Dehydration of tobacco and tobacco-derived materials

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2018160723-A1
Application number	US-201615375695-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 12, 2016
Priority date	Dec 12, 2016
Publication date	Jun 14, 2018
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method of modifying the moisture level of (e.g., dehydrating) a tobacco plant or portion thereof, a tobacco-derived material, a tobacco product, or a tobacco additive is provided herein. The methods of dehydration disclosed herein can provide various benefits relative to traditional drying techniques, including providing retention of various beneficial components present in green tobacco (e.g., organoleptic compounds and proteins). Smoking articles and other tobacco products including such dehydrated tobacco materials are also provided.

First claim

What is claimed:

1 . A method of removing at least about 20% of the water from a green tobacco plant or portion thereof, comprising using light energy or microwave energy, optionally in combination with vacuum pressure, wherein the dehydrated tobacco plant material retains at least about 60% of the proteins present in the green tobacco plant or portion thereof.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein at least about 40% of the water is removed from the green tobacco plant or portion thereof.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the dehydrated tobacco plant material retains at least about 70% of the proteins present in the green tobacco plant or portion thereof.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the green tobacco plant or portion thereof and the dehydrated tobacco plant material exhibit similar aroma characteristics.

5 . A method of providing a protein-enriched material, comprising:
removing water from a green tobacco plant or portion thereof according to the method of claim 1 to give a dehydrated tobacco plant material; contacting the dehydrated plant material with a solvent for a time and under conditions sufficient to extract one or more proteins from the plant material into the solvent and form a liquid protein-containing extract; separating a solid extracted plant material from the liquid protein-containing extract; and treating the liquid protein-containing extract so as to provide a protein-enriched material, wherein the amount of protein-enriched material obtained from a given amount of dehydrated plant material is at least about 50% that of protein enriched material obtained from the same amount of green plant material by dry weight.

6 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising storing the dehydrated tobacco plant material for at least about 1 week prior to the contacting step.

7 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the protein-enriched material comprises at least about 50% protein by dry weight.

8 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the protein-enriched material comprises at least about 60% protein by dry weight.

9 . The method of claim 5 , further comprising the step of clarifying the liquid protein-containing extract prior to said treating step.

10 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the treating step comprises:
adjusting the pH of the liquid protein-containing extract to a pH of less than about 6 to form an acidic extract; isolating a precipitate from the acidic extract; and washing the precipitate to provide a protein-enriched material.

11 . The method of claim 5 , wherein the treating step comprises:
filtering the liquid protein-containing extract on a ceramic filter or an ultrafiltration membrane to give a retentate and a liquid permeate; and washing the retentate to provide the protein-enriched material.

12 . A protein-enriched material prepared according to the method of claim 5 .

13 . A dietary supplement, food, beverage, personal care item, pharmaceutical product, or pet food comprising the protein-enriched material of claim 12 .

14 . A method of removing at least about 20% by weight of the water from a tobacco product, comprising using light energy or microwave energy, optionally in combination with vacuum pressure, wherein the dehydrated tobacco product retains at least about 80% by dry weight of the organoleptic compounds in the tobacco product.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the organoleptic compounds comprise one or more of citronellol, geraniol, and methyl salicylate.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein the tobacco product is snuff.

17 . A dehydrated tobacco product prepared according to the method of claim 13 .

18 . A method of providing one or more liquid flavorings in solid form, comprising using light energy or microwave energy, optionally in combination with vacuum pressure, in the presence of a matrix material, to remove at least about 20% by weight of the water from the flavoring and to give a flavoring in solid form, wherein the flavoring in solid form retains at least about 80% by dry weight of the organoleptic compounds in the liquid flavorings.

19 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the liquid flavoring comprises menthol.

20 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the matrix material comprises a non-allergenic matrix.

21 . The method of claim 18 , wherein the matrix material comprises a material selected from the group consisting of maltodextrin and corn flour.

22 . A solid flavoring prepared according to the method of claim 18 .

23 . A tobacco product in the form of a cigarette or a smokeless tobacco product comprising the solid flavoring of claim 22 .

Assignees

• Reynolds Tobacco Co R

Inventors

• Mua John-Paul
• Byrd Crystal Dawn Hege
• Nordskog Brian Keith
• Sebastian Andries Don
• Turfler David Troy
• Keller Christopher
• Mabe Jeremy Barrett

Classifications

• A23V2002/00

  Food compositions, function of food ingredients or processes for food or foodstuffs · CPC title

• A24B9/00

  Control of the moisture content of tobacco products, e.g. cigars, cigarettes, pipe tobacco ({final drying of cigars A24C1/383, of cigarettes A24C5/603}; devices for use by the smoker for controlling the moisture content of tobacco products A24F25/00) · CPC title

• A24B15/22 Primary

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

• A24B3/04

  Humidifying or drying tobacco bunches or cut tobacco (A24B3/12 takes precedence) · CPC title

• A23L33/105

  Plant extracts, their artificial duplicates or their derivatives · CPC title