Translucent Smokeless Tobacco Composition With Ultrafiltered Extract
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing smokeless tobacco products lack translucency while maintaining tobacco flavor, and there is a need for improved processes to prepare tobacco-containing compositions suitable for oral consumption.
Innovation Solution
A smokeless tobacco product comprising a tobacco extract with a sugar substitute forming a glassy matrix, where the extract is ultrafiltered to remove high molecular weight components, and optionally heat-treated to enhance clarity, resulting in a translucent or transparent product.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If tobacco extract is included in smokeless tobacco product, then tobacco flavor is maintained, but translucency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes high molecular weight components (proteins, polysaccharides, pigments) from the tobacco extract through ultrafiltration and heat treatment processes. This selective removal preserves the desirable tobacco flavor compounds while eliminating the components that cause opacity and discoloration, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining flavor and achieving translucency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies heat treatment at controlled temperatures (e.g., 60-100°C) to modify the physical and chemical properties of the tobacco extract. This heat treatment denatures proteins and precipitates pigments, changing the extract's optical properties to improve translucency while maintaining flavor. The process optimizes temperature and time parameters to achieve the desired balance between clarity and flavor retention.
2Illumination intensity
If heat treatment is applied to tobacco extract, then clarity is enhanced, but acrylamide formation risk increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the potential harmful effect of heat treatment (acrylamide formation) into a beneficial process by carefully controlling treatment conditions. By using moderate temperatures (60-100°C) rather than high-temperature frying or roasting, and by limiting treatment time, the process achieves clarity enhancement through protein denaturation and pigment precipitation while minimizing the formation of harmful acrylamide compounds.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes heat treatment parameters (temperature, time, pH, moisture content) to achieve the desired clarity while minimizing harmful byproducts. By maintaining temperature below 100°C and controlling treatment duration, the process achieves sufficient clarification without creating excessive acrylamide, thus resolving the contradiction between clarity enhancement and harmful factor reduction.
3Illumination intensity
If ultrafiltration is used to remove high molecular weight components, then translucency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the complex ultrafiltration process into manageable stages: initial concentration, ultrafiltration through specific molecular weight cutoff membranes (e.g., 10,000-100,000 Da), and subsequent heat treatment. This segmentation allows each step to be optimized independently and facilitates integration with existing manufacturing equipment, reducing overall process complexity while achieving the desired translucency improvement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves a smokeless tobacco product with translucency or transparency, maintaining tobacco flavor, and reduces the risk of acrylamide formation through controlled heat treatment and ultrafiltration.
Implementation Method 1
the extract is ultrafiltered to remove high molecular weight components
Implementation Method 2
optionally heat-treated to enhance clarity, resulting in a translucent or transparent product
Implementation Method 3
a sugar substitute forming a glassy matrix
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides a smokeless tobacco product comprising a tobacco extract. In some embodiments, the smokeless tobacco product is translucent. The invention further provides methods for making and using the smokeless tobacco product. In certain embodiments, the smokeless tobacco product comprises isomalt, maltitol syrup, and a translucent tobacco extract prepared by ultrafiltration.