JP2022506178A - Smoking substitute consumables - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to HNB consumables containing an aerosol-forming substrate (eg, tobacco) to which a flavoring coating is attached. [Selection diagram] FIG. 5

Description

The present disclosure relates to, but is not limited to, consumables for use in smoking substitution systems, and more particularly to non-combustion heating (heat-not-burn: HNB) consumables.

Tobacco waste is produced during the manufacturing process of tobacco products such as cigarettes. Tobacco waste is usually in the form of tobacco powder, leaves, or stems. Tobacco waste can be collected and processed to provide reconstituted tobacco or what is known as "recon".

Two separate methods are most commonly used to produce reconstituted tobacco, i) a papermaking process (ie, providing a "paper recon"), and ii) a slurry cast ("slurry type"). Recon "is provided). The products obtained from these separate processes have significantly different properties and characteristics. For example, slurry-type recon generally has improved aroma / flavor and nicotine content compared to paper recon, but slurry-type recon is usually fragile and often has poor quality uniformity. ..

In slurry casting, tobacco waste is ground into fine powder, mixed with an aqueous solvent, usually water, and mixed with a binder. The resulting slurry can be further milled to further reduce the particle size of the tobacco material. The slurry is then cast on the surface and dried to form a sheet. The dried sheet is shredded and can be used in various tobacco products, for example as a cigarette filler.

In the papermaking process, tobacco waste is mechanically agitated in the presence of an aqueous solvent to digest and treat the tobacco into usable fibers. Next, the water-soluble compound present in tobacco is extracted into an aqueous solvent. The aqueous extract and the insoluble fiber portion are separated. Through a typical papermaking procedure, the separated fiber moieties, sometimes referred to as "pulp," undergo further treatment to form a basesheet. The aqueous extract is concentrated and then re-added to the base sheet. The base sheet is then dried to form paper.

Tobacco smoking is generally regarded as exposing smokers to potentially harmful substances. It is generally believed that significant amounts of potentially harmful substances are produced through the burning of tobacco and / or the heat caused by the burning of tobacco, as well as the components of the burning tobacco in the tobacco smoke itself. There is.

Traditional combustible smoking articles, such as cigarettes, typically include a columnar tobacco rod containing tobacco strips surrounded by a wrapper and are usually axially aligned with the wound tobacco rod in an abuttal relationship. Also includes a columnar filter. The filter usually contains a filter material circumscribed by a plug wrap. The rolled tobacco rod and filter are bundled together by a rolled strip of chip paper circumscribing the entire length of the filter and adjacent portions of the rolled tobacco rod. Traditional cigarettes of this type are used by igniting the end opposite the filter to burn a cigarette rod. Smokers receive mainstream smoke from their mouth by inhaling at the mouth end or filter end of the cigarette. Burning organic materials such as tobacco is known to produce tar and other potentially harmful by-products. Various smoking substitution systems (or "substitute smoking systems") have been proposed to avoid smoking tobacco.

Such smoking substitution systems can form part of nicotine replacement therapy for people who want to quit smoking and overcome their dependence on nicotine.

Smoking substitution systems include an electronic system that allows the user to simulate smoking behavior by producing an aerosol (also known as "steam"), which is inhaled through the mouth into the lungs. (Inhaled) and then exhaled. Inhaled aerosols usually have nicotine and / or flavoring without the odor and health risk associated with conventional smoking, or with less odor and health risk.

In general, smoking substitution systems are intended to provide a substitute for smoking habits while providing users with the same experience and satisfaction that they have experienced with traditional smoking and flammable tobacco products. Some smoking substitute systems use smoking substitutes, which are designed to resemble traditional cigarettes and are in the form of a cylinder with a mouthpiece at one end.

The popularity and use of smoking substitution systems has grown rapidly over the past few years. Originally marketed as an aid to addicted smokers who want to quit smoking, consumers are increasingly seeing smoking substitution systems as a desirable lifestyle accessory.

There are several different categories of smoking substitution systems, each utilizing a different smoking substitution approach.

One approach for smoking substitution systems is the so-called "non-combustion heating" ("HNB") approach, in which the tobacco (not the "e-liquid") is heated or heated. Release steam. The tobacco may be a leaf tobacco or a reconstituted tobacco. The vapor can contain nicotine and / or flavor. In the HNB approach, the intent is that the tobacco is heated without being burned, i.e. the tobacco is not burned.

A typical HNB smoking substitution system can include devices and consumables. Consumables can include tobacco material. Devices and consumables may be configured to be physically coupled together. In use, the heating element of the device may apply heat to the tobacco material, and the airflow through the tobacco material causes the moisture in the tobacco material to be released as vapor. The vapor may also be formed from carriers in the tobacco material, which carriers may include, for example, propylene glycol and / or vegetable glycerin, as well as volatile compounds released from the tobacco. The released vapor may be accompanied by a stream of air inhaled through the cigarette.

As the vapor passes through the consumables (accompanied by the air stream) from the inlet to the mouthpiece (outlet), the vapor cools and condenses to form an aerosol for user inhalation. Aerosols usually contain volatile compounds.

In the HNB smoking substitution system, it is believed that heating, in contrast to burning tobacco material, causes less or less of the more harmful compounds normally produced during smoking. .. As a result, the HNB approach can reduce the odor and / or health risks that can occur through burning tobacco, burning tobacco, and pyrolytic degradation.

An improved design of HNB consumables is needed to enhance the user experience and improve the functionality of the HNB smoking substitution system.

The present disclosure has been devised in view of the above issues.

Most generally, the present disclosure relates to aerosol-forming articles, such as HNB consumables, with increased concentrations of volatile compounds.

According to a first aspect, the present invention provides an aerosol-forming article (eg, an HNB consumable) comprising an aerosol-forming substrate to which a flavoring coating is attached, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate is a slurry-type reconstituted plant. It is a material and has a flavoring agent content of up to 20% by weight of the aerosol-forming substrate.

References to "slurry type" correspond to reconstituted plant materials made by slurry casting, as opposed to the papermaking process.

By using an aerosol-forming substrate with a flavor coating attached (which itself contains volatile compounds), the number / concentration of volatile compounds can be increased to give the user a higher concentration of volatile compounds. A vapor / aerosol containing can be provided. It can provide the user with an enhanced distraction and / or medicinal effect when inhaled. In particular, the user experiences an enhanced flavor. Also, the coating uniformly adds the flavoring agent to the aerosol-forming substrate, thus providing the user with a more consistent experience.

The features of the optional selection will be described below. These are applicable alone or in any combination with any aspect.

Aerosol-forming articles are preferably non-combustion heating (HNB) consumables.

The aerosol-forming substrate can be heated to release at least one volatile compound capable of forming an aerosol. The aerosol-forming substrate may be located at the upstream end of the article / consumable.

As used herein, the terms "upstream" and "downstream" are intended to refer to the direction of vapor / aerosol flow, that is, the downstream end of the article / consumable is the article / article for the aerosol to be inhaled by the user. The mouth end or exit from the consumables. The upstream end of the article / consumable is the end opposite to the downstream end.

To produce an aerosol, the aerosol-forming substrate comprises at least one volatile compound, such a volatile compound is intended to be evaporated / aerosolized and is a distraction to the user when inhaled. An effect and / or a medicinal effect can be provided. Suitable chemically and / or physiologically active volatile compounds include the group consisting of nicotine, cocaine, caffeine, opioids and opioids, cathin and cathinone, cavalactone, mysticin, beta carboline alkaloids, salvinorin A, supra. Included with any combination of, functional equivalents, and / or synthetic alternatives.

In some embodiments, the flavoring agent is a non-tobacco flavoring agent. Since the present invention is primarily intended to provide a substitute smoking consumable, the use of non-tobacco flavors is advantageous to provide the user with a non-traditional flavor that is not normally experienced. Therefore, a changed and enhanced user experience is provided.

Aerosol-forming substrates include plant materials. The plant material, Amaranthus dubius, Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (Bearberry), Argemone mexicana, Amica, Artemisia vulgaris, Yellow Tees, Galea zacatechichi, Canavalia maritima (Baybean), Cecropia mexicana (Guamura), Cestrum noctumum, Cynoglossum virginianum (wild comfrey) , Cytisus scoparius, Damiana, Entada rheedii, Eschscholzia califomica (California Poppy), Fittonia albivenis, Hippobroma longiflora, Humulus japonica (Japanese Hops), Humulus lupulus (Hops), Lactuca virosa (Lettuce Opium), Laggera alata, Leonotis leonurus, Leonurus cardiaca (Motherwort), Leonurus sibiricus (Honeyweed), Lobelia cardinalis, Lobelia inflata (Indian-tobacco), Lobelia siphilitica, Nepeta cataria (Catnip), Nicotiana species (Tobacco), Nymphaea alba (White Lily), Nymphaea caerulea (Blue Lily), Opium poppy, Passiflora incamata (Passionflower), Pedicularis densiflora (Indian Warrior), Pedicularis greenlandica (Elephant's Head), Salvi divinorum, Salvia dorrii (Tobacco Sage), Salvia species (Sage), Scutellaria galericulata, Scutellaria lateriflora, Scutellaria nana, Scutellaria species (Skullcap), Sida acuta (Wireweed), Sida rhombifolia, Silene capensis, Syzygium aromaticum (Clove), Tagetes lucida (Mexican Tarragon), Skullcaps camphoratus, Tumala diffusa (Damiana), Verbascum (Mullein), Zamia latifolia (Maconha Brava) selected from the list including one of the above plant equivalents, one of the above. And / or can be included with synthetic alternatives.

Preferably, the plant material is tobacco. Any type of tobacco may be used. This includes, but is not limited to, iron tube dried tobacco, Burleigh potatoes, Maryland tobacco, dark air dried tobacco, oriental tobacco, dark fire dried tobacco, peric tobacco, and rustica tobacco. It also includes the tobacco blends mentioned above.

Any suitable portion of the tobacco plant may be used. It includes leaves, stems, roots, skins, seeds, and flowers.

Tobacco is of leaf tobacco, stem tobacco, tobacco powder, tobacco dust, tobacco derivatives, puffed tobacco, homogeneous tobacco, chopped tobacco, extruded tobacco, chopped rug tobacco, and / or reconstituted tobacco (eg, slurry recon or cigarette). It can include one or more.

Aerosol-forming substrates can include homogeneous slurry recon tobacco collection sheets, or collection pieces / strips formed from such sheets.

In some embodiments, the sheet used to form the aerosol-forming substrate has a basis weight of 100 g / m ² or more, for example 120 g / m ² or more and 110 g / m ² or more.

The sheet can have a basis weight of 300 g / m ² or less, for example 250 g / m ² or less, or 200 g / m ² or less.

The sheet can have a basis weight of 120-190 g / m ² .

In some embodiments, the sheet used to form the aerosol-forming substrate has a density of less than 1100 mg / cm ³ , preferably less than 1000 mg / cm ³ , more preferably less than 900 mg / cm ³ .

In some embodiments, the sheet used to form the aerosol-forming substrate is less than 0.09 mg / mm ² , preferably less than 0.085 mg / mm ² , preferably less than 0.08 mg / mm ² . It preferably has a mass / surface area of less than 0.075 mg / mm ² .

In some embodiments, the aerosol-forming substrate can have a thickness of about 0.1-0.3 mm, such as less than about 1 mm, preferably less than about 0.5 mm, preferably about 0.2 mm.

The aerosol-forming substrate can include at least 50% by weight of plant material, such as at least 60% by weight of plant material, such as about 65% by weight of plant material. Aerosol-forming substrates can include up to 80% by weight plant material, such as 75 or up to 70% by weight plant material.

Aerosol-forming substrates can include one or more additives selected from wetting agents, fillers, aqueous / non-aqueous solvents, and binders.

Wetting agents are provided as a source of steam, and the resulting steam helps retain the volatile active compounds and increases the visible steam. Suitable wetting agents are polyhydric alcohols (eg, propylene glycol (PG), triethylene glycol, 1,2-butanediol, and vegetable glycerin (VG)) and esters thereof (eg, glycerol monoacetate, diacetate, or Triacetate) is included. The wetting agent may be present in an aerosol-forming substrate in an amount of 1-50% by weight.

The wetting agent content of the aerosol-forming substrate is at least 2% by weight, at least 5% by weight, at least 10% by weight, at least 20% by weight, at least 30% by weight, or at least 40% by weight of the plant material. It can have a lower limit of at least 1% by weight.

The wetting agent content of the aerosol-forming substrate can have an upper limit of at most 50% by weight, such as at most 40% by weight, at most 30% by weight, or at most 20% by weight.

Preferably, the wetting agent content is 1-40% by weight of the aerosol-forming substrate, such as 1-20% by weight.

Suitable binders are known in the art and can act to bind together the components that form the aerosol-forming substrate. Binders include starch and / or cellulose binders such as methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and carboxymethyl cellulose, gums such as xanthan gum, guar gum, arabic gum, and / or locust bean gum, sodium alginate / sodium alginate, It can contain agar, and organic acids such as pectin and salts thereof.

Preferably, the binder content is 5-20% by weight, for example about 6-8% by weight, of the aerosol-forming substrate. The upper limit of the binder is preferably up to 15% by weight, such as up to 10% by weight. Preferably, the binder content is greater than 5% by weight.

Suitable fillers are known in the art and can act to enhance aerosol-forming substrates. Fillers can include fibrous (non-tobacco) fillers such as cellulosic fibers, lignocellulosic fibers (eg, wood fibers), jute fibers, and combinations thereof.

Preferably, the filler content is 5-10% by weight, for example about 6-9% by weight, of the aerosol-forming substrate.

Aerosol-forming substrates can include aqueous and / or non-aqueous solvents. In some embodiments, the aerosol-forming substrate has a water content of 5-10% by weight, for example 6-9% by weight, such as 7-9% by weight.

The flavoring agent may be provided in solid or liquid form. Flavors can include menthol, peppermint, spearmint, licorice, chocolate, fruit flavors (including, for example, citrus, cherries, etc.), vanilla, spices (eg, ginger, cinnamon), coffee, eucalyptus, and tobacco flavors. .. The flavoring agent may be uniformly dispersed as a coating on an aerosol-forming substrate or may be provided as a coating on an aerosol-forming substrate at a remote location and / or at various concentrations. Preferably, the flavoring agent is uniformly dispersed as a coating on the aerosol-forming substrate.

The flavoring agent is provided as a coating on the aerosol-forming article. Such a coating is provided on the aerosol-forming article by surface coating of a liquid containing a flavoring agent. For example, it is provided by brushing, spraying, or dipping in a liquid. The coating is preferably uniform over the surface of the aerosol-forming article.

In a preferred embodiment, the coating is provided on a sheet of slurry-type reconstituted plant material from which the aerosol-forming article is formed. The coating may be provided on both main surfaces of the sheet or, otherwise, on only one main surface of the sheet. In a preferred embodiment, the coating is provided on a sheet of slurry-type reconstituted plant material before the sheet is divided by shredding or cutting, for example to form an aerosol-forming article. In some embodiments, the coating is substantially continuous over the surface of the sheet or aerosol-forming article when applied.

When the coating is applied to the surface of the aerosol-forming article, optionally the flavoring agent penetrates the surface layer of the aerosol-forming article. Preferably, the flavoring agent is present only in the surface layer of the aerosol-forming article, i.e., not present throughout the aerosol-forming article. Although these flavoring agents have been found to be desired by the user, it is also advantageous to provide the user with a satisfactory flavor "hit". In addition, a varied and enhanced flavor experience is achieved.

The content of the adhering flavor of the aerosol-forming substrate is at least 0.5% by weight, at least 1% by weight, at least 2% by weight, at least 5% by weight, at least 10% by weight, at least 15% by weight, and the like. It can have a lower limit of at least 0.1% by weight of the weight of the forming substrate.

The adherent flavoring content of the aerosol-forming substrate can have an upper limit of at most 15% by weight, at most 10% by weight, and at most 20% by weight of the aerosol-forming substrate.

Preferably, the flavoring agent concentration is 0.1 to 15% by weight. A flavoring agent concentration of 0.1-5% by weight of the aerosol-forming substrate is more preferred.

Preferably, the flavoring agent is menthol.

The flavoring agent is more preferably synthetically derived menthol. It is advantageous that the origin of this menthol is not naturally derived. Usually, naturally derived menthol is provided in the form of mint or mint extract. As a result, the use of synthetic menthol excludes the presence of unwanted components present in mint or mint extract.

The aerosol-forming substrate may be formed in a substantially columnar shape so that the article / consumable resembles a conventional cigarette. Aerosol-forming substrates can have a diameter of 5-10 mm, such as 6-9 mm or 6-8 mm, such as about 7 mm. Aerosol-forming substrates can have an axial length of 10-15 mm, for example 11-14 mm, such as about 12 or 13 mm.

The aerosol-forming substrate may be circumscribed by a wrap layer, such as a paper wrap layer. The wrap layer may overlap the inner foil layer or may include a paper / foil laminate (foil is the innermost).

Articles / consumables can include at least one filter element. The end filter element may be located at the downstream end / mouth side end of the article / consumable. Multiple filter elements (eg, end filter elements and upstream filter elements) may be located, and these filter elements may be adjacent to or separated from each other. Any upstream filter element may be circumscribed, at least partially (eg, entirely), by a (paper) wrap layer.

The filter element or at least one filter element (eg, terminal filter element and / or upstream filter element) may be composed of tow of cellulose acetate. The filter element or at least one filter element (eg, the terminal filter element and / or the upstream filter element) may be composed of activated carbon. The filter element or at least one filter element (eg, the terminal filter element and / or the upstream filter element) may be composed of paper. The filter element or at least one filter element (eg, terminal filter element and / or upstream filter element) may be composed of plant material, eg extruded plant material. The filter elements or each filter element may be circumscribed by a plug wrap, such as a paper plug wrap.

The filter element or each filter element can have a substantially columnar shape, the diameter of which substantially matches the diameter of the aerosol-forming substrate (with or without its associated wrap layer). The axial length of the filter element or each filter element may be less than 20 mm, eg 8-15 mm, eg 9-13 mm, eg 10-12 mm.

The filter element or at least one filter element may be a solid filter element. The filter element or at least one filter element may be a hollow filter element. The hollow filter or each hollow filter can have a diameter of 1-5 mm, for example 2-4 mm, or 2-3 mm.

An circumscribed chip layer, such as a chip paper layer, can be used to connect end filter elements (downstream ends of articles / consumables) to upstream elements to form articles / consumables. The chip paper can have an axial length longer than the axial length of the end filter element, so the chip paper is completely circumscribed to the end filter element and the wrap layer surrounding any adjacent upstream element.

The filter element or at least one filter element, such as the terminal filter element, can include a liquid flavoring agent, eg, a capsule containing any of the flavoring agents listed above, eg, a crushable capsule (crash ball). Capsules can be crushed by the user to release the flavoring agent while smoking the article / consumable. The capsule may be axially centered on the terminal filter element.

In some embodiments, the article / consumable can include an aerosol cooling element adapted to cool the aerosol produced (by heat exchange) from the aerosol-forming substrate before it is inhaled by the user. ..

The aerosol cooling element is located downstream of the aerosol-forming substrate. For example, the aerosol cooling element may be between the aerosol-forming substrate and the upstream filter element and / or between the two filter elements. The aerosol cooling element may be circumscribed, at least partially (eg, completely), by a (paper) wrap layer.

The aerosol cooling element may be formed from a plastic material selected from the group consisting of polylactic acid (PLA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene (PE), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The aerosol cooling element may be formed from a crimp / collection sheet of material to form a large surface area structure with multiple longitudinal channels to maximize heat exchange and cooling of the aerosol.

The article / consumable can include a spacer element that defines a space or cavity between the aerosol-forming substrate and the downstream end of the article / consumable. Spacer elements may be provided between the aerosol-forming substrate and the upstream filter element and / or between the two filter elements. The spacer element can include a tubular element, such as a paper cylinder. The spacer element may be circumscribed by a (paper) wrap layer, at least partially (eg, entirely).

The spacer element can have an outer diameter of 5-10 mm, such as 6-9 mm or 6-8 mm, such as about 7 mm. The spacer element can have an axial length of 10-15 mm, such as 12-14 mm or 13-14 mm, such as about 14 mm.

In a second aspect, a smoking substitute system comprising the aerosol-forming article according to the first aspect and a device comprising a heating element is provided.

The device may be an HNB device, i.e. a device adapted to heat the aerosol-forming substrate without burning.

The device can include a body for accommodating the heating element. The heating element can include an elongated, eg rod, tubular, or blade heating element. The heating element may project into or surround the cavity within the body for receiving the articles / consumables described above.

The device (eg, body) may further include a power source for powering the heating element, eg, a (rechargeable) battery. The device can further include a control unit for controlling the supply of power to the heating element.

A third aspect comprises the method of using the smoking substitution system according to the second aspect, wherein the method comprises.
Inserting goods / consumables into the device and
Includes heating articles / consumables using heating elements.

In some embodiments, the method comprises inserting the article / consumable into a cavity within the body and, when inserting the article / consumable, penetrating the heating element into the article / consumable. For example, the heating element can penetrate the aerosol-forming substrate in the article / consumable.

In a fourth aspect, a method for producing an aerosol-forming substrate is provided, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate is a slurry-type reconstituted plant material, in which the ground plant material and an aqueous medium are mixed to form a slurry. It involves forming, casting the slurry to the surface to form a sheet, and applying a flavoring agent to the sheet to provide a coating.

Flavoring agents as compared to providing flavoring agents as separate components or components of aerosol-forming substrates or articles / consumables, or within separate components or components of aerosol-forming substrates or articles / consumables. It is advantageous to achieve a more uniform application of the flavoring agent to the aerosol-forming substrate by applying the above to the sheet as a coating. This provides the user with an enhanced flavor and a more consistent flavor experience. Further, the application of the flavoring agent to the sheet may be carried out in a secondary environment away from the main production line. Therefore, contamination of the main line equipment with unwanted flavoring agents is avoided. Therefore, in some embodiments, it is preferred to apply the flavoring agent after winding the sheet onto the bobbin, for example by spreading the sheet from the bobbin before applying the flavoring agent. It is advantageous that the application of such flavoring agents may be carried out after the sheet has been transported (eg, wound onto a bobbin) away from the casting site.

The plant material is preferably ground to a particle size of less than 120 microns. It is not desirable to have a particle size larger than 150 microns. This is because in the sheet formed by casting the slurry, it involves the formation of defects and inhomogeneous regions. In particular, a particle size of 30 to 120 microns is preferable.

Binders may also be included in the slurry. The amount of binder used is selected to provide 5-20% by weight of the binder in the sheet that is ultimately produced from the slurry, such as 5-10% by weight, such as 5-15% by weight. To. The ground tobacco may be mixed with the binder before being mixed with the aqueous medium. Alternatively, the binder may be mixed with the aqueous medium prior to mixing the aqueous medium with the ground tobacco.

The slurry can also contain fillers, wetting agents, preservatives, and / or flavors. These may be mixed with the ground plant material prior to mixing with the aqueous medium, or optionally added separately to the slurry.

The total solid content of the slurry is preferably 15% to 30% of the total slurry weight. Within this preferred range, about 50-90% of the total solid content of the slurry should be plant material. The plant material content of the slurry is not essential, but it is preferred that a minimum amount of aqueous medium be used to avoid leaching of the plant material soluble material into the aqueous medium.

The slurry is formed by mixing the various components of the slurry. This may be achieved using a high energy mixer or a high shear mixer to homogenize the slurry. Optionally, the slurry may be heated during mixing.

In addition, the slurry may be vibrated to aid in homogenization of the slurry. This may be achieved by vibrating the tank or silo containing the slurry.

After mixing, the slurry is cast onto a movable support surface such as a desiccator belt to form a sheet. Casting of the sheet may be achieved by a roll coater system or laminator, or any other method suitable in the art. The moisture content of the sheet during casting is preferably 60-80 percent of the total weight of the slurry to be cast. The cast sheet is then dried by exposure to high temperature and / or reduced pressure to remove excess moisture content from the sheet. Suitable drying methods include steam dryers and / or heated air dryers. Alternatively, the sheet may be dried under ambient conditions.

Preferably, the flavoring agent is applied by spray coating.

By applying the flavoring agent to the sheet cast by the spray coating, it is advantageous to achieve a more uniform application of the flavoring agent and provide a more homogeneous product. Therefore, a more consistent user experience is obtained.

Preferably, the flavoring agent is non-tobacco flavored. In particular, the flavoring agent is selected from menthol, peppermint, spearmint, licorice, chocolate, fruit flavor, vanilla, spices, coffee, eucalyptus, and tobacco flavors, and in particular the flavoring agent is synthetically derived menthol. The advantages of flavoring agents are described above.

Preferably, the plant material is tobacco.

Because the invention is primarily intended to provide smoking consumables, the use of tobacco provides a slurry-type reconstituted plant material with the unique properties of tobacco, such as mouthfeel, aroma, and nicotine content. do.

Preferably, the method of the fourth aspect comprises drying the sheet, the flavoring agent is applied to the sheet after drying.

Since many flavoring agents exhibit high volatility, it is advantageous to apply flavoring after the sheet has been dried to avoid loss of flavoring agent due to evaporation when dried at high temperature or under reduced pressure.

Preferably, the method of the fourth aspect comprises winding the sheet onto a bobbin, the flavoring agent being applied to the sheet after winding.

It is advantageous that this facilitates efficient storage of the sheet and allows the flavoring agent to be applied in a secondary environment away from the main production line. Thereby, contamination of the main line equipment due to undesired flavor is avoided.

Alternatively, the flavoring agent may be applied to the sheet before winding it onto the bobbin.

Preferably, the method of the fourth aspect comprises the step of making HNB consumables from the sheet.

According to the fifth aspect, an aerosol-forming substrate for the HNB device produced by the process according to the fourth aspect is provided.

Preferably, the aerosol-forming substrate according to the fifth aspect has an adherent flavoring agent content of 0.1 to 20% by weight of the aerosol-forming substrate.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the features or parameters described in connection with any one of the above embodiments may be applied to any of the other embodiments, except when mutually exclusive. .. Further, except as mutually exclusive, any feature or parameter described herein may apply to any aspect and / or any other feature or other feature described herein. It may be combined with a parameter.

In more detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments illustrating the principles of the invention so that the invention can be understood and further aspects and features thereof can be recognized. I will discuss it.

It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment of HNB consumables. It is a figure which shows the 2nd Embodiment of HNB consumables. It is a figure which shows the 3rd Embodiment of HNB consumables. It is a figure which shows the 1st Embodiment in the device which forms the HNB system. It is an exemplary figure of one Embodiment of a manufacturing process.

As shown in FIG. 1, the HNB consumable 1 contains an aerosol-forming substrate 2 at the upstream end of the consumable 1.

Aerosol-forming substrate 2 contains reconstituted tobacco, the reconstituted tobacco contains nicotine as a volatile compound, with a flavoring coating of up to 20% by weight attached, and the flavoring agents are menthol, peppermint, spearmint, licorice, chocolate, Choose from fruit flavors, vanilla, spices, coffee, eucalyptus, and tobacco flavors.

Aerosol-forming substrate 2 contains 65% by weight tobacco provided in the form of collected strips produced from a sheet of slurry-type reconstituted tobacco. Tobacco is adhered with a 20% by weight wetting agent such as propylene glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerin (VG) and has a moisture content of 7-9% by weight. Aerosol-forming substrates further include cellulose pulp fillers and guar gum binders.

The aerosol-forming substrate 2 is formed in a substantially columnar shape so that the consumables resemble a conventional cigarette. The aerosol-forming substrate 2 has a diameter of about 7 mm and an axial length of about 12 mm.

The aerosol-forming substrate 2 is circumscribed by the paper wrap layer 3.

Consumables 1 include an upstream filter element 4 and a downstream (terminal) filter element 5. The two filter elements 4 and 5 are separated by a paper cylinder spacer 6. Both filter elements 4 and 5 are made of cellulose acetate tow and are wrapped with their respective paper plug layers (not shown).

Both filter elements have a substantially columnar shape. The diameter of the upstream filter 4 corresponds to the diameter of the aerosol-forming substrate 2. The diameter of the terminal filter element 5 is slightly larger and corresponds to the combined diameter of the aerosol-forming substrate 2 and the wrap layer 3. The upstream filter element is slightly shorter than the terminal filter element in axial length and has an axial length of 10 mm compared to 12 mm relative to the terminal filter element.

The paper cylinder spacer is longer than each of the two filter portions and has an axial length of about 14 mm.

Each of the filter elements 4 and 5 is a hollow filter element having hollow holes extending in the longitudinal direction. The hole diameter in the upstream filter is slightly larger than the hole diameter in the terminal filter and has a diameter of 3 mm compared to 2 mm for the terminal filter element.

The paper cylinder spacer 6 and the upstream filter portion 4 are circumscribed by the wrap layer 3.

The circumscribed paper chip layer 7 connects the end filter element 5 to the upstream element to form a consumable. The chip layer 7 surrounds the end filter portion and has an axial length of about 20 mm and thus overlaps a portion of the paper tube spacer 6.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of consumables 1'where consumables 1'contain a crushable capsule 8 (crush ball) in which the terminal filter element 5 contains a liquid menthol or cherry or vanilla flavoring agent. It is the same as that shown in FIG. 1 except that. The capsule 8 is spherical and has a diameter of 3.5 mm. The capsule 8 is positioned axially centered on the terminal filter portion 5.

FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the consumable 1 ", in which the wrap layer 3 is not completely circumscribed to the paper tube spacer 6 and thus downstream of the end of the wrap layer 3. , The same as the first embodiment except that an annular gap 9 exists between the chip layer 7 and the paper cylinder spacer 6.

FIG. 4 shows a first embodiment inserted into an HNB device 10 that includes a rod-shaped heating element (not shown). The heating element projects into the cavity 11 in the body 12 of the device.

The consumables 1 are inserted into the cavity 11 of the body 12 of the device 10, so that the heating rod penetrates the aerosol-forming substrate 2. The heating of the reconstituted tobacco in the aerosol-forming substrate 2 is carried out by supplying power to the heating element (eg, by a rechargeable battery (not shown)). When the tobacco is heated, moisture and volatile compounds (eg, nicotine) in the tobacco and aerosol-forming bodies are released as vapor and entrained in the air stream produced by inhalation by the user at the terminal filter portion 5.

As the vapor cools in the upstream filter element 4 and the paper cylinder spacer 6, the vapor condenses to form an aerosol containing volatile compounds for user inhalation.

FIG. 5 shows an exemplary diagram of an embodiment of the manufacturing process. Tobacco is ground to reduce the particle size to less than 120 microns (101).

The ground tobacco 101 is then mixed with a guar gum binder, a cellulose pulp filler, propylene glycol, and vegetable glycerin to form a mixture (102).

The mixture 102 is mixed with an aqueous medium to form a slurry (103). Mixing of the mixture 102 with the aqueous medium is carried out with a high shear mixer. The tobacco content of the slurry is about 50-90% of the total solid content of the slurry and the total solid content is 15-30% by weight of the slurry.

The resulting slurry is cast onto a desiccator belt to form a sheet (104). The sheet is dried using a steam drying device to remove excess moisture content from the sheet until the sheet is self-supporting (105).

The sheet is wound onto a bobbin for storage (106). The moisture content of the cast sheet when rolled up is about 7 to 15 percent of the dry weight of the tobacco sheet. The flavoring agent is then applied to the sheet using a spray coating to provide a flavoring agent coating on the sheet (107).

The sheet can then be all or part of the HNB consumables suitable for HNB devices (108). This is achieved by cutting the sheet to a suitable size. The sheet may be used as a whole or part of the HNB consumables for the HNB device (109). In particular, this is a slurry-type reconstituted tobacco product for use in HNB devices.

In an alternative embodiment, the flavoring agent is applied to the dried sheet 105 prior to winding onto the bobbin 106 for storage.

The features disclosed in the above description, or the claims below, or in the accompanying drawings, are in their particular form, or means of performing the disclosed functions, or methods or processes for obtaining the disclosed results. As appropriate, they may be utilized to realize the invention in a wide variety of forms thereof, either separately or in any combination of such features.

Although the present invention has been described with exemplary embodiments described above, many equivalent modifications and variations will be apparent to those of skill in the art given this disclosure. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments of the invention described above are considered to be exemplary rather than limiting. Various changes may be made to the embodiments described without departing from the scope of the invention.

To avoid any doubt, all theoretical explanations provided herein are provided for the purpose of improving the reader's understanding. We do not want to be bound by any of these theoretical explanations.

All item names used herein are for structural purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the subject matter described.

Throughout the specification, including the scope of the claims that follow, the words "have," "comprise," and "include," as well as "having," "comprises," unless otherwise required by the context. , "Comprising", and "incuring" are to be understood to imply including the described perfect field or step, or a group of perfect field or step, but any other. It does not exclude a perfect field or a step, or a group of a perfect field or a step.

It should be noted that, as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include multiple references unless expressly indicated in the context. sea bream. As used herein, the range may be expressed as "about" one particular value and / or "about" another particular value. When such a range is represented, another embodiment includes from one particular value and / or to another particular value. Similarly, by using the prefix "about", it will be appreciated that when a value is expressed as an approximation, a particular value forms another embodiment. The term "about" associated with the numerical value is optional and means, for example, ± 10%.

The words "preferred" and "preferrably" are used herein to refer to embodiments of the invention that can provide a particular benefit under some circumstances. However, it should be understood that other embodiments may also be preferred under the same or different circumstances. Accordingly, reference to one or more preferred embodiments does not imply or imply that the other embodiments are not useful and exclude other embodiments from the scope of the present disclosure or claims. It is not intended.

Claims (19)

An aerosol-forming article comprising an aerosol-forming substrate to which a flavoring coating is attached, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate is a slurry-type reconstituted plant material, and the flavoring agent content is up to 20 weight by weight of the aerosol-forming substrate. %, Aerosol-forming article. The article according to claim 1, wherein the flavoring agent is selected from menthol, peppermint, spearmint, licorice, chocolate, fruit flavor, vanilla, spices, coffee, eucalyptus, and tobacco flavor. The article according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the flavoring agent is a non-tobacco flavoring agent. The article according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plant material is tobacco. The article according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the article is a non-combustion heating type (HNB) consumable item. A system comprising the smoking substitute according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and a device comprising a heating element. 6. The system of claim 6, wherein the device comprises a body for accommodating the heating element, wherein the heating element comprises an elongated heating element. A method of using the system according to claim 6 or 7.
Inserting the article into the device and
A method comprising heating the article using the heating element. 8. The method of claim 8, comprising inserting the article into a cavity within the body of the device and allowing the heating element to penetrate the article when the article is inserted. A method for producing an aerosol-forming substrate, wherein the aerosol-forming substrate is a slurry-type reconstituted plant material.
Mixing crushed plant material with an aqueous medium to form a slurry,
Casting the slurry on the surface to form a sheet,
A method comprising applying a flavoring agent to the sheet to provide a coating. 10. The method of claim 10, wherein the flavoring agent is applied by spray coating. 10. The method of claim 10 or 11, wherein the flavoring agent is selected from menthol, peppermint, spearmint, licorice, chocolate, fruit flavor, vanilla, spices, coffee, eucalyptus, and tobacco flavor. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the flavoring agent has a non-tobacco flavor. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the flavoring agent is a synthetically derived menthol. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, comprising the step of drying the sheet, wherein the flavoring agent is applied to the sheet after drying. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 15, comprising winding the sheet onto a bobbin, wherein the flavoring agent is applied to the sheet after winding. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the plant material is tobacco. An aerosol-forming substrate for an HNB device produced by the process according to any one of claims 10 to 17. The aerosol-forming substrate according to claim 18, wherein the adherent flavoring agent content is up to 20% by weight of the aerosol-forming substrate.

Images