrin substances, and therefore may be more effective in increasing the surface roughness of the fragrance sheet. According to this embodiment, by using a powder-type bulking agent, the surface roughness of the fragrance sheet may be increased and the fragrance retention may be improved.

[0077] Also, in some embodiments, the powder type material may be an emulsifier. In other words, the powder type material may be an emulsifier that exists in the form of a powder at room temperature. Examples of such emulsifiers include, but are not limited to, sucrose esters. According to this embodiment, by using a powder type emulsifier, the surface roughness of the fragrance sheet can be increased and the fragrance retention can be improved. For example, when the fragrance is fat-soluble, the emulsifier acts as a bridge between the water-soluble hydrocolloid material and the fat-soluble fragrance, so that the fragrance retention of the fragrance sheet can be greatly increased.

[0078] In some embodiments, the powder-type material may be a poorly soluble or insoluble material. For example, the powder-type material may be a material that is poorly soluble or insoluble in distilled water. In this case, the amount of the powder-type material remaining on the surface of the fragrance sheet after drying is significantly increased, so that the surface roughness of the fragrance sheet may be further improved.

[0079] In some embodiments, the powder type material may have a solubility of 160 g / L or less in water at 25° C. For example, the powder type material may have a solubility of 160 g / L or less in distilled water at 25° C. Examples of such materials include, but are not limited to, sucrose esters. According to this embodiment, the amount of powder type material remaining on the surface of the fragrance sheet after drying is greatly increased, so that the surface roughness of the fragrance sheet can be further improved.

[0080] Also, the powder type substance can be, for example, methyl cellulose (MC), ethyl cellulose (EC), cellulose acetate, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), methyl ethyl cellulose (MEC), but is not limited thereto.

[0081] Meanwhile, in some embodiments, a powder-type substance may be added onto the coated sheet composition during coating and drying (or before coating and drying) the produced sheet composition. In this case, the added powder-type substance may be the same as or different from the powder-type substance contained in the sheet composition. In some cases, the powder-type substance may not be mixed into the sheet composition, but may be added only during drying. Hereinafter, for ease of understanding, this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0082] As shown in Fig. 2, a sheet composition 2 can be applied by an applicator 1. Then, while the applied sheet composition 2 is being dried (see the dotted square), a powder-type substance 4 can be sprayed (added) onto the sheet composition 2 by an injector 3. In this case, the sheet composition 2 is dried in a state in which the powder-type substance 4 is distributed on the surface thereof, so that most of the powder-type substance 4 remains uniformly on the surface of the flavor sheet 10 after drying. Accordingly, the surface roughness of the flavor sheet 10 can be further improved, and compatibility with the cut tobacco substance can be further improved.

[0083] So far, a flavored sheet having improved surface roughness and a manufacturing method thereof have been described with reference to Fig. 2. Hereinafter, a smoking article 100 having improved flavor release and flavor persistence by including the flavored sheet described above will be described in detail with reference to Fig. 3 and subsequent drawings.

[0084] FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram that diagrammatically illustrates a smoking article 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0085] As shown in Fig. 3, the smoking article 100 may include a filter portion 120, a smoking material portion 110, and a wrapper (130). However, Fig. 3 only illustrates components related to the embodiments of the present disclosure. Therefore, a person skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will understand that other general components may be included in addition to the components illustrated in Fig. 3. In addition, since Fig. 3 only illustrates an example of some of the smoking articles according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, it goes without saying that the detailed structure of the smoking article may differ from that illustrated in Fig. 3. Each component of the smoking article 100 will be described below.

[0086] The filter unit 120 can perform a filtering function for the smoke and / or aerosol generated by the smoking material unit 110. To this end, the filter unit 120 can include a filter (filter) material. Examples of the filter material include cellulose acetate fiber, paper, etc., but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The filter unit 120 can further include a wrapper 130 that wraps the filter material (plug).

[0087] As illustrated, the filter portion 120 may be located downstream of the smoking material portion 110 and connected to the downstream end of the smoking material portion 110. For example, the filter portion 120 and the smoking material portion 110 may have a cylindrical (rod) shape, be aligned in the longitudinal direction, and be connected by a tipping wrapper. The tipping wrapper may wrap at least a portion of the filter portion 120 and at least a portion of the smoking material portion 110 together to connect the filter portion 120 and the smoking material portion 110. When the filter portion 120 forms the downstream end of the smoking article 100, the filter portion 120 may function as a mouthpiece that contacts the smoker's mouth.

[0088] The filter unit 120 is manufactured in the form of a rod, and may be referred to as a "filter rod 120" in some cases. The filter unit 120 may be manufactured in various forms, such as a cylindrical type, a tube type having a hollow inside, a recessed type, and the like.

[0089] The smoking material portion 110 may then include a smoking material that can be burned or heated to generate smoke and / or aerosol. The smoking material portion 110 may further include a wrapper 130 that encases the smoking material.

[0090] As shown, the smoking material portion 110 may be located upstream of the filter portion 120 and connected to the upstream end of the filter portion 120. Smoke and / or aerosol generated in the smoking material portion 110 by a puff may be delivered to the smoker's mouth through the filter portion 120.

[0091] The smoking material portion 110 is also manufactured in the form of a rod and may therefore sometimes be referred to as a "smoking material rod 110" or the smoking material portion 110 may alternatively be referred to as a "medium portion 110."

[0092] The smoking material may include, for example, tobacco material. The tobacco material may include, for example, tobacco leaf shreds, tobacco stems, or materials processed therefrom. More specifically, the tobacco material may include crushed tobacco leaves, crushed reconstituted tobacco, expanded shreds, expanded midribs, and tabular leaves. However, the tobacco material may be in the form of shreds (e.g., tobacco shreds, tabular leaves), sheets, powders, or tobacco extracts, but is not limited thereto.

[0093] Also, as shown in the figure, a flavored sheet 10 may be applied (disposed) to the smoking material portion 110. The flavored sheet 10 applied in this manner can increase the flavor release and flavor persistence of the smoking article 100 by continuously releasing a flavor during smoking. In other words, unlike when a flavor is added in a liquid form, the flavor fixed (covered) by the sheet forming agent is gradually and continuously released during smoking, effectively solving the problem of a large amount of flavor being released at the beginning of smoking. However, the specific application method of the flavored sheet 10 may vary.

[0094] 4, cut pieces 11 of the flavoring sheet 10 may be mixed with the cut tobacco material 111 and then introduced into the smoking material section 110. As described above, the flavoring sheet 10 to which a plasticizer has been added has excellent physical properties and can be easily cut, and the flavoring sheet 10 with improved surface roughness has a small effective contact area and can be uniformly mixed with the cut tobacco material 111.

[0095] In some embodiments, the flavoring sheet 10 may be attached to a sheet-type tobacco material (e.g., a reconstituted tobacco sheet such as a tabular tobacco sheet) or may be rolled up together with the tobacco material and then inserted into the smoking material portion 110.

[0096] In some embodiments, a plurality of cut tobacco materials may be inserted into the smoking material portion 110 in a form wrapped in the flavoring sheet 10 .

[0097] Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the smoking material may further include additives such as humectants, flavorings, and / or organic acids. For example, the humectants may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. The humectants maintain the moisture level within the tobacco material at an appropriate level to soften the inherent taste and enrich the atomization amount. Flavoring agents may also include, for example, licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweet, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, cinnamon, caraway, cognac, jasmine, chamomile, menthol, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, salvia, spearmint, ginger, coriander, clove extract (or clove substance), or coffee.

[0098] Next, the wrapper 130 may refer to one that encases at least a portion of the smoking material portion 110 and / or the filter portion 120. The wrapper 130 may refer to an individual wrapper for the smoking material portion 110 or the filter portion 120, or may refer to a wrapper that encases at least a portion of both the smoking material portion 110 and the filter portion 120, such as a tipping wrapper, or may refer to all wrappers used in the smoking article 100. The wrapper 130 may be made of a porous or non-porous wrapping paper, although the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the wrapper 130 may be made of a metal foil or a laminate of wrapping paper and metal foil.

[0099] Meanwhile, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the flavored sheet 10 may be applied to the wrapper 130. For example, the flavored sheet 10 may be disposed (e.g., attached (overlapped), coated) inside the wrapper 130 in a form in which the flavored sheet 10 wraps all or a part of the smoking material portion 110. When at least a part of the wrapper 130 is made of metal foil, the flavored sheet 10 may be disposed inside the metal foil. In this case, the flavored sheet 10 may be further promoted by heat transferred through the metal foil. As another example, the flavored sheet 10 may constitute at least a part of the wrapper 130. That is, the flavored sheet 10 itself may function as the wrapper 130 of the smoking article 100. In this case, the wrapper 130 may be constituted only by the flavored sheet 10, or may be constituted in a form in which the flavored sheet 10 and the wrapping paper are integrated. In this case, since it is not necessary to perform a process of disposing the flavored sheet 10 on the wrapper 130 (e.g., an attaching (overlapped) process, a coating process), the manufacturing process of the smoking article 100 may be further simplified.

[0100] Also, in some embodiments, the flavored sheet 10 may be disposed in a cooling section (not shown) having a hollow in a rolled or folded form. For example, the flavored sheet 10 may be disposed in a rolled or folded form in the hollow of the cooling section (not shown), or disposed on the inner wall of the hollow of the cooling section (not shown). In this case, the flavored sheet 10 may be a punched sheet processed to have a plurality of holes formed therein, and the punched sheet has a large contact area with the airflow, so that the performance of the cooling section (not shown) can be further improved. In addition, the cooling section (not shown) may refer to a segment that is disposed between the smoking material section 110 and the filter section 120 and performs a cooling function for smoke and / or aerosol.

[0101] So far, smoking articles 100 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to Figures 3 and 4. As described above, by applying the flavored sheet 10 to the smoking article 100, the flavor expression and flavor persistence of the smoking article 100 can be improved.

[0102] Hereinafter, the configuration and effects of the above-mentioned fragrance sheet 10 will be more clearly explained through examples and comparative examples. However, the following examples are merely illustrative of a portion of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the following examples.

[0103] Example 1

[0104] A fragrance sheet was manufactured by adding a plasticizer according to the manufacturing method illustrated in Figure 1. Specifically, a sheet composition was manufactured by mixing a plasticizer consisting of glycerin and propylene glycol, a fragrance, methylcellulose, distilled water, etc., and the manufactured sheet composition was then coated and dried to manufacture a fragrance sheet. The plasticizer was added in an amount of about 1% by weight relative to the total sheet composition (about 10 parts by weight relative to methylcellulose). Incidentally, since plasticizers and methylcellulose are hardly lost during the drying process, unlike water, the plasticizer content of the manufactured fragrance sheet was also about 10 parts by weight relative to methylcellulose.

[0105] Example 2

[0106] A perfumed sheet was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the plasticizer was added in an amount of about 2% by weight based on the total sheet composition (about 20 parts by weight based on methylcellulose).

[0107] Example 3

[0108] A perfumed sheet was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that the plasticizer was added in an amount of about 3% by weight based on the total sheet composition (about 30 parts by weight based on methylcellulose).

[0109] Comparative Example 1

[0110] A scented sheet was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that no plasticizer was added.

[0111] Experimental Example 1: Evaluation of workability in the sheet cutting process depending on plasticizer content

[0112] An experiment was conducted to evaluate the workability (ease) of the cutting process for the fragrance sheets according to the examples and comparative examples. Specifically, 10 g of the produced fragrance sheets were cut, and the cut fragrance sheets were sieved through a sieve with a mesh size of about 600 μm to measure the amount of fine powder generated. A large amount of fine powder generated means that the physical properties of the sheet are not good, resulting in poor workability in the cutting process (i.e., the sheet easily crumbles and is difficult to work with). The experimental results are shown in Table 1 below.

[0113] [Table 1]

[0114] Referring to Table 1, it was shown that the amount of fine powder generated by the fragrance sheets according to the Examples was significantly reduced compared to Comparative Example 1, and that the amount of fine powder generated was further reduced as the amount of plasticizer added increased. Specifically, it was shown that the amount of fine powder generated by the fragrance sheets according to Examples 1, 2 and 3 was reduced by about 15%, 60% and 70%, respectively, compared to Comparative Example 1. It is believed that these results indicate that the addition of a plasticizer can improve the physical properties of the sheet and can also improve the workability of the cutting process.

[0115] On the other hand, although not shown in Table 1, when the amount of plasticizer added was about 4% by weight based on the sheet composition, the sheet was soft and cutting was difficult, which shows that it is preferable to add the plasticizer in an amount of about 3.5% by weight or less based on the sheet composition (about 35 parts by weight based on methyl cellulose).

[0116] The configuration and effects of the above-mentioned fragrance sheet 10 have been explained more clearly through the examples and comparative examples.

[0117] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above with reference to the attached drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present disclosure can be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical idea or essential features. Therefore, the above described embodiments should be understood to be illustrative in all respects and not limiting. The scope of protection of the present disclosure should be interpreted according to the claims below, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. a sheet-forming hydrocolloid material; Fragrances; and A fragrance sheet comprising a plasticizer, The perfume sheet further comprises a powder-type substance that remains on a surface of the perfume sheet; The powder-type substance is a bulking agent that exists in the form of a powder at room temperature, or an emulsifier that exists in the form of a powder at room temperature; Fragrance sheet.

2. 10. The perfumed sheet of claim 1, wherein the hydrocolloid material comprises a modified cellulosic material.

3. The modified cellulosic material comprises:

3. The perfumed sheet according to claim 2, comprising at least one material selected from the group consisting of hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose and ethylcellulose.

4. The perfumed sheet according to claim 1 , wherein the plasticizer comprises at least one of glycerin and propylene glycol.

5. The fragrance sheet of claim 1, wherein the fragrance sheet is produced from a sheet composition comprising the hydrocolloid substance, the fragrance, the plasticizer, and a solvent, and the fragrance sheet is produced by spraying the powder-type substance onto the sheet composition and applying the powder-type substance to a surface of the sheet composition.

6. 2. The perfumed sheet according to claim 1, wherein the content of the plasticizer in the perfumed sheet is 5 to 30 parts by weight relative to the hydrocolloid substance.

7. 2. The fragrance sheet according to claim 1, wherein the moisture content of the fragrance sheet is 5 parts by weight to 20 parts by weight.

8. The perfumed sheet according to claim 1, wherein the perfumed sheet is made from a sheet composition comprising the hydrocolloid material, the perfume, the plasticizer, a solvent and the powder-type material.

9. The solvent comprises distilled water; 9. The perfume sheet according to claim 8, wherein the powder-type substance has a solubility in the distilled water at 25° C. of 160 g / L or less.

10. The hydrocolloid material includes LM-pectin (low methoxyl pectin), 2. The fragrance sheet according to claim 1, wherein the LM-pectin is a substance that contains less than 50% carboxyl groups and has the property of not gelling when left to cool.

11. A smoking article comprising a smoking material portion in which cut pieces of the flavor sheet according to claim 1 and shredded tobacco material are blended.

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