Stabilization methods for tobacco and tobacco products

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11457659-B2
Application number	US-201816054351-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 3, 2018
Priority date	Aug 4, 2017
Publication date	Oct 4, 2022
Grant date	Oct 4, 2022

Abstract

A stabilizing process for tobacco and tobacco products includes sterilizing the tobacco by applying an electron beam treatment to the tobacco. The process may also include treating the tobacco. The treating the tobacco includes pre-conditioning the tobacco, pasteurizing the tobacco, curing the tobacco, fermenting the tobacco, or combinations thereof. The method may also include forming a smokeless tobacco product containing the tobacco.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for producing a smokeless tobacco product, the method comprising:
stabilizing tobacco, the stabilizing including,
sterilizing tobacco by applying an electron beam (E-Beam) to the tobacco, the sterilizing being performed at an E-Beam treatment dosage of greater than or equal to 10 kGy, the sterilizing being performed for a duration ranging from 0.1 second to 1 second;
treating the tobacco, the treating including,
one or more of pre-conditioning the tobacco, pasteurizing the tobacco, curing the tobacco, fermenting the tobacco, or any combination thereof; and

after the stabilizing the tobacco and the treating the tobacco, forming a smokeless tobacco product containing the tobacco.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tobacco comprises a pH ranging from 3 to 7.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the tobacco comprises a pH ranging from 4 to 5.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing the tobacco further comprises:
conditioning the tobacco to maintain or adjust a pH of the tobacco to less than or equal to 8.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing the tobacco further comprises:
conditioning the tobacco to maintain or adjust a pH of the tobacco to a value ranging from 2 to 8.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the conditioning the tobacco comprises:
one of increasing the pH of the tobacco or decreasing the pH of the tobacco.

7. The method of claim 5 , wherein the conditioning the tobacco comprises:
adding a pH buffering agent to the tobacco.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein the pH buffering agent comprises: sodium hydroxide (NaOH).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tobacco comprises a moisture oven volatile content of greater than 5 percent by weight.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing the tobacco further comprises:
conditioning the tobacco to adjust a moisture oven volatile content of the tobacco to greater than 5 percent by weight.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the conditioning adjusts the moisture oven volatile content of the tobacco to greater than 5 percent by weight.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the conditioning the tobacco adjusts the moisture oven volatile content of the tobacco to greater than 15 percent by weight.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the conditioning the tobacco adjusts the moisture oven volatile content of the tobacco to greater than 25 percent by weight.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein the conditioning the tobacco adjusts the moisture oven volatile content of the tobacco to a value ranging from 25 percent by weight to 55 percent by weight.

15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the E-Beam treatment dosage ranges from 10 kGy to 20 kGy.

16. The method of claim 1 , wherein the E-Beam treatment dosage is greater than or equal to 15 kGy.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the E-Beam treatment dosage is greater than or equal to 20 kGy.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the tobacco comprises a moisture oven volatile content of greater than 5 percent by weight; and
the sterilizing is performed at an E-Beam treatment dosage of greater than 20 kGy.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the tobacco comprises a moisture oven volatile content of greater than 15 percent by weight; and
the sterilizing is performed at an E-Beam treatment dosage of greater than 10 kGy.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treating the tobacco comprises: fermenting the tobacco.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the treating the tobacco comprises: curing the tobacco.

22. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing the tobacco is performed prior to the treating the tobacco.

23. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing the tobacco and the treating the tobacco are performed concurrently.

24. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing the tobacco is performed after the treating the tobacco.

25. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing the tobacco further comprises:
conditioning the tobacco, the conditioning the tobacco being performed after the treating the tobacco and before the sterilizing the tobacco.

26. The method of claim 1 , wherein the stabilizing the tobacco further comprises:
conditioning the tobacco, the conditioning the tobacco and the sterilizing the tobacco being performed concurrently.

27. The method of claim 1 , wherein the tobacco comprises a raw dried tobacco, a raw undried tobacco, a fermented tobacco, a cured tobacco, or any combination thereof.

28. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sterilizing the tobacco is performed at a temperature of 25° C.

29. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sterilizing the tobacco is performed at a temperature ranging from 10° C. to 40° C.

30. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sterilizing the tobacco reduces microflora bacteria present in the tobacco by 99.9%.

31. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sterilizing the tobacco is configured to reduce a microflora bacteria count in the tobacco to less than 106 CFU per gram of the tobacco.

32. The method of claim 1 , wherein:
the tobacco has a first nitrate level prior to the stabilizing the tobacco;
the tobacco has a second nitrate level after the stabilizing the tobacco; and
a difference between the second nitrate level and the first nitrate level is less than or equal to 300 μg of nitrite per gram of dry tobacco.

33. The method of claim 32 , wherein the difference between the second nitrate level and the first nitrate level is less than or equal to 150 micrograms of nitrite per gram of dry tobacco.

34. The method of claim 32 , wherein the difference between the second nitrate level and the first nitrate level is less than or equal to 10 μg of nitrite per gram of dry tobacco.

35. The method of claim 32 , wherein the first nitrate level and the second nitrate level are substantially equal.

Assignees

• Altria Client Services Llc

Inventors

• Karga Yahya
• Powell James
• Xu Dongmei
• Strickland James A
• Warek Ujwala

Classifications

• A24B15/183

  sterilization, preservation or biological decontamination · CPC title

• A24B15/22 Primary

  by application of electric or wave energy or particle radiation · CPC title

• A24B13/00

  Tobacco for pipes, for cigars, e.g. cigar inserts, or for cigarettes; Chewing tobacco; Snuff (reconstituted tobacco products A24B3/14) · CPC title

• A24B15/28

  by chemical substances · CPC title

• A24B15/10

  Chemical features of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes · CPC title