JP7664988B2 - Flavor-containing sheet containing modified cellulose and smoking article containing the same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles and a smoking article containing the same.

In order to generate a specific aroma in a smoking article, a method is employed in which a flavoring component is added in the form of a solution to tobacco. This method has the advantage that the flavoring can be easily added to tobacco by, for example, spraying the flavoring solution. However, if the amount of flavoring added is increased to release even more flavor when smoking, the amount of solvent increases, which tends to cause stains on the cigarette paper. Another disadvantage is that the flavor weakens during smoking.

The problem that this invention aims to solve is to resolve the problems of the prior art mentioned above.

The technical problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to those described above, and other technical problems can be inferred from the following examples.

The first aspect of the present invention provides a flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles, the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles comprising moisture, modified cellulose, and a flavoring.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a smoking article comprising: a first portion including a tobacco substance and a flavorant-containing sheet; and a second portion including a filter element; the first portion and the second portion are aligned sequentially with respect to the longitudinal direction of the smoking article; and the flavorant-containing sheet includes modified cellulose.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a combustion cigarette comprising: a first segment including a tobacco substance and a flavor-containing sheet; and a second segment including a filter element; the first segment and the second segment are aligned sequentially with respect to the longitudinal direction of the combustion cigarette; and the flavor-containing sheet includes modified cellulose.

The means for solving the problem are not limited to those described above, but include any matters that can be inferred by a person of ordinary skill in the art throughout this specification.

According to the present invention, the modified cellulose and flavor are dissolved in the slurry of the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles at room temperature. Therefore, when producing the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles, a separate heating step for dissolution is not included.

In addition, according to the present invention, a flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles can be easily produced without using a separate emulsifier.

In addition, according to the present invention, the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles can have at least one of improved properties among viscosity characteristics, slurry formation characteristics, drying characteristics, sheet physical properties, and flavor retention.

In addition, the smoking article of the present invention can improve the smoking experience.

In addition, the aroma is consistently expressed throughout the puff, enhancing consumer satisfaction.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to those described above, but include any effects that can be inferred from the configurations described below.

1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a smoking article according to an example. 13 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of another exemplary smoking article. 1 is a diagram showing a fragrance-containing sheet before drying. 1 is a diagram showing a fragrance-containing sheet after drying. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a first portion of a smoking article. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a combustion cigarette.

The terms used in the examples are currently commonly used terms, and are selected as far as possible while taking into consideration their functions in the present invention. However, this may vary depending on the intentions or precedents of engineers in this field, the emergence of new technologies, etc. In addition, in certain cases, the applicant may arbitrarily select terms, and in such cases, their meanings will be described in detail in the description of the invention. Therefore, the terms used in the present invention must be defined based on the meanings that the terms have and the overall content of the present invention, rather than simply by the names of the terms.

Throughout the specification, when a part "includes" a certain component, this does not mean to exclude other components, and means that it may further include other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary. Furthermore, terms such as ". . . unit" and ". . . module" used in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which is realized by hardware or software, or by a combination of hardware and software.

Throughout the specification, "smoking article" means an article used for smoking. For example, a smoking article may be a general combustion cigarette used by being lit and burned, or a smoking article may be a heated cigarette used by being heated by an aerosol generating device. As another example, a smoking article may be an article used by being heated by a liquid contained in a cartridge.

Throughout the specification, "tobacco element" means an element that contains tobacco material.

Throughout the specification, "tobacco substance" means any form of substance that contains components derived from tobacco leaf.

Throughout the specification, "cooling element" means an element that cools a substance. For example, a cooling element may cool an aerosol generated by a tobacco component.

Throughout the specification, "filter element" means an element that includes a filtering material. For example, a filter element may include a plurality of fiber strands.

Throughout the specification, "longitudinal direction of the smoking article" means the direction in which the length of the smoking article extends or the direction in which the smoking article is inserted into the aerosol generating device.

Throughout the specification, "thickening polysaccharide" means a polysaccharide substance that increases viscosity.

Throughout the specification, "modified cellulose" refers to cellulose in which a specific functional group has been substituted within the molecular structure. For example, in the case of hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), cellulose modified according to the degree of substitution of the hydroxypropyl and methyl (or methoxy) groups and the molecular weight can have a grade ranging from 4 to 40,000. The viscosity of the modified cellulose can be determined according to the grade.

Specifically, the physicochemical properties of HPMC are related to i) the ratio of methoxy groups, ii) the ratio of hydroxypropyl groups, and iii) the molecular weight. According to the United States Pharmacopoeia (USP), HPMC types can be classified into HPMC1828, HPMC2208, HPMC2906, HPMC2910, etc., depending on the ratio of methoxy groups and hydroxypropyl groups. Here, the first two digits indicate the ratio of methoxy groups, and the last two digits indicate the ratio of hydroxypropyl groups.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings so that a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains can easily implement the embodiment. However, the present invention may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiment described herein.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings.

Figure 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an example smoking article 100.

The smoking article 100 may include a first portion 100 that includes a tobacco element and a second portion 120 that includes a filter element.

Referring to FIG. 1, the first part 100 and the second part 120 may be aligned sequentially based on the longitudinal direction of the smoking article 100. Here, the longitudinal direction of the smoking article 100 is also the direction in which the length of the smoking article 100 extends. For example, the longitudinal direction of the smoking article 100 is also the direction from the first part 100 to the second part 120.

The first portion 100 may include tobacco elements. The tobacco elements may also be tobacco material in a particular form. For example, the tobacco elements may have the form of tobacco shreds, tobacco particles, tobacco sheets, tobacco beads, tobacco granules, or tobacco extracts. The tobacco material may also include, for example, one or more of tobacco leaves, tobacco ribs, expanded tobacco, shredded tobacco, flat shredded tobacco, and reconstituted tobacco.

The second portion 120 may include a single segment filter element. The filter element may be a cellulose acetate filter. There is no limit to the shape of the filter element. For example, the filter element may be a cylindrical rod, a tubular rod including a hollow interior, or a recessed rod.

The second part 120 is also manufactured to release a flavor. For example, a flavoring liquid may be sprayed onto the second part 120, or separate fibers coated with a flavoring liquid may be inserted into the second part 120.

The second portion 120 may also include at least one capsule 130. Here, the capsule 130 may perform a function of generating a flavor or a function of generating an aerosol. For example, the capsule 130 may have a structure in which a liquid containing a flavoring is covered with a coating. The capsule 130 may have a spherical or cylindrical shape, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

The second portion 120 may also include multiple segments. Such an embodiment is described in more detail with reference to FIG. 1.

The second portion 120 may include a filter element 123 and may further include a cooling element 121.

The cooling element 121 can cool the airflow passing through the first part 100 from the outside of the smoking article 100. The cooling element 121 can be a cylindrical paper tube formed of a paper material and having a hollow space. The cooling element 121 can also be manufactured from a polymeric material or a biodegradable polymeric material and have a cooling function. For example, the cooling element 121 can be made of polylactic acid (PLA) fiber, but is not limited thereto. The cooling element 121 can also be made of a cellulose acetate filter having a plurality of holes formed therein. However, the cooling element 121 is not necessarily limited to the above examples, and the present invention includes, without limitation, any material that performs the function of cooling the airflow. The cooling element 121 can also be a tube filter or a paper tube having a hollow space.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the smoking article 100 may further include a plug (not shown). The plug may be disposed at an end of the smoking article 100. For example, the plug may be disposed at an end of the smoking article 100 adjacent to the first portion 100. The plug may function to appropriately adjust the overall length of the smoking article 100. Furthermore, when the smoking article 100 is inserted into an aerosol generating device (not shown), the plug may function to adjust the first portion 100 so that it is positioned at an appropriate position inside the aerosol generating device.

The smoking article 100 may include at least one wrapper 140. For example, the smoking article 100 may include a first wrapper that encases the first portion 100 and a second wrapper that encases the second portion 120. The smoking article 100 may also include a third wrapper that encases the entire first portion 100 and the second portion 120. The smoking article 100 may also include a fourth wrapper that encases the second portion 120. The fourth wrapper generally serves as tip paper.

At least one of the first to fourth trumpets is also a biodegradable cigarette paper. When biodegradable cigarette paper is used, the smoking article 100 is quickly decomposed by microorganisms, thereby reducing environmental pollution.

Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of another example smoking article 200.

Referring to FIG. 2, the smoking article 200 may include a first portion 210 and a second portion 220. The second portion 220 may include a filter element. The contents described above for the second portion 120 of FIG. 1 may be similarly applied to the second portion 220.

Referring to FIG. 2, the first portion 210 may be divided into two sections. The first portion 210 may include an aerosol-generating substrate 211 and a nicotine-generating substrate 213.

The aerosol-generating substrate 211 may, for example, comprise crinkled paper impregnated with an aerosol-generating substance. The aerosol-generating substance (or aerosol-forming agent) may, for example, comprise at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol.

The nicotine-generating substrate 213 may include, for example, tobacco cuts, tobacco particles, tobacco sheets, tobacco beads, or tobacco granules. As another example, the nicotine-generating substrate 213 may include crimped paper impregnated with a tobacco extract. When the nicotine-generating substrate 213 is heated, nicotine may be generated from the nicotine-generating substrate 213 and transferred to the second portion 220.

The second portion 220 may also include multiple segments. For example, the second portion 220 may include a filter element 223 and may further include a cooling element 221.

The contents related to the first cooling element 121 and the filter element 123 described above can be applied to the cooling element 221 and the filter element 223 in FIG. 2 in the same way. Therefore, the description of the overlapping contents will be omitted.

The flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles according to the present invention is, for example, included in the first part 110, 210 or the second part 120, 220 of the smoking article 100, 200 shown in Figures 1 and 2.

To manufacture the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles according to the present invention, a slurry (or crude liquid) containing distilled water, alcohol, modified cellulose, and flavoring may be used. The slurry may further contain at least one of a bulking agent, an aerosol forming agent, and an emulsifier.

The slurry contains about 1 to 80 wt % alcohol. By mixing the alcohol into the slurry in the weight ratio within the aforementioned range, the modified cellulose can be more easily dissolved.

More specifically, in the slurry, the distilled water and alcohol may be mixed in a weight ratio of about 1:1 to 10:1. Preferably, the distilled water and alcohol may be mixed in a weight ratio of about 2.33:1. When the distilled water and alcohol are mixed in a weight ratio within the above numerical range, the modified cellulose may be more easily dissolved.

Distilled water is also a factor that determines the viscosity of the slurry.

Alcohol can be used as a solvent. The alcohol can be, for example, ethanol. When the slurry contains ethanol, modified cellulose such as HPMC, MC, CMC, or EC and flavor ingredients such as L-menthol can be well dissolved in the slurry at room temperature.

Modified cellulose is also cellulose in which a specific functional group has been substituted in the molecular structure. Modified cellulose is, for example, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), methyl cellulose (MC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), or ethyl cellulose (EC). Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose can have a grade ranging from about 4 to 40,000 depending on the degree of substitution of the hydroxypropyl group and the methyl group (or methoxy group). The viscosity of the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose can be determined depending on the grade.

Modified cellulose is also available, for example, from Lotte Fine Chemicals under the product names AN6, AN15, AN50, BN10, BN50, MC15, or MC50.

When MC15 or MC50 (cellulose substituted with methyl groups) is used as the modified cellulose, it has been confirmed that the viscosity characteristics, slurry formation characteristics, drying characteristics, sheet physical properties, and flavor retention of the flavor-containing sheet are excellent. In such cases, the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles can have a viscosity in the range of about 100 to about 10,000 cp when the slurry is prepared.

Flavors include, for example, menthol, tobacco leaf extract, natural plant flavors (e.g., cinnamon, sage, herbs, chamomile, kudzu, sweet tea, cloves, lavender, cardamom, clove fragrance, nutmeg, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, lemon, orange, cinnamon, caraway, jasmine, ginger, coriander, vanilla extract, spearmint, peppermint, cassia, coffee, celery, cascarilla, sandalwood, cocoa, ylang-ylang, fennel, anise, licorice, St. John's bread, plum extract, peach extract, etc.), sugars (e.g., glucose, fructose, isomerized sugar, caramel, etc.), Examples of the fragrance include cocoa (powders, extracts, etc.), esters (e.g., isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, linalyl butyrate, etc.), ketones (e.g., menthone, ionone, damascenone, ethyl maltol, etc.), alcohols (e.g., geraniol, linalool, anethole, eugenol, etc.), aldehydes (e.g., vanillin, benzaldehyde, anisaldehyde, etc.), lactones (e.g., γ-undecalactone, γ-nonalactone, etc.), animal fragrances (e.g., musk, ambergris, civet, castoreum, etc.), and hydrocarbons (e.g., limonene, pinene, etc.). The fragrance may be used in a solid form, or may be dissolved or dispersed in a suitable solvent, such as propylene glycol, ethanol, benzyl alcohol, or triethyl citrate. In addition, flavors that are easily dispersed in a solvent by the addition of an emulsifier, such as hydrophobic flavors and oil-soluble flavors, can be used. These flavors can be used alone or in mixtures. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above, and the present invention may include any flavor used in smoking articles.

The bulking agent increases the total mass (i.e., dry mass) of the components other than water in the raw slurry, and thus increases the volume of the fragrance-containing sheet produced. The bulking agent is a substance that only increases the volume of the fragrance-containing sheet and does not affect the original function of the fragrance-containing sheet. Specifically, the bulking agent does not substantially increase the viscosity of the raw slurry and does not adversely affect the fragrance-retaining function of the fragrance-containing sheet.

The filler can be a starch or a starch hydrolysate. Starch hydrolysate means a substance obtained by the process of hydrolyzing starch. The starch hydrolysate can be, for example, a substance obtained by directly hydrolyzing starch (i.e., dextrin) or a substance obtained by hydrolyzing starch after heat treatment (i.e., resistant dextrin). The filler can be, for example, dextrin, or more specifically, cyclodextrin.

The starch hydrolysate generally has a DE value in the range of about 2 to 40, and preferably has a DE value in the range of about 2 to 20. Examples of starch hydrolysates having a DE value in the range of about 2 to 20 include Pine Index #100 (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), Pine Fiber (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.), and TK-16 (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.).

DE is an abbreviation of dextrose equivalent, and the DE value indicates the degree of hydrolysis of starch, i.e., the saccharification rate of starch. The DE value can be measured by the Willstatter-Schudel method.
The DE value is measured as a specific value by the Willstatter-Schudel method. The properties of hydrolyzed starch (i.e., starch hydrolysate), such as the molecular weight of the starch hydrolysate and the arrangement of sugar molecules constituting the starch hydrolysate, are not the same among the molecules of the starch hydrolysate, but differ depending on a certain distribution or variation. Depending on the distribution or variation of the properties of the starch hydrolysate, or the difference in the cut section, the starch hydrolysate expresses different physical properties (e.g., DE value) for each molecule. Thus, although starch hydrolysates are a collection of molecules exhibiting different physical properties, the measurement result by the Willstatter-Schudel method (i.e., DE value) is treated as a representative value indicating the degree of hydrolysis of starch.

Preferably, the starch hydrolysate may be selected from the group consisting of dextrin having a DE value of about 2 to 5, resistant dextrin having a DE value of about 10 to about 15, and mixtures thereof. For example, Pine Index #100 (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) may be used as a dextrin having a DE value of about 2 to 5. For example, Pine Fiber (Matsutani Chemical Industry Co., Ltd.) may be used as a resistant dextrin having a DE value of about 10 to about 15.

The flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles may contain, based on a total of 100 parts by weight, about 2 to 15 parts by weight of moisture, about 25 to 90 parts by weight of modified cellulose, and about 0.1 to 60 parts by weight of flavor.

The slurry may further include at least one of a bulking agent, an aerosol former, and an emulsifier. As described above, the bulking agent may be, for example, dextrin, the aerosol former may be, for example, at least one of glycerin and propylene glycol, and the emulsifier may be, for example, lecithin.

Figure 3A shows the fragrance-containing sheet 300 before drying, and Figure 3B shows the fragrance-containing sheet 400 after drying.

Referring to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, the fragrance-containing sheet 300 before drying may have a thickness d1. The fragrance-containing sheet 400 after drying may have a thickness d2. The thickness d1 before drying may be greater than or equal to the thickness d2 after drying. As an example, the fragrance-containing sheet 300 before drying may have a thickness of about 0.2 to 2.0 mm, and the fragrance-containing sheet 400 after drying may have a thickness of about 0.01 to 0.3 mm. The thickness difference is due to the difference in moisture content caused by drying.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a first portion 500 of a smoking article according to one example.

For example, FIG. 4 also shows a cross-section of a first portion of the smoking article of FIG. 1.

Referring to FIG. 4, the first portion 500 may include a tobacco material 511 and a flavor-containing sheet 513. The tobacco material 511 may be in the form of a tobacco sheet, such as, for example, flat tobacco. The tobacco material 511 may also be a tobacco sheet impregnated with, for example, an aerosol-generating material.

When the first portion 500 is burned or heated, an aerosol is generated from the tobacco material 511, and the flavor components volatilized from the flavor-containing sheet 513 may be transported along with the aerosol.

The manufacturing advantages of flavor-containing sheets for smoking articles are described in detail below.

In general, when preparing a slurry using polysaccharide materials such as agar, gelatin, and gellan gum, the overall process may include the steps of (1) heating water to about 80°C to about 100°C, (2) adding and dissolving agar, gelatin, or gellan gum, (3) cooling to about 60°C, and then (4) adding a flavoring ingredient such as menthol.

In step (3) above, the slurry needs to be kept at approximately 60°C in the storage tank, transfer line, application nozzle, etc.

Fragrance ingredients such as menthol are not soluble in water, so an emulsifier must be used.

According to the present invention, the slurry of the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles may contain modified cellulose (e.g., HPMC, MC, CMC, or EC) having a grade within a specific numerical range. The slurry of the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles may also contain, for example, distilled water, ethanol, dextrin, glycerin, and menthol. In this case, dextrin and glycerin can be dissolved in the distilled water at room temperature, and the modified cellulose (e.g., HPMC, MC, CMC, or EC) and menthol can be dissolved in the ethanol at room temperature.

In addition, according to the present invention, the slurry of the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles contains a relatively low content of distilled water and a certain amount of alcohol, which has the advantage of a relatively short drying time.

When producing a slurry for a flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles according to the present invention, the process may include the steps of (1) dissolving menthol in ethanol to add and disperse modified cellulose (e.g., HPMC, MC, CMC, or EC), (2) adding distilled water, and (3) adding a flavor component. In this case, a separate process of heating the slurry is not required, which eliminates the need to maintain the temperature in a storage tank, transfer line, application nozzle, etc. In addition, the slurry does not necessarily need to contain an emulsifier.

The content ratio of each component of the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles according to one embodiment is shown in Table 1. The ethanol was evaporated during the drying process of the slurry.

The flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles produced had excellent properties in at least one of viscosity characteristics, slurry formation characteristics, drying characteristics, sheet physical properties, and flavor retention. Figure 5 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a combustion cigarette 600.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a combustion cigarette 600 including a first segment 610 including a tobacco substance and a flavorant-containing sheet, and a second segment 620 including a filter element, the first segment 610 and the second segment 620 being aligned sequentially based on the longitudinal direction of the combustion cigarette 600, and the flavorant-containing sheet including modified cellulose.

The first segment 610 can be ignited by the user. When the first segment 610 is ignited, the scent generated from the fragrance-containing sheet flows to the second segment 620 together with the tobacco smoke.

The above-mentioned contents regarding the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles and the smoking article can be similarly applied to the combustion cigarette 600 according to the third aspect of the present invention.

It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be embodied in various modified forms without departing from the essential characteristics of the above description. Therefore, the disclosed method should be considered in an illustrative rather than restrictive sense. The scope of the invention is defined in the claims, not the above description, and all differences within the scope of the claims should be interpreted as being included in the invention.

Claims (6)

A method for producing a flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles, comprising:
A step of preparing a slurry at room temperature, the step including adding and dispersing modified cellulose in alcohol, adding distilled water, and adding a flavoring;
impregnating a sheet with the slurry ;
drying the sheet to evaporate any alcohol;
Including,
In the step of preparing a slurry at room temperature, the slurry contains 1 to 80 wt % of alcohol . The method for producing a flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles according to claim 1, wherein the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles contains, after drying, 2 to 15 parts by weight of moisture, 25 to 90 parts by weight of modified cellulose, and 0.1 to 60 parts by weight of flavor, based on a total of 100 parts by weight. The method for producing a flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles according to claim 1, wherein the modified cellulose is hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), methyl cellulose (MC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), or ethyl cellulose (EC). The method for producing a flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles according to claim 1, wherein the step of producing a slurry at room temperature further includes a step of adding a bulking agent. The method for producing a flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles according to claim 1, wherein the step of producing a slurry at room temperature further includes a step of adding an aerosol forming agent or an emulsifier. The method for producing a flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles according to claim 1, wherein the flavor-containing sheet for smoking articles has a thickness of 0.01 to 0.3 mm after drying.