Method for producing a smoking product and smoking product

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for producing a smoking product, wherein the smoking product at least partially comprises flower components of a specified plant species, having the steps of: o providing at least part of at least one flower or composite flower (1), wherein the flower or composite flower (1) has a plurality of flower components (3); o carrying out a mechanical separation method of the provided flowers or composite flowers (1); o wherein at least one separated flower component (10) and residual flower components (11) are produced from the flower components of the flowers or composite flowers (1) provided. The invention further relates to a smoking product.

Description

[0001] Process for producing a smoking product and smoking product

[0002] The invention relates to a method for producing a smoking product, wherein the smoking product comprises at least partially flower components of a given plant species.

[0003] It is known to burn or vaporize various mixtures of substances in order to inhale the resulting smoke or aerosol. In addition to tobacco-containing mixtures, tobacco-free mixtures are also offered for health reasons. These tobacco-free mixtures may contain lavender, chamomile, rosemary, and others. The entire flowers or pseudo-flowers are used and are usually finely ground.

[0004] WO 2024 / 003733 A1 discloses the use of tea as a tobacco-free mixture. US 2020 / 0383371 A1 discloses a variety of plant species for tobacco-free mixtures, including chamomile.

[0005] DE 10 2018 117 397 B3 discloses a process for the nicotine-free production of a tobacco substitute. Glycerin and glucose syrup are mixed and heated together with various additives, such as dried plant components.

[0006] DE 10 2021 123238 A1 describes a method for processing tobacco fines. In this method, tobacco stems are crushed to prevent separation from tobacco fines.

[0007] Based on this, it is the object of the present invention to provide a process for producing substances or mixtures of substances as smoking products, in which an improved smoking product is produced.

[0008] To solve this problem, a method of the type mentioned at the outset is proposed, comprising the steps of: o Providing at least a part of at least one flower or pseudo-flower, wherein the flower or pseudo-flower has a plurality of flower components, o Carrying out a mechanical separation process for the provided flowers or pseudo-flowers, o wherein at least one separated flower component and residual flower components are produced from the flower components of the provided flowers or pseudo-flowers.

[0009] The essence of the invention is considered to be to produce a better smoking product by obtaining only predetermined parts of a flower or pseudo-flower as a result of the process and thereby carefully separating them and using them for the smoking product.

[0010] According to the invention, at least part of a flower or pseudo-flower is provided, wherein the part or the entire flower or pseudo-flower has several flower components.

[0011] In angiosperms, the ovules are enclosed by a carpel, which distinguishes them from gymnosperms. This part of the plant, also known as the short shoot, is what is generally referred to as the flower. An angiosperm flower can have, in particular, a receptacle, sepals, petals, stamens, and a carpel. The flower components are therefore morphologically distinct elements of a flower. The petals are therefore regarded as a flower component that comprises several petals. More generally, a single petal can be referred to as an element of the petals. Thus, each flower component has at least one element.

[0012] In a false blossom, several reduced blossoms form a flower-like structure. False blossoms also consist of flower components. The flower components of false blossoms also each contain at least one element. In the following, the term "blossom" also includes false blossoms, unless otherwise stated.

[0013] The following, without limitation, refers to the plant species true chamomile, or chamomile for short. Its scientific name is Matricaria chamomilla L. Synonyms are Matricaria recutita L. and Chamomilla recutita L. The false flower of true chamomile consists of a few to hundreds of inflorescences. Its flower components include bracts, ray florets, tubular florets, and a capitulum. The ray florets are the most fragile, followed by the tubular florets. After mechanical separation, these are the first flower components to be separated from the bracts and capitulum.

[0014] The flower is preferably provided as a whole, i.e., undivided. However, for the purpose of carrying out the process, it is also generally possible to provide halved or quartered flowers. Of course, individual elements may become detached or have become detached. This "breakage" is unavoidable but usually only accounts for a small portion. It occurs primarily during transport.

[0015] In contrast to the previous procedure, parts of the stem may still be present, since, as shown, these do not enter the smoking product.

[0016] A mechanical separation process is carried out on the provided flowers. In this process, a portion of the flower components is separated from the remaining flower components. This produces at least one separated flower component and residual flower components. For example, one result of the separation process can be that the ray florets and the tubular florets are separated from the remaining flower components, namely the capitulum and the bracts. The ray florets and the tubular florets are then referred to as the separated flower component, and the other flower components are referred to as the residual flower components.

[0017] The invention is based on the finding that flower components exhibit varying degrees of brittleness. With a suitable selection of the separation process, the flower components can be separated into components for a smoking product and components not to be used for this purpose. In principle, both the separated flower components and the remaining flower components can be the components to be used for the smoking product. Preferably, each flower component comprises at least one element, with the elements of the separated flower component(s) being essentially undamaged after the separation process. This means that the cell structures of the separated portion of the elements are intact. This is where the inhalants desired for smoking are present.Depending on the separation process, the separation of flower components can result in a significant proportion of the elements remaining on the remaining flower components. They are, so to speak, partially torn off. Even elements separated in this way are considered undamaged, as the cellular structures of the separated part are essentially intact.

[0018] In the prior art, however, this step is unknown; instead, the flowers are destructively processed as a whole, e.g., ground. They are neither separated nor do they remain intact during separation. For the sake of clarity, it should be noted that the flower components can also be ground or cut in the present invention, but only after separation, possibly at a much later point in time, and then not all flower components together.

[0019] After the separation process has been completed, the flower components can be stored or further processed.

[0020] In the present invention, separating a flower component means separating its elements. If the ray floret component is separated, this means that the individual ray florets, i.e., the elements of the component, are separated from the rest.

[0021] One or more flower components are considered to be separated if the separated flower component(s) comprise less than 50% by weight, i.e. less than half the weight, of the remaining flower components. 100% pure separations are neither possible nor necessary with reasonable effort. In the case of ray and tubular florets, this means that the separated part comprises more than 50% by weight of ray and tubular florets and less than 50% by weight of capitulum and bracts. The distribution of ray and tubular florets, on the other hand, is irrelevant. Advantageously, the separated flower components can comprise less than 35% by weight of the remaining flower components. Preferably, the separated flower components can comprise less than 25% by weight, in particular less than 15% by weight of the remaining flower components.

[0022] The proportion of the flower component(s) to be separated that remain among the remaining flower components is irrelevant. This proportion only affects the yield of the process, not the quality of the separation.

[0023] The mechanical separation process advantageously uses blunt force, meaning it does not require cutting or milling tools. Instead, positive and / or negative acceleration forces are preferably used. Negative acceleration forces are also called braking forces. Centrifugal and centripetal forces are examples of acceleration forces.

[0024] The mechanical separation process can preferably be carried out using a drum mill. The drum mill can have a cylinder made of sheet steel.

[0025] Alternatively, the cylinder can be made of plastic. Preferably, the drum mill can have a ceramic inner lining. Alternatively, the drum mill can have a solid ceramic drum.

[0026] The drum mill is preferably operated without any separating elements, such as balls, inside. The use of balls can result in the flowers being ground to small pieces. Alternatively, balls that exert only a low force, comparable to ping-pong balls, can be used.

[0027] The drum mill can also have raised sections on the inner wall. This allows more force to be transferred to the flowers. The drum mill can then be designed like a washing machine on the inside.

[0028] The drum mill first separates the most brittle flower components. In the case of chamomile, these are the ray florets and the tubular florets. This involves the mechanical separation of the flower components. The separated flower components and the remaining flower components are preferably separated after separation. Since the remaining flower components have a larger, or at least a different, diameter, the separated flower components and the remaining flower components can be sorted in a simple manner following the mechanical separation. It should be noted that sorting can also be referred to as separation. To avoid linguistic confusion with mechanical separation, the present invention refers to separation when the already separated elements are spatially separated. Separation can be carried out, for example, using a sieve.The flower component mixture can also be transported on rollers with collecting containers underneath. The rollers must be spaced at a defined distance. The flower components with the smaller diameter, such as the separated flower components, then fall through the gaps between the rollers into the collecting containers, while the other flower components, such as the remaining flower components that are still connected, are transported on the rollers to other containers.

[0029] Alternatively or additionally, the mechanical separation process can be carried out using a vibrating screen. By selecting the appropriate mesh size of the vibrating screen, the elements separated from the flower can be separated immediately. This speeds up the process because the separation and sorting steps are performed simultaneously.

[0030] In vibrating screens, the screen is moved in a circular or elliptical motion. A collecting basket is located below the screen to collect the sifted elements.

[0031] Alternatively or additionally, the mechanical separation process can be carried out using a vibrating screen.

[0032] Advantageously, at least two mechanical separation processes can be carried out, whereby the separation processes differ in at least one operating parameter. As already described, the fragility of the flower components differs. After the first mechanical separation process, it may be desirable to further separate the remaining flower components. These are less fragile than the flower components already separated. In this case, either the same separation process can be carried out, whereby preferably at least one operating parameter is changed. For example, the power of the vibration motor of the vibrating sieve can be increased. Alternatively, the separation process can be changed. If a vibrating sieve was used in the first separation step, a drum mill can be used in the second separation process.

[0033] The differences in the operating parameters and / or the separation process can take into account the different brittleness of the flower components.

[0034] Advantageously, a single flower component can be separated from the remaining flower components as a separated flower component. Alternatively, exactly two flower components can be separated from the remaining flower components as separated flower components. Separating more flower components is also conceivable. In chamomile, for example, the ray florets and tubular florets are the most fragile and are also the desired components for smoking products. Therefore, these can be separated from the remaining flower components together in a single separation process. In this case, exactly two flower components are separated.

[0035] Preferably, at least one further flower component can be separated from the remaining flower components remaining after the first separation process as a further separated flower component. In the example of chamomile, the bracts can be separated from the capitulum as a further separated flower component after the ray florets and tubular florets have been separated in the first separation process.

[0036] However, the first separation process can also separate only the ray florets, thus separating a single floret component. The tubular floret component can then be separated as another detached floret component in a second separation process. To achieve optimal separation, the florets can be dried. Preferably, the florets are dried to a predetermined residual moisture content. On the one hand, drying increases their brittleness. On the other hand, sufficient residual moisture is required to retain their smoking properties. If the floret components used for smoking are too dry, the smoking product will burn too quickly.

[0037] Therefore, the provided flowers can advantageously be dried to a residual moisture content of more than 5% by weight. Preferably, the flowers can be dried to a residual moisture content of more than 10% by weight. Furthermore, the flowers can be dried to a residual moisture content of more than 15% by weight.

[0038] The desired residual moisture content can vary from plant species to plant species. As described, the residual moisture content influences the brittleness and also the smoking properties. Since the brittleness of the flower components varies across plant species, determining the residual moisture content can influence the quality of the separation process.

[0039] To further improve the smoking product, small particles can be removed from the separated flower parts. These can be broken pieces of the separated flower parts or even stamens of the plant. These small particles can clog the smoke passages and thus make smoking difficult.

[0040] The smoking product obtained using the described process, in the case of German chamomile, achieves optimal burning behavior due to the elasticity and permeability of the short tubular flowers, as well as the characteristic resulting from the flower shape: the four or five petal lobes of the corolla tubes tilt during processing into the cigarette-like smoking product, thus forming natural capillary channels. The smoke channels remain sufficiently intact even when the cigarette-like product is subsequently compacted by plugging or tapping. The ray florets, on the other hand, enable the stability of the embers, at least due to their relatively large length and width. A separated flower component can be further separated if it exhibits different developmental stages within a flower.The tubular flowers of the chamomile develop at different times, with several developmental stages occurring simultaneously on one flower. These can be separated if necessary.

[0041] The invention also relates to a smoking product produced by a method as described, consisting of at least one product, wherein the at least one product comprises flower components of a given plant species. The smoking product is characterized in that the product predominantly or exclusively comprises a predetermined selection of flower components of the given plant species. A predetermined selection means that at least one of the components has been discarded.

[0042] In particular, the product can contain at least one of the three most brittle flower components. In this case, the selection can be based on brittleness. However, this does not mean that the most brittle flower components are always used. It may also be intended to exclude the most brittle flower component, for example, if its brittleness is caused by low residual moisture and thus negatively impacts the smoking result.

[0043] Preferably, the separated flower components have been produced by a process as described.

[0044] Preferably, the specified plant species can be a plant species from the group of eudicots. Furthermore, the specified plant species can be a plant species from the group of eudicots, in particular core eudicots. Advantageously, the specified plant species can be a plant species from the group of asterids. Preferably, the specified plant species can be a plant species from the order of asterales, scientifically known as Asteraceae. Furthermore, the specified plant species can be a plant species from the daisy family, scientifically known as Asteraceae, in particular from the subfamily Asteroideae. Preferably, the specified plant species can be a plant species from the genus chamomile, scientifically known as Matricaria. Preferably, the specified plant species can be German chamomile. The selection of the plant species also applies to the described method.

[0045] The taxonomy of plants is subject to change. The taxonomic line, beginning with the angiosperms and extending to the species Chamomile, was traversed. Changes also take newly created groups, orders, families, and genera into account.

[0046] In one embodiment, the smoking product comprises, as the sole product, ray and / or tubular flowers of the specified plant species, in particular German chamomile. Advantageously, the product can comprise more than 50% by weight of ray and / or tubular flowers. Preferably, the product can comprise more than 75% by weight of ray and / or tubular flowers, in particular more than 85% by weight. The smoking product then consists of the ray and / or tubular flowers of a single plant species.

[0047] As described, 100% separation is not achievable with mechanical separation processes. However, the smoker's product is significantly improved even with a predominant proportion of ligulate and / or tubular buds.

[0048] Ray florets, also called ray flowers, and tubular flowers are particularly found in plant species from the daisy family, specifically those with false flowers.

[0049] In addition, the petals present in other plant species can be used as a product for smoking. These are often the most fragile parts of the flower, as is the case with the ray and tubular florets.

[0050] Alternatively, the smoking product may consist of multiple products. In addition to German chamomile, it may also contain components, particularly flower components, of Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile). Even then, the German chamomile product content should contain more than 50% by weight of ray and / or tubular florets. The Roman chamomile product content may also consist of more than 50% by weight of ray and / or tubular florets. The remaining % by weight may be other flower components of German chamomile or Roman chamomile. The distribution of the product components between German chamomile and Roman chamomile, however, is irrelevant.

[0051] Which flower components are suitable for smoking products must be determined individually for each plant species. However, the separation processes described above allow the desired components to be separated gently and without damage for each plant species.

[0052] Advantageously, the smoking product can be tobacco-free. It can contain a variety of products, but no tobacco. It is then still called herbal tobacco.

[0053] Preferably, the smoking product can contain cannabis as one product. Then, the smoking product contains cannabis as one product and, as at least one further product, a flower component of a given plant species, in particular, ligulate and / or tubular flowers of German chamomile. Preferably, the smoking product can contain exclusively cannabis and ligulate and / or tubular flowers of German chamomile. Here, too, it should be noted that other flower components of German chamomile can be included as a residue, as already described several times.

[0054] This design combines three advantages. First, it creates a flavorful combination. Second, the chamomile component is yellow with white speckles. These colors come from the tubular flowers and ray florets, as described below. The cannabis component, on the other hand, is green. This clearly distinguishes the cannabis component from the herbal tobacco component, which in this case consists of chamomile flower components, and is therefore easily identifiable. Third, the resulting smoke smell in the environment is significantly less dominated by the cannabis, which results in a higher acceptance of this blend.

[0055] In one embodiment, the smoking product contains exclusively cannabis and tubular flowers of German chamomile. As already described several times, the tubular flower product contains less than 50% by weight of residual flower components, preferably less than 35% by weight, advantageously less than 25% by weight, in particular less than 15% by weight. The residual flower components here also include the elements of the ray florets.

[0056] In another embodiment, the smoking product contains exclusively cannabis and ray florets, as well as tubular flowers of German chamomile. As already described several times, the product of ray florets and tubular flowers contains less than 50% by weight of residual flower components, preferably less than 35% by weight, advantageously less than 25% by weight, in particular less than 15% by weight.

[0057] Advantageously, the smoking product can contain additives such as fragrances or powders in addition to the specified selection of flower components. This applies to all versions.

[0058] The smoking product can be used for all types of smoking, e.g. hand-rolled cigarettes, machine-made cigarettes, vaporizers, shisha, pipes, slow-burn tubes, etc.

[0059] Further advantages, features, and details of the invention will become apparent from the following exemplary embodiments and figures. They show:

[0060] Fig. 1 a flower of a chamomile,

[0061] Fig. 2 is a flow diagram of a first separation process,

[0062] Fig. 3 is a flow diagram of a second separation process,

[0063] Fig. 4 a smoking product in a first embodiment,

[0064] Fig. 5 a smoking product in a second embodiment, and

[0065] Fig. 6 shows a smoking product in a third embodiment. Fig. 1 shows a cross-section through the false flower 1 of a chamomile 2. The false flower 1 comprises, as flower components 3, ray florets 4, tubular florets 5, bracts 6, and a receptacle 7 or capitate. The receptacle 7 is hollow and conically curved. The tubular florets 5, which are yellow in nature, are arranged on the receptacle 7. The ray florets 4 are white and can either protrude horizontally or be folded back. The bracts 6 are located on the underside of the false flower 1.

[0066] The most fragile flower component 3 of the false flower 1 are the ray florets 4, followed by the tubular florets 5.

[0067] The flower component 3 of the ray flowers 4 has six elements, the flower component 3 of the receptacle 7 has one element, etc.

[0068] Fig. 2 shows a separation process in a first embodiment. In step S1, blossoms or pseudo-blossoms 1 of a given plant species are dried to a given residual moisture content. Drying begins immediately after harvesting. The given residual moisture content can be achieved at the harvest site, partially during transport, and / or at the site of the separation process. The given residual moisture content is essential for optimizing the separation process, but the separation process can also be carried out at other residual moisture levels.

[0069] Then, in step S2, the flowers or pseudo-flowers 1 are prepared for carrying out a separation process, wherein the flowers or pseudo-flowers 1 have several flower components 3. For example, pseudo-flowers 1 of the plant species Chamomile 2 with the flower components ray florets 4, tubular florets 5, bracts 6, and receptacle 7 or capitulum can be used.

[0070] In step S3, the pseudo-flowers 1 are introduced into a separating device 8, which can be designed as a drum mill 9, and the flower components 3 are partially separated, resulting in at least one separated flower component 10 and residual flower components 11. Purely by way of example, reference is again made to the German chamomile 2. By selecting suitable parameters, for example, only the ray florets 4 are retained as the separated flower component 10, and the tubular florets 5, bracts 6, and the receptacle 7 form the residual flower components 11. The different diameters of the separated and undamaged flower components 10 and the residual flower components 11 indicate different volumes, weights, etc.

[0071] Since only a mechanical separation of the separated flower components 10 from the remaining flower components 11 occurred in step S3, an additional separation is performed in step S4. For example, reference is made to rollers 12 for transport, which are spaced at a defined distance. Collecting containers 13 are arranged beneath the rollers 12. The separated flower components 10 then fall through the gaps between the rollers 12 into the collecting containers 13, and the remaining flower components 11, which are still connected, are transported on the rollers 12 to other containers 14.

[0072] Instead of the rollers 12, a sieve can also be used as a separating device.

[0073] If either the separated flower components 10 or the residual flower components 11 are the desired components, the desired component can already be used for the smoking product. If other flower components 3 than the already separated flower components 10 still need to be separated from the residual flower components 11, a further separation process can be performed.

[0074] In the example above, not only the ray florets 4, but also the tubular florets 5 are desired components. These must be separated in a second separation process.

[0075] Fig. 3 shows a separation method in a second embodiment. A vibrating screen 15 is used as the separation device. Steps S1 and S2 can be carried out as described for Fig. 2. In step S5, the pseudo-flowers 1 are introduced into the vibrating screen 15 as the separation device 8, and the flower components 3 are partially separated, thereby producing at least one separated flower component 10 and residual flower components 11.

[0076] There are two differences compared to the separation process shown in Fig. 3. First, the vibrating sieve 15 separates both the ray florets 4 and the tubular florets 5. Thus, two of the floret components 3 are separated as the flower components 10. The remaining floret components 11 comprise only the bracts 6 and the receptacle 7.

[0077] Secondly, the separated flower components 10 and the remaining flower components 11 are separated simultaneously, which is why this step mentioned in Fig. 2 can be omitted.

[0078] The number of flower components 10 separated in the separation step and the separation of the remaining flower components 11 are independent of each other. It is also possible to separate two flower components 3 in the process described in Fig. 2. Conversely, it is also possible to separate only one flower component 3 and separate it simultaneously.

[0079] Fig. 4 shows a smoking product 16 in a first embodiment. It comprises, as a single product 17, separated flower components 10 of the false flowers 1 of the common chamomile 2. The ray florets 4 and the tubular florets 5 are preferably used as separated flower components 10. After being separated from the remaining flower components 11, the ray florets 4 and tubular florets 5 are further thermally processed and provided with additives. This results in a smoking product that allows for optimal combustion or vaporization.

[0080] During post-processing, the residual moisture content can also be increased or decreased to optimize it for combustion or evaporation.

[0081] Fig. 5 shows a smoking product 18 in a second embodiment. It comprises, as product 17, separated flower components 10 of the pseudo-flowers 1 of the German chamomile 2, and, as product 19, separated flower components 10 of the pseudo-flowers 1 of the Roman chamomile. The smoking product therefore contains flower components from more than one plant species. In addition to product 17, the smoking product 18 can also comprise flowers that have been crushed without a separation process or are even still contained whole. The smoking product 18 can in principle also contain tobacco. However, a tobacco-free smoking product 18 is preferred. Fig. 6 shows a smoking product 20 in a third embodiment. It comprises, as product 17, separated flower components 10 of the pseudo-flowers 1 of the German chamomile 2, and, as product 21, cannabis.This clearly distinguishes the green cannabis component from the herbal tobacco component, which here consists of yellow and white flower components 10 of German Chamomile 2, and is therefore easily identifiable. For example, if only tubular flowers 5 of German Chamomile 2 are used, the mixture will be yellow and green, and the cannabis component will still stand out.

[0082] Other plant components may also be included as optional components, in particular product 19 or components, in particular flower components of other chamomile species.

[0083] Reference symbol

[0084] False bloom

[0085] German chamomile

[0086] Flower component

[0087] ray flower

[0088] tubular flower

[0089] husk

[0090] flower base

[0091] Separating device

[0092] Drum mill separated flower component

[0093] Residual flower components

[0094] role

[0095] Collection container

[0096] container

[0097] vibrating sieve

[0098] Smoking product

[0099] product

[0100] Smoking product

[0101] product

[0102] Smoking product

[0103] product

Claims

Patent claims 1. A method for producing a smoking product (16, 18, 20), wherein the smoking product (16, 18, 20) at least partially comprises flower components (3) of a predetermined plant species (2), comprising the steps of: o providing at least a part of at least one flower or pseudo-flower (1), wherein the flower or pseudo-flower (1) has a plurality of flower components (3), o carrying out a mechanical separation process for the provided flowers or pseudo-flowers (1), o wherein at least one separated flower component (10) and residual flower components (11) are produced from the flower components of the provided flowers or pseudo-flowers (1).

2. Method according to claim 1, characterized in that the mechanical separation process is carried out by means of a drum mill (9).

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the mechanical separation process is carried out by means of a vibrating sieve (15).

4. A method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least two mechanical separation processes are carried out, wherein the separation processes differ in at least one operating parameter.

5. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a single flower component (3) is separated from the remaining flower components (11) as the separated flower component (10).

6. Method according to one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that exactly two flower components (3) are separated from the remaining flower components (11) as separated flower components (10).

7. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that as a further separated flower component (10) at least one further Flower component (3) is separated from the remaining flower components (11) remaining after the first separation process.

8. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that true chamomile (2) is used as the predetermined plant species and ray flowers (4) and / or tubular flowers (5) are separated from the remaining flower components (11) as separated flower components (10).

9. Smoking product (16, 18, 20) produced by a method according to one of the preceding claims, consisting of at least one product (17, 19, 21), wherein the at least one product (17) is flower components (3) of a given plant species (2), characterized in that the product (17) exclusively comprises a given selection of the flower components, in particular ray flowers (4) and / or tubular flowers (5), of the given plant species (2).

10. Smoking product according to claim 9, characterized in that the given plant species is German chamomile (2).

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