JP7733212B2 - Flavor component adsorbent and manufacturing method thereof, flavor molded body and manufacturing method thereof, non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler, and flavor generating article - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a flavor component adsorbent and a method for manufacturing the same, a flavor molded body and a method for manufacturing the same, a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler, and a flavor generating article.

It is known to heat tobacco material to generate gas containing flavor components, dissolve the resulting gas in a liquid to obtain a flavor component-containing liquid, and use this flavor component-containing liquid as a tobacco flavor source in a flavor inhaler (e.g., Patent Document 1).

International Publication No. 2017/144705

The present invention aims to provide a technology for efficiently recovering flavor components from tobacco materials.

According to one aspect,
heating the tobacco material to vaporize flavor components from the tobacco material;
Passing the gas containing the flavor component through water containing an adsorbent to adsorb the flavor component onto the adsorbent;
and recovering the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor component.
In another aspect, there is provided a flavor adsorbent obtainable by the above-described method.

According to yet another aspect,
heating the tobacco material to vaporize flavor components from the tobacco material;
Passing the gas containing the flavor component through water containing an adsorbent to adsorb the flavor component onto the adsorbent;
recovering the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor components to obtain a flavor component adsorbent;
A method for producing a flavor molded object is provided, which comprises mixing the flavor component adsorbent with a molding material and molding the resulting mixture.
According to yet another aspect, there is provided a molded flavor body obtainable by the above-described method.

According to yet another aspect,
a flavor source containing the flavor component adsorbent or the flavor molded body;
and a heater for heating the flavor source.
According to yet another aspect,
a flavor source containing the flavor component adsorbent or the flavor molded body;
A flavor generating article is provided that includes a wrapper wrapped around the flavor source.

The present invention provides a technology for efficiently recovering flavor components from tobacco materials.

FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing an example of a method for producing a flavor component adsorbent. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a heating device. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a dissolving apparatus. FIG. 4A is a schematic front view showing an example of an aerosol generating device. FIG. 4B is a schematic top view of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 4C is a schematic bottom view of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional side view showing an example of a flavor-generating article. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device shown in FIG. 4B taken along line III-III. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler. 8 is a perspective view of a power supply unit in the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler of FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler of FIG. FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main part of the power supply unit in the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler of FIG.

The present invention will be described in detail below, but the following description is intended to illustrate the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention.

<1. Method for producing flavor component adsorbent>
The method for producing a flavor component adsorbent includes the steps of:
heating the tobacco material to vaporize flavor components from the tobacco material;
Passing the gas containing the flavor component through water containing an adsorbent to adsorb the flavor component onto the adsorbent;
and recovering the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor component.

In this specification, the "adsorbent having adsorbed flavor components" produced by this method is referred to as a flavor component adsorbent. The flavor component adsorbent may be incorporated into a non-combustion-heated flavor inhaler (hereinafter simply referred to as a "heated flavor inhaler"), or may be combined with a molding material to be processed into a molded body, and the resulting molded body may be incorporated into a heated flavor inhaler.

The method for producing a flavor component adsorbent will be described below with reference to Figure 1, in the order of the heating step (S1), the passing step through water containing an adsorbent (S2), and the recovery step (S3). Figure 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a method for producing a flavor component adsorbent.

[Heating process (S1)]
In the heating step (S1), the tobacco material is heated to vaporize flavor components from the tobacco material, thereby obtaining a gas containing the flavor components (see FIG. 1).

"Tobacco material" can be tobacco shreds that are ready to be incorporated into tobacco products, such as combustion-type or heat-type flavor inhalers. "Tobacco shreds ready to be incorporated into tobacco products" refers to tobacco shreds that have undergone various processing steps, such as drying on farms, a long-term aging process of one to several years at a raw material factory, and subsequent blending and cutting at a manufacturing factory, and are ready to be incorporated into tobacco products.

Tobacco shreds are cut pieces of leaf tobacco. Tobacco shreds may be shredded leaves, shredded backbone, shredded reconstituted tobacco (i.e., tobacco material made by processing leaf waste, shredded waste, backbone waste, fine powder, etc. generated during factory operations into a reusable form), or a mixture of these. Tobacco shreds may be ground, and the resulting ground material may be used for the heating step (S1). Using ground tobacco shreds as the tobacco material can increase the efficiency of recovery of flavor components from the tobacco material. This can increase the amount of flavor components adsorbed in the final flavor component adsorbent.

Tobacco shreds can be of any variety, such as flue-cured, burley, oriental, etc. Tobacco shreds can be of a single variety or a mixture of different varieties.

Heating can be carried out at a temperature of, for example, 120 to 400°C, preferably 160 to 230°C. Heating can be carried out for, for example, 5 to 60 minutes, preferably 10 to 30 minutes.

For example, heating can be performed using the heating device shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 2, the heating device 2 includes a container 2A for containing tobacco material 2D, a sintered plate 2B installed on the bottom surface of the container 2A, a preheater 2C for heating the air sent to the container 2A, an air flow path 2E for sending air to the container 2A, a gas flow path 2F for discharging gas generated by heating the tobacco material 2D from the container 2A, and an oven (not shown) for accommodating the container 2A.

The heating operation is explained below. First, tobacco material 2D is placed in container 2A. Air is heated by preheater 2C and then sent through air flow path 2E to the gas inlet hole provided on the bottom surface of container 2A. Sintered plate 2B installed on the bottom surface of container 2A is porous. Therefore, the high-temperature air that enters container 2A from the gas inlet hole is supplied to the entire tobacco material 2D via sintered plate 2B. The tobacco material 2D is heated by the supplied high-temperature air.

Meanwhile, the container 2A is housed in an oven (not shown). Therefore, the tobacco material 2D is also heated from the outside of the container 2A.

When the tobacco material 2D is heated in this manner, gas containing flavor components is generated from the tobacco material 2D and discharged through the gas flow path 2F from the gas discharge hole provided on the top surface of the container 2A.

Varying the oxygen concentration in the air sent to container 2A can change the composition of the gas containing flavor components. Therefore, the oxygen concentration in the air sent to container 2A can be controlled to change the composition of the gas containing flavor components. For example, lowering the oxygen concentration in the air can reduce the content of harmful components in the gas containing flavor components.

Note that the heating process is not limited to being performed using the heating device shown in Figure 2, as long as it is possible to vaporize the flavor components from the tobacco material.

The above heating process produces a gas containing flavor components.

[Passing step (S2) into water containing adsorbent]
In the step (S2) of passing the gas containing the flavor components through water containing an adsorbent, the gas containing the flavor components obtained in the heating step (S1) is passed through water containing an adsorbent to adsorb the flavor components onto the adsorbent, thereby obtaining water containing the adsorbent to which the flavor components have been adsorbed (i.e., a flavor component adsorbent) (see FIG. 1).

The adsorbent used in this process is preferably a porous material. A porous material refers to a material with a large number of fine-sized pores (i.e., pores). Porous materials are preferably those that exhibit a wide pore distribution, ranging from micropores (d<2 nm) to mesopores (2 nm≦d≦50 nm) to macropores (50 nm<d), i.e., those that have pores of various sizes, including micropores, mesopores, and macropores. It is known that the pore size of a porous material correlates with the molecular weight of the molecules that can be adsorbed. Therefore, if a porous material exhibits a wide pore distribution, flavor components of various molecular sizes derived from tobacco materials can be adsorbed into the pores.

The adsorbent can have any form, for example, in the form of particles, sheets, or fibers. The adsorbent is preferably in the form of particles. It is more preferable that the adsorbent is a porous material and in the form of particles. That is, the adsorbent is more preferably in the form of porous particles. The particle size of the adsorbent particles can be determined taking into consideration factors such as incorporation into a flavor inhaler, ease of handling, and ease of processing into a molded body. The adsorbent particles have a particle size of, for example, 200 to 1000 μm.

The porous material preferably has a total pore volume of 0.2 to 3.0 mL/g. More preferably, the porous material has a total pore volume of 0.4 to 1.5 mL/g. Furthermore, the porous material preferably has all pores, including micropores (d<2 nm), mesopores (2 nm≦d≦50 nm), and macropores (50 nm<d). The pore volume refers to a value measured in accordance with JIS Z8831-2:2010 and JIS Z8831-3:2010. Furthermore, the porous material preferably has a BET specific surface area of 500 to 2000 ^{m 2} /g. More preferably, the porous material has a BET specific surface area of 550 to 1000 ^{m 2} /g. The BET specific surface area refers to a value measured in accordance with JIS Z8830:2013.

Examples of porous materials include activated carbon, activated alumina, synthetic adsorbents, and zeolites. The porous material is preferably activated carbon. Activated carbon is capable of adsorbing flavor components of various molecular sizes derived from tobacco materials into its pores. One type of porous material may be used, or two or more types with different pore characteristics may be used in combination.

Activated carbon can have any form, for example, in the form of particles, sheets, or fibers. Activated carbon is preferably in the form of particles. That is, the adsorbent is preferably activated carbon particles. Activated carbon particles are also called granular activated carbon, and include crushed activated carbon and granulated activated carbon. Activated carbon particles have a particle size of, for example, 200 to 1000 μm.

The adsorbent may be precipitated or suspended in water. In this process, water serves to efficiently adsorb flavor components derived from the tobacco material to the adsorbent through dissolution in the water, without releasing them into the atmosphere. In other words, water serves as a trapping solvent that temporarily traps flavor components derived from the tobacco material. The water is not particularly limited, and tap water, ion-exchanged water, distilled water, etc. can be used.

In this process, the mass ratio of adsorbent to water can be, for example, 1:0.5 to 1:20, preferably 1:2 to 1:5.

The reasons why water is an excellent trapping solvent are explained below.
In this process, an adsorbent such as activated carbon is contained in water, but due to its non-polar nature, it does not easily adsorb water, which is a polar molecule. Therefore, when water is used as a trap solvent, the adsorbent rarely adsorbs water before adsorbing flavor components derived from tobacco materials, and does not interfere with the adsorption of flavor components derived from tobacco materials. Furthermore, because many flavor components derived from tobacco materials are non-polar, they are energetically more stable when adsorbed on an adsorbent than when dissolved in water. Therefore, once flavor components derived from tobacco materials are adsorbed on an adsorbent via dissolution in water, they remain stable in the adsorbed state on the adsorbent. For these reasons, water is an excellent trap solvent.

Alternatively, it may be possible to use solvents commonly used as aerosol sources in heated flavor inhalers (e.g., polyethylene glycol and glycerin), or ethanol, as described in prior art documents (WO 2017/144705), as trap solvents. However, when polyethylene glycol or glycerin are used as trap solvents, adsorbents such as activated carbon adsorb these liquids before adsorbing flavor components derived from tobacco materials, making it impossible to adequately adsorb the flavor components derived from tobacco materials (see Example 2 below). Furthermore, when ethanol is used as a trap solvent, flavor components derived from tobacco materials are energetically more stable when dissolved in ethanol than when adsorbed on an adsorbent, making it impossible to adequately adsorb the flavor components derived from tobacco materials onto the adsorbent. Therefore, these solvents are not suitable as trap solvents.

Preferably, the passing step (S2) can be carried out by bubbling the gas containing the flavor components obtained in the heating step (S1) into water containing an adsorbent. In the passing step (S2), for example, 3 to 20 mL of water can be used per 10 g of tobacco material.

The passing step (S2) can be carried out using a device that dissolves gas in a liquid and collects it. For example, this step can be carried out using the dissolving device shown in Figure 3. The dissolving device 3 shown in Figure 3 is connected to the heating device shown in Figure 2 via a gas flow path 2F. As shown in Figure 3, the dissolving device 3 includes an inner container 3A for containing water 3E containing adsorbent 3D, a sintered filter 3B as a bubbling nozzle, an outer container 3C for containing the inner container 3A, a gas flow path 2F for sending gas containing flavor components to the inner container 3A, and an exhaust gas flow path 3H for discharging the gas in the inner container 3A.

The adsorption operation via dissolution in water is described below. The gas containing flavor components obtained in the heating step (S1) is sent through the gas flow path 2F to the sintered filter 3B located at the end of the gas flow path 2F. The sintered filter 3B has a porous structure and is immersed in water 3E containing adsorbent 3D. As a result, the gas containing flavor components is bubbled into the water 3E containing adsorbent 3D. As a result, the gas containing flavor components dissolves in the water 3E and is adsorbed by the adsorbent 3D contained in the water 3E.

In addition to adsorbent 3D and water 3E, inner container 3A also contains glass beads 3F. In this way, when bubbling is performed in the presence of glass beads 3F, flavor components are trapped in water 3E, increasing the efficiency with which they are adsorbed to adsorbent 3D.

When gas containing flavor components is bubbled into water 3E, the temperature of the water 3E rises. For this reason, ice water 3G is contained in outer container 3C. This prevents the temperature of the water 3E from rising. The gas generated in inner container 3A is discharged through exhaust gas flow path 3H.

The passing step (S2) is not limited to being performed using the dissolution device shown in Figure 3, as long as the gas containing the flavor components obtained in the heating step can be adsorbed onto the adsorbent through dissolution in water.

By passing the gas through the adsorbent, the flavor component-containing gas is adsorbed onto the adsorbent. This results in water containing the adsorbent (i.e., flavor component adsorbent) that has adsorbed the flavor component.

[Recovery step (S3)]
In the recovery step (S3), the flavor component adsorbent is recovered from the "water containing the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor components (i.e., the flavor component adsorbent)" obtained in the above-mentioned passing step (S2) (see Figure 1).

For example, recovery may be carried out by sucking water out of the water containing the flavor component adsorbent, or by passing the water containing the flavor component adsorbent through a filtering material such as a filter or sieve.

After recovery, the flavor component adsorbent may be dried. Drying the flavor component adsorbent can remove water present on the surface of the flavor component adsorbent. This makes the flavor component adsorbent less likely to aggregate and easier to handle. Drying may be carried out by blowing air onto the flavor component adsorbent at room temperature (e.g., 15 to 25°C), or by heat drying. Heat drying can be carried out, for example, by heating with a heater or by blowing heated air. When drying is carried out by heat drying, it can be carried out at a temperature of, for example, 50 to 100°C. Heating at such temperatures can prevent the flavor components adsorbed to the adsorbent from desorbing from the adsorbent.

[Optional steps]
The above method may further include cooling the water containing the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor components (i.e., the flavor component adsorbent) between the passing step (S2) and the recovery step (S3).

For example, cooling can be performed by allowing the water containing the flavor component adsorbent to stand at a temperature of 0 to 30°C for 0.1 to 72 hours. The cooling temperature is preferably 0 to 10°C, and the cooling time is preferably 6 to 48 hours. Cooling the water containing the flavor component adsorbent between the passing step (S2) and the recovery step (S3) can promote the adsorbent, which has adsorbed the flavor components, to further adsorb the flavor components.

The above method may also include a step of adding a liquid as an aerosol source to the tobacco material before the heating step (S1).

As used herein, the term "aerosol source" refers to a source (liquid) that generates vapor (gas) when heated in a heated flavor inhaler. The term "aerosol source" refers to a source (liquid) that generates a dispersion medium (gas) for an aerosol (tobacco vapor), and does not include fine particles (such as flavor components) in the aerosol.

Adding a liquid aerosol source to the tobacco material before the heating step (S1) helps the flavor components evaporate from the tobacco material during the heating step (S1), thereby increasing the efficiency of flavor component recovery from the tobacco material. This increases the amount of flavor components adsorbed in the final flavor component adsorbent.

The aerosol source can be a liquid that can be used as an aerosol source in a heated flavor inhaler. For example, propylene glycol, glycerin, 1,3-propanediol, diacetin, polyethylene glycol, or a mixture thereof can be used. The aerosol source is preferably propylene glycol, glycerin, or a mixture of propylene glycol and glycerin. In the case of a mixture of propylene glycol and glycerin, the mass ratio of propylene glycol to glycerin is not particularly limited and can be, for example, 0.1:9.9 to 9.9:0.1.

The exemplified liquids have low polarity compared to water, and the flavor components have relatively low polarity. Therefore, the exemplified liquids are suitable as liquids for assisting the vaporization of flavor components from tobacco materials. For example, 0.1 to 20 mL of aerosol source can be added per 10 g of tobacco material.

[effect]
According to the method of the present invention, tobacco material is heated and the resulting gas is passed through water containing an adsorbent, whereby the gas can be dissolved in the water without being released into the atmosphere. The flavor components contained in the gas dissolved in the water can then be adsorbed onto the adsorbent present in the water. Thus, the method of the present invention allows flavor components derived from the tobacco material to be efficiently adsorbed onto the adsorbent via dissolution in water, without being released into the atmosphere. Furthermore, once the flavor components derived from the tobacco material are adsorbed onto the adsorbent, they are less likely to redissolve in water, and their adsorption state can be stably maintained.

As described above, the method of the present invention can recover flavor components from tobacco materials with high recovery efficiency, and therefore the flavor component adsorbent obtained by the method of the present invention can contain large amounts of flavor components derived from tobacco materials.

Furthermore, the method of the present invention is superior to the gas phase adsorption and liquid phase adsorption described in prior art documents (WO 2017/144705) in the following respects:

Prior art (WO 2017/144705) discloses the direct adsorption of volatile components generated by heating tobacco material onto an adsorbent (i.e., gas-phase adsorption). In the case of such gas-phase adsorption, it is believed that a large amount of adsorbent would be required to adsorb the volatile components generated by heating tobacco material solely in the gas phase. In contrast, by first trapping the gas generated by heating tobacco material with water, as in the present invention, the flavor components trapped in the water can be efficiently recovered without using a large amount of adsorbent.

Furthermore, when gas-phase adsorption is performed using a column packed with adsorbent particles, the adsorbent particles present near the entrance of the column adsorb flavor components in particularly high concentrations, which is expected to result in uneven adsorption in the ultimately recovered adsorbent particles. In addition, in this case, heating the tobacco material generates "tar" (tar refers to the viscous substance in the smoke produced when tobacco material is burned), which may clog the entrance of the column. In contrast, the method of the present invention does not cause problems such as uneven adsorption of flavor components or tar clogging.

Furthermore, prior art document (WO 2017/144705) discloses dissolving volatile matter generated by heating tobacco material into a liquid (i.e., liquid-phase adsorption). Such liquid-phase adsorption results in a flavor liquid in which flavor components are dissolved. Typically, this flavor liquid must be concentrated in order to incorporate it into a flavor inhaler in its liquid form, and concentration is achieved by drying the flavor liquid through reduced pressure heating or other methods. Concentration is achieved by heating the flavor liquid under reduced pressure at a temperature of approximately 40 to 100°C, but during this process, the flavor components in the flavor liquid volatilize.

Alternatively, the flavor liquid obtained by liquid-phase adsorption can be incorporated into a flavor inhaler by pouring it back onto tobacco residue and molding the resulting mixture. In this case, the flavor liquid may need to be concentrated before being poured back onto the tobacco residue, or it may need to be dried to remove the moisture added for molding. Concentration is achieved by heating the flavor liquid at a temperature of approximately 40 to 100°C under reduced pressure. Drying to remove moisture is achieved by heating at a temperature of approximately 70 to 120°C. These processes also result in the volatilization of the flavor components in the flavor liquid.

In contrast, in the method of the present invention, the flavor components derived from the tobacco material are ultimately adsorbed onto the adsorbent, not onto water. Therefore, after recovering the adsorbent with the adsorbed flavor components, there is no need to heat it to concentrate the solvent. As mentioned above, the recovered adsorbent may be heated and dried at temperatures of approximately 50-100°C to remove surface moisture, but heating at these temperatures does not volatilize most of the flavor components adsorbed onto the adsorbent. This is because volatilizing components adsorbed onto the adsorbent requires not only the energy necessary for the adsorbed components to volatilize, but also the energy required to desorb them from their adsorbed state. In other words, to volatilize components adsorbed onto the adsorbent by heating, a higher amount of heat (energy) must be applied than to volatilize the same components not adsorbed onto the adsorbent.

Therefore, the flavor component adsorbent obtained by the method of the present invention does not volatilize until heated to a higher temperature than a flavor liquid obtained by liquid-phase adsorption. However, when the flavor component adsorbent obtained by the method of the present invention is incorporated into a heated flavor inhaler, it is heated to a high temperature of approximately 150 to 400°C, and the flavor components adsorbed to the adsorbent are easily released.

<2. Flavor component adsorbent>
According to another aspect, there is provided a flavor component adsorbent obtained by the above-mentioned "method for producing a flavor component adsorbent." As is clear from the production method, the flavor component adsorbent is composed of an adsorbent and flavor components adsorbed to the adsorbent. Like the adsorbent, the flavor component adsorbent can have any form, for example, the form of particles, sheets, or fibers. The flavor component adsorbent is preferably in the form of particles. When the flavor component adsorbent is in the form of particles, it has a particle size of, for example, 200 to 1000 μm.

The flavor component adsorbent may be used alone as a flavor source in a heated flavor inhaler, or may be mixed with tobacco filler material typically used in heated flavor inhalers and used as a flavor source.

As described above, the method of the present invention can recover flavor components from tobacco materials with high recovery efficiency, and the flavor component adsorbent obtained by the method of the present invention can contain large amounts of flavor components derived from tobacco materials. Therefore, when such a flavor component adsorbent is incorporated into a heated flavor inhaler, it can provide users with an excellent smoking flavor.

<3. Flavor molded body and its manufacturing method>
The above-mentioned flavor component adsorbent may be incorporated into a heated flavor inhaler by itself, or may be combined with a molding material to be processed into a molded body, and the resulting molded body may be incorporated into a heated flavor inhaler.

Therefore, according to another aspect, a flavor molded body is provided which comprises the above-mentioned flavor component adsorbent and a molding material.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a method for producing a flavor molded object, which comprises mixing the above-mentioned flavor component adsorbent with a molding material and molding the resulting mixture. Specifically, the method for producing a flavor molded object includes the following steps:
heating the tobacco material to vaporize flavor components from the tobacco material;
Passing the gas containing the flavor component through water containing an adsorbent to adsorb the flavor component onto the adsorbent;
recovering the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor components to obtain a flavor component adsorbent;
and mixing the flavor component adsorbent with a molding material and molding the resulting mixture. The molding can be performed using a known method for molding tobacco shreds or tobacco powder (i.e., finely powdered tobacco shreds), such as compression molding or roll molding. Known binders can be used as the molding material.

According to yet another aspect, there is provided a flavor molded body obtained by the above-mentioned method.

Molding the above-mentioned flavor component adsorbent into a desired shape can improve ease of handling when incorporating it into a heated flavor inhaler. Furthermore, molding the above-mentioned flavor component adsorbent into a desired shape can make it less likely to fall off the heated flavor inhaler after being incorporated into the heated flavor inhaler.

The molded flavor body can be in any shape, such as a tablet, sheet, granule, or fiber. The molded flavor body may be used as a flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler in its original size, or the molded product may be cut into pieces of any size and the cut pieces may be used as a flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler.

The flavor molded body may be used alone as a flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler, or may be mixed with tobacco filler material typically used in heated flavor inhalers and used as a flavor source.

In one example, the flavor molded body can be produced by mixing the above-mentioned flavor component adsorbent, cellulose powder, and an alcohol having 2 to 7 carbon atoms (e.g., ethanol), compressing the resulting mixture into a tablet shape (i.e., a flat cylindrical shape), and drying it at room temperature (e.g., 20°C). In this example, tobacco powder may be used as a binder instead of cellulose powder. Cellulose powder or tobacco powder with an average particle size of, for example, 10 to 200 μm may be used. A single tablet-shaped flavor molded body may be used as the flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler, or multiple flavor molded bodies may be used as the flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler.

In another example, the flavor molded body can be produced by mixing the above-mentioned flavor component adsorbent, cellulose powder, an additional binder (e.g., guar gum), and water, molding the resulting mixture into a sheet, and drying it by heating. In this example, tobacco powder may also be used as the binder instead of the cellulose powder. Cellulose powder or tobacco powder with an average particle size of, for example, 10 to 200 μm can be used. The product obtained by molding the sheet-shaped flavor molded body may be used as the flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler in its original size, or the sheet-shaped flavor molded body may be cut into pieces of any size and the cut pieces may be used as the flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler.

[effect]
The flavor component adsorbent described above can contain a large amount of flavor components derived from tobacco materials. Therefore, when a flavor molded product is manufactured using the flavor component adsorbent and the flavor molded product is incorporated into a heated flavor inhaler, an excellent flavor and smoking experience can be provided to the user.

<4. Non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler and flavor generating article>
The above-mentioned "flavor component adsorbent" or the above-mentioned "flavor shaped body" can be incorporated into any non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler. That is, according to another aspect, there is provided a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler including a flavor source containing the above-mentioned "flavor component adsorbent" and a heater for heating the flavor source. According to yet another aspect, there is provided a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler including a flavor source containing the above-mentioned "flavor shaped body" and a heater for heating the flavor source.

A non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler is a flavor inhaler that provides a user with tobacco flavor by heating a flavor source such as a tobacco filler or a tobacco flavor liquid without burning it. In this specification, a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler is also simply referred to as a "heating type flavor inhaler." Examples of non-combustion heating type flavor inhalers include:
a carbon heat source type flavor inhaler that heats tobacco filler with the combustion heat of a carbon heat source (see, for example, WO2006/073065);
an electrically heated flavor inhaler comprising a tobacco stick containing a tobacco filler and a heating device for electrically heating the tobacco stick (see, for example, WO 2010/110226); or a liquid atomization flavor inhaler that generates an aerosol by heating a liquid aerosol source with a heater, and inhales the flavor derived from the tobacco filler together with the aerosol (see, for example, WO 2015/046385).
Examples include:

According to a first preferred embodiment,
a flavor generating article including a flavor source containing the above-mentioned "flavor component adsorbent" or the above-mentioned "flavor molded body" and a wrapping paper wrapped around the flavor source;
and a heater for heating the flavor source contained in the flavor-generating article. According to this embodiment, a flavor-generating article is provided that includes a flavor source containing the above-mentioned "flavor component adsorbent" or the above-mentioned "flavor shaped body" and a wrapper wrapped around the flavor source. The flavor-generating article is also called a tobacco stick. The flavor-generating article may further include a filter downstream of the flavor source (i.e., on the mouthpiece side).

According to a second preferred embodiment,
A flavor source including the above-mentioned "flavor component adsorbent" or the above-mentioned "flavor molded body",
a liquid container containing a liquid aerosol source to be supplied to the flavor source;
a heater that heats the flavor source supplied with the aerosol source to atomize the aerosol source and release flavor components from the flavor source;
A non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler comprising:

Below, an example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to the first embodiment and an example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

[Example of non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to the first embodiment]
An example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 4A, 4B, 4C, 5, and 6. In this example, the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler is composed of an aerosol generating device 100 and a flavor generating article 200. Figure 4A is a schematic front view of an example of the aerosol generating device. Figure 4B is a schematic top view of the aerosol generating device shown in Figure 4A. Figure 4C is a schematic bottom view of the aerosol generating device shown in Figure 4A. Figure 5 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an example of the flavor generating article. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of the aerosol generating device shown in Figure 4B.

For ease of explanation, the drawings may include an X-Y-Z Cartesian coordinate system. In this coordinate system, the Z axis points vertically upward, the X-Y plane is positioned to cut the aerosol generation device 100 horizontally, and the Y axis is positioned to extend from the front to the back of the aerosol generation device 100. The Z axis can also be referred to as the insertion direction of the flavor-generating product contained in the chamber 150 of the atomization unit 130 (described below), or the axial direction of the chamber 150. The X axis is a direction perpendicular to the Y and Z axes, and the X and Y axes can also be referred to as the radial direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the chamber 150, or the radial direction of the chamber 150.

The aerosol generating device 100 is configured to generate an aerosol containing a flavor by heating a stick-shaped flavor generating article having a flavor source containing the above-mentioned "flavor component adsorbent" or the above-mentioned "flavor molded body."

As shown in Figures 4A to 4C, the aerosol generating device 100 has an outer housing 101 (corresponding to an example of a housing), a slide cover 102, and a switch unit 103. The outer housing 101 constitutes the outermost housing of the aerosol generating device 100 and is sized to fit in a user's hand. When using the flavor inhaler, the user can hold the aerosol generating device 100 in their hand and inhale the aerosol. The outer housing 101 may be constructed by assembling multiple components. The outer housing 101 is made of, for example, a resin, and in particular, may be formed from polycarbonate (PC), ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) resin, PEEK (Polyetheretherketone), or a polymer alloy containing multiple types of polymers, or a metal such as aluminum.

The outer housing 101 has an opening (not shown) for receiving a flavor-generating article, and the sliding cover 102 is slidably attached to the outer housing 101 to close this opening. Specifically, the sliding cover 102 is configured to be movable along the outer surface of the outer housing 101 between a closed position (position shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B ) in which the opening in the outer housing 101 is closed, and an open position (position shown in FIG. 6 ) in which the opening is open. For example, a user can manually operate the sliding cover 102 to move the sliding cover 102 between the closed position and the open position. This allows or restricts access of the flavor-generating article to the interior of the aerosol generating device 100.

The switch unit 103 is used to switch the operation of the aerosol generating device 100 on and off. For example, a user can insert a flavor-generating product into the aerosol generating device 100 and operate the switch unit 103 to supply power from the power source (see reference numeral 121 in FIG. 6) to the heater (see reference numeral 140 in FIG. 6), thereby heating the flavor-generating product without burning it. The switch unit 103 may be a switch provided on the outside of the outer housing 101, or a switch located inside the outer housing 101. If the switch is located inside the outer housing 101, the switch is indirectly pressed by pressing the switch unit 103 on the surface of the outer housing 101. In this example, an example is described in which the switch of the switch unit 103 is located inside the outer housing 101.

The aerosol generating device 100 may further have a terminal (not shown). The terminal may be an interface for connecting the aerosol generating device 100 to, for example, an external power source. If the power source of the aerosol generating device 100 is a rechargeable battery, connecting the external power source to the terminal allows the external power source to pass current through the power source and charge the power source. In addition, connecting a data transmission cable to the terminal may allow data related to the operation of the aerosol generating device 100 to be transmitted to an external device.

Next, we will explain the flavor-generating article used in the aerosol generating device 100. Figure 5 is a schematic side cross-sectional view of an example of a flavor-generating article 200. In this example, the aerosol generating device 100 and the flavor-generating article 200 form a flavor inhaler. As shown in Figure 5, the flavor-generating article 200 has a smokable article 201, a tubular member 204, a hollow filter portion 206, and a filter portion 205.

The smokable article 201 is wrapped in a first wrapping paper 202. The tubular member 204, hollow filter portion 206, and filter portion 205 are wrapped in a second wrapping paper 203 that is different from the first wrapping paper 202. The second wrapping paper 203 also wraps a portion of the first wrapping paper 202 that wraps the smokable article 201. This connects the tubular member 204, hollow filter portion 206, and filter portion 205 to the smokable article 201. However, the second wrapping paper 203 may be omitted, and the tubular member 204, hollow filter portion 206, and filter portion 205 may be connected to the smokable article 201 using the first wrapping paper 202. A lip release agent 207 is applied to the outer surface of the second wrapping paper 203 near the end on the filter portion 205 side to make it easier for the user to release their lips from the second wrapping paper 203. The portion of flavor generating article 200 to which lip release agent 207 is applied functions as the mouthpiece of flavor generating article 200 .

The smokable article 201 includes the above-described "flavor component adsorbent" or the above-described "flavor shaped body" as a flavor source. As described above, the "flavor component adsorbent" or "flavor shaped body" may be used alone as a flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler, or may be mixed with a tobacco filler typically used in a heated flavor inhaler and used as a flavor source. For example, in the case of a tablet-shaped flavor shaped body, a single flavor shaped body may be used as a flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler, or multiple flavor shaped bodies may be used as a flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler. In the case of a sheet-shaped flavor shaped body, the product obtained by molding may be used as a flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler in its original size, or the sheet-shaped flavor shaped body may be cut into any size and the cut pieces may be used as a flavor source for a heated flavor inhaler.

Furthermore, the first wrapping paper 202 wrapping the smokable article 201 may be a breathable sheet material. The tubular member 204 may be a paper tube or a hollow filter. In this example, the flavor-generating article 200 comprises the smokable article 201, the tubular member 204, the hollow filter portion 206, and the filter portion 205, but the configuration of the flavor-generating article 200 is not limited to this. For example, the hollow filter portion 206 may be omitted, and the tubular member 204 and the filter portion 205 may be disposed adjacent to each other.

Next, the internal structure of the aerosol generating device 100 will be described. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the aerosol generating device 100 taken along line III-III in Figure 4B. As shown in Figure 6, an inner housing 110 (corresponding to an example of a housing) is provided inside the outer housing 101 of the aerosol generating device 100. The inner housing 110 is made of resin, for example, and in particular may be formed from polycarbonate (PC), ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) resin, PEEK (Polyetheretherketone), a polymer alloy containing multiple types of polymers, or a metal such as aluminum. From the standpoints of heat resistance and strength, it is preferable that the inner housing 110 be made of PEEK. The power supply unit 120 and the atomization unit 130 are provided in the internal space of the inner housing 110.

The power supply unit 120 has a power supply 121. The power supply 121 may be, for example, a rechargeable battery or a non-rechargeable battery. The power supply 121 is electrically connected to the atomization unit 130. This allows the power supply 121 to supply power to the atomization unit 130 so as to appropriately heat the flavor-generating article 200.

6, the atomization unit 130 has a metallic chamber 150 (corresponding to an example of a cylindrical portion) extending in the insertion direction (Z-axis direction) of the flavor-generating article 200, a heater 140 covering part of the chamber 150, a heat insulating portion 132, and a substantially cylindrical insertion guide member 134 (corresponding to an example of a guide portion) that abuts the opening of the chamber 150. The chamber 150 is configured to surround the periphery of the flavor-generating article 200. The heater 140 is configured to include a heating portion that contacts the outer peripheral surface of the chamber 150 and heats the flavor-generating article 200 inserted into the chamber 150.

6, a bottom member 136 (corresponding to an example of an abutment portion) is provided at the bottom of the chamber 150. The bottom member 136 abuts against the flavor generating article 200 inserted into the chamber 150 in the insertion direction of the flavor generating article 200, and can function as a stopper to position the flavor generating article 200. Here, the chamber 150 and the bottom member 136 form a storage portion that stores at least a portion of the flavor generating article 200. The bottom member 136 can be formed from, for example, a resin material. The bottom member 136 has an uneven surface that the flavor generating article 200 abuts against, and can define a first air flow path that can supply air to the air intake of the flavor generating article 200 (i.e., communicates with the flavor generating article 200 stored in the storage portion). The bottom member 136 is made of, for example, resin, particularly polycarbonate (PC), ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) resin, PEEK (Polyetheretherketone), a polymer alloy containing multiple types of polymers, or a metal such as aluminum. Note that the bottom member 136 is preferably made of a material with low thermal conductivity to prevent heat from being transferred to the heat insulating portion 132, etc.

The insulating section 132 is generally cylindrical overall and is positioned to cover the chamber 150. The insulating section 132 may include, for example, an aerogel sheet. The insertion guide member 134 is provided between the sliding cover 102 in the closed position and the chamber 150. The insertion guide member 134 is made of, for example, resin, and in particular, may be formed from polycarbonate (PC), ABS (Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene) resin, PEEK (Polyether Ether Ketone), or a polymer alloy containing multiple types of polymers. The insertion guide member 134 may also be formed from metal, glass, ceramic, etc. From the standpoint of heat resistance, it is preferable that the insertion guide member 134 be made of PEEK. When the sliding cover 102 is in the open position, the insertion guide member 134 communicates with the outside of the aerosol generating device 100, and guides the insertion of the flavor generating article 200 into the chamber 150 by inserting the flavor generating article 200 into the insertion guide member 134. By providing the insertion guide member 134, the flavor generating article 200 can be easily inserted into the chamber 150.

The aerosol generating device 100 further has a first holding part 137 and a second holding part 138 that hold both ends of the chamber 150 and the heat insulating part 132. The first holding part 137 is positioned to hold the ends of the chamber 150 and the heat insulating part 132 on the negative Z-axis side. The second holding part 138 is positioned to hold the ends of the chamber 150 and the heat insulating part 132 on the slide cover 102 side (positive Z-axis side).

[Example of non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to the second embodiment]
An example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler according to the second embodiment will be described below with reference to Figures 7 to 10. Figure 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler. Figure 8 is a perspective view of a power supply unit in the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler of Figure 7. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler of Figure 7. Figure 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the main parts of the power supply unit in the non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler of Figure 7.

The non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler 1 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "heating type flavor inhaler 1") shown in Figures 7 to 10 has a rod shape extending in a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as the longitudinal direction A). As shown in Figure 7, the heating type flavor inhaler 1 has a power supply unit 10 and a cartridge 20 arranged in this order along the longitudinal direction A. The cartridge 20 is detachable from the power supply unit 10. In other words, the cartridge 20 is replaceable.

(Power supply unit)
8 and 9, power supply unit 10 accommodates power supply 12, charger 13, control unit 50, various sensors, etc. inside cylindrical power supply unit case 11. Power supply 12 is a rechargeable secondary battery, preferably a lithium-ion secondary battery.

A discharge terminal 41 is provided on the top portion 11a, which is located at one end (cartridge 20 side) of the power supply unit case 11 in the longitudinal direction A. The discharge terminal 41 is provided so as to protrude from the upper surface of the top portion 11a toward the cartridge 20, and is configured to be electrically connectable to the load 21 of the cartridge 20.

In addition, an air supply section 42 that supplies air to the load 21 of the cartridge 20 is provided on the upper surface of the top section 11a near the discharge terminal 41.

A charging terminal (not shown) is provided on the bottom portion 11b, located at the other end of the power supply unit case 11 in the longitudinal direction A (opposite the cartridge 20), which can be electrically connected to an external power source that can charge the power supply 12.

In addition, an operation unit 14 that can be operated by the user is provided on the side of the top portion 11a of the power supply unit case 11. The operation unit 14 is composed of a button switch, a touch panel, etc., and is used to start/shut off the control unit 50 and various sensors, reflecting the user's intentions.

As shown in FIG. 10, the control unit 50 is connected to various sensor devices, such as the charger 13, the operation unit 14, the inhalation sensor 15 that detects puffing (inhalation) actions, the voltage sensor 16 that measures the voltage of the power source 12, and the temperature sensor 17 that detects temperature, as well as the memory 18 that stores the number of puffing actions or the duration of power supply to the load 21, and performs various controls on the heated flavor inhaler 1. The inhalation sensor 15 may be composed of a condenser microphone, a pressure sensor, or the like. The control unit 50 is specifically a processor (MCU: microcontroller unit). More specifically, the structure of this processor is an electrical circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

(cartridge)
As shown in Figure 9, the cartridge 20 is provided with a cylindrical cartridge case 27, inside which are a reservoir 23 that stores a liquid aerosol source 22, an electrical load 21 that atomizes the aerosol source 22, a wick 24 that draws the aerosol source from the reservoir 23 to the load 21, and an aerosol flow path 25 through which the aerosol generated by atomizing the aerosol source 22 flows toward the mouthpiece 26A.

The reservoir 23 is partitioned to surround the aerosol flow path 25 and stores the liquid aerosol source 22. The aerosol source is a liquid for forming the aerosol. Examples of aerosol sources that can be used include propylene glycol, glycerin, 1,3-propanediol, diacetin, polyethylene glycol, and mixtures thereof. The reservoir 23 may contain a porous body such as a resin web or cotton, and the aerosol source 22 may be impregnated into the porous body. The reservoir 23 may not contain a porous body such as a resin web or cotton, and may store only the aerosol source 22. Furthermore, the reservoir 23 may contain, in addition to the aerosol source 22, a tobacco flavor liquid or additional flavor components (e.g., nicotine or flavor).

The wick 24 contains the above-mentioned "flavor component adsorbent" or the above-mentioned "flavor shaped body" as a flavor source. The wick 24 uses capillary action to draw up the aerosol source 22 from the reservoir 23. When the aerosol source 22 penetrates the wick 24, the aerosol source 22 functions as an extraction solvent, extracting the flavor components from the "flavor component adsorbent" or "flavor shaped body" contained in the wick 24. The aerosol source containing the flavor components is then atomized (aerosolized) by the heat generated by the load 21, allowing the user to enjoy the flavor.

The wick 24 may be composed of a liquid-retaining material such as glass fiber in combination with a flavor component adsorbent or a flavor molded body, or it may be composed solely of a flavor component adsorbent or a flavor molded body. In other words, the flavor component adsorbent or the flavor molded body may constitute a portion of the wick 24, or may constitute the entire wick 24.

For example, a flavor component adsorbent or a flavor molded body may be incorporated into a bundle of glass fibers and used as the wick 24. Alternatively, a sheet-shaped flavor molded body may be cut to a size suitable for the wick and stacked (i.e., a stack of sheet-shaped molded bodies) and used as the wick 24. Alternatively, a sheet-shaped flavor molded body may be wound into a spiral shape or folded into an accordion-like shape and used as the wick 24. Alternatively, a sheet-shaped flavor molded body may be cut into fibers and the resulting fiber cuts may be bundled together (i.e., a bundle of fiber cuts) and used as the wick 24.

Load 21 atomizes aerosol source 22 without combustion using power supplied from power source 12 via discharge terminal 41. Load 21 is composed of an electric heating wire (coil) wound at a predetermined pitch. Note that load 21 may be any element capable of atomizing aerosol source 22 to generate aerosol, such as a heating element or ultrasonic generator. Examples of heating elements include a heating resistor, a ceramic heater, and an induction heater.

The aerosol flow path 25 is located downstream of the load 21 and on the center line L of the power supply unit 10.

In the heated flavor inhaler 1, as shown by arrow B in Figure 9, air flows in from an air intake (not shown) provided in the power supply unit case 11 and passes through the air supply section 42 near the load 21 of the cartridge 20. The load 21 atomizes the aerosol source 22 drawn or moved from the reservoir 23 by the wick 24. The atomized aerosol flows through the aerosol flow path 25 together with the air flowing in from the air intake and is supplied to the mouthpiece 26A.

The mouthpiece 26A is provided with a gas outlet 26B that connects the internal space of the cartridge case 27 with the space outside the heated flavor inhaler 1. During inhalation, an aerosol containing tobacco flavor components is discharged from the heated flavor inhaler 1 through this gas outlet 26B.

The heated flavor inhaler 1 is also provided with an alarm unit 45 that notifies various pieces of information. The alarm unit 45 may be composed of a light-emitting element, a vibration element, or a sound-output element. The alarm unit 45 may also be a combination of two or more elements selected from the light-emitting element, the vibration element, and the sound-output element. The alarm unit 45 may be provided in either the power supply unit 10 or the cartridge 20, but is preferably provided in the power supply unit 10 to shorten the wires from the power supply 12. For example, the alarm unit 45 may be provided around the operating unit 14, and the surrounding area of the operating unit 14 may be configured to be translucent and illuminated by a light-emitting element such as an LED.

5. Preferred Embodiments
Preferred embodiments are summarized below.

[A1] Heating a tobacco material to vaporize flavor components from the tobacco material;
Passing the gas containing the flavor component through water containing an adsorbent to adsorb the flavor component onto the adsorbent;
and recovering the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor component.
[A2] The method according to [A1], wherein the adsorbent is a porous material.
[A3] The method according to [A1] or [A2], wherein the porous material has a total pore volume of 0.2 to 3.0 mL/g, preferably 0.4 to 1.5 mL/g.
[A4] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A3], wherein the porous material has all of the following pores: micropores (d<2 nm), mesopores (2 nm≦d≦50 nm), and macropores (50 nm<d).

[A5] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A4], wherein the porous material has a BET specific surface area of 500 to 2000 ^{m 2} /g, preferably 550 to 1000 m ² /g.
[A6] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A5], wherein the adsorbent is in the form of particles.
[A7] The method according to [A6], wherein the particles have a particle size of 200 to 1000 μm.
[A8] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A7], wherein the adsorbent is activated carbon.

[A9] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A8], wherein the passing is carried out by bubbling the gas through the water.
[A10] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A9], wherein the passing is carried out by bubbling the gas into the water through a porous body (preferably a porous filter).
[A11] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A10], wherein the passing is carried out by bubbling the gas through the water in which a plurality of beads are dispersed.
[A12] The method according to [A11], wherein the beads have a diameter of 1 to 5 mm.

[A13] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A12], wherein the heating is carried out at a temperature of 120 to 400°C.
[A14] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A13], wherein the heating is carried out at a temperature of 160 to 230°C.
[A15] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A14], wherein the heating is carried out for 5 to 60 minutes, preferably 10 to 30 minutes.
[A16] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A15], wherein the heating is carried out by supplying heated air to the tobacco material.

[A17] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A16], wherein the heating is carried out by supplying heated air to the tobacco material via a porous body (preferably a porous plate).
[A18] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A17], further comprising cooling the water containing the adsorbent between the passing and the recovery.
[A19] The method according to [A18], wherein the cooling is carried out by allowing the water containing the adsorbent to stand at a temperature of 0 to 30°C, preferably 0 to 10°C, for a period of 0.1 to 72 hours, preferably 6 to 48 hours.
[A20] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A19], further comprising drying the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor component after the recovery.

[A21] The method according to [A20], wherein the drying is carried out by blowing air at room temperature (for example, a temperature of 15 to 25°C) onto the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor component.
[A22] The method according to [A20], wherein the drying is carried out by heat drying.
[A23] The method according to [A21], wherein the heat drying is carried out at a temperature of 50 to 100°C.
[A24] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A23], further comprising adding a liquid as an aerosol source to the tobacco material before the heating.

[A25] The method according to [A24], wherein the liquid is propylene glycol, glycerin, 1,3-propanediol, diacetin, polyethylene glycol, or a mixture thereof.
[A26] The method according to [A24] or [A25], wherein the liquid is propylene glycol, glycerin, or a mixture of propylene glycol and glycerin.
[A27] The method according to any one of [A24] to [A26], wherein the liquid is added in an amount of 0.1 to 20 mL per 10 g of the tobacco material.
[A28] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A27], wherein the tobacco material is tobacco shreds.

[B1] A flavor component adsorbent obtained by the method according to any one of [A1] to [A28].
[B2] The flavor component adsorbent according to [B1], wherein the flavor component adsorbent is in the form of particles.

[C1] A flavor molded product comprising the flavor component adsorbent according to [B1] and a molding material.
[D1] Obtaining a flavor component adsorbent by the method described in any one of [A1] to [A28];
a method for producing a flavor molded body, the method comprising: mixing the flavor component adsorbent with a molding material; and molding the resulting mixture.
[C2] A flavor molded product obtained by the method described in [D1].
[C3] The flavor molded product according to [C1] or [C2], wherein the flavor molded product has a tablet shape or a sheet shape.

[E1] A flavor source comprising the flavor component adsorbent according to [B1] or [B2] or the flavor molded product according to any one of [C1] to [C3];
and a heater for heating the flavor source.
[F1] A flavor source comprising the flavor component adsorbent according to [B1] or [B2] or the flavor molded product according to any one of [C1] to [C3];
and a wrapping paper wrapped around the flavor source.
[F2] The flavor-generating article according to [F1], further comprising a filter on the mouthpiece side.

[E2] A flavor-generating article according to [F1] or [F2],
a heater for heating the flavor source contained in the flavor-generating article.
[E3] The device further includes a liquid storage section that stores a liquid aerosol source to be supplied to the flavor source,
the heater heats the flavor source to which the aerosol source is supplied, thereby atomizing the aerosol source and releasing a flavor component from the flavor source;
[E1] A non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler.

[Example 1]
In Example 1, the effects of the flavor component adsorbent and the flavor molded product as a flavor source were confirmed.

1-1. Preparation of flavor component adsorbent (heating step)
Tobacco shreds were coarsely crushed to obtain coarsely crushed tobacco having a size of 1.00 to 3.35 mm. Glycerin was added to the coarsely crushed tobacco in an amount of 10% by mass relative to the coarsely crushed tobacco. 20 g of the obtained coarsely crushed tobacco was heated at 180°C for 30 minutes using the heating device shown in Figure 2. This generated a "gas containing flavor components."

(Process of passing through water containing activated carbon)
Using the dissolution apparatus shown in Figure 3, a gas containing flavor components was bubbled into water. 20 g of glass beads (particle size: 3 mm, density: 2.5 g/cm ³ ) and 2 g of activated carbon (crushed, 0.2-1 mm, total pore volume: 1.2 mL/g, BET specific surface area: 775 m ² /g) (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, product code: 034-18051) were added to 5 mL of water. After bubbling, the entire contents of the container (i.e., water, glass beads, and activated carbon) were collected in a beaker and stored in a refrigerator at 5°C overnight.

(Recovery process)
The supernatant water in the beaker was then removed with a dropper. The contents remaining in the beaker (i.e., the glass beads and activated carbon) were all transferred to an aluminum dish and dried on a hot plate (100°C) until all water was removed. After drying, the glass beads and activated carbon were separated, and the activated carbon was recovered. The recovered activated carbon adsorbs flavor components derived from tobacco shreds and is called a "flavor component adsorbent."

1-2. Preparation of flavor molded body (tablet-shaped flavor molded body)
100 parts by weight of cellulose powder (passed 38 μm (400 mesh)) (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, product code: 036-22225), 10 parts by weight of the flavor component adsorbent obtained above, 20 parts by weight of glycerin, and 10 parts by weight of ethanol were mixed, and the resulting mixture was compression-molded into a tablet shape (diameter: 8 mm, thickness: 5 mm). The compression molding was carried out using a compression molding machine (product name: TDP 0, manufactured by LFA Machines Oxford Ltd) at a compression pressure of 3 kN. This resulted in a tablet-shaped flavor molded product.

(Sheet-shaped flavor molded body)
100 parts by weight of cellulose powder (passed 38 μm (400 mesh)) (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, product code: 036-22225), 10 parts by weight of the flavor component adsorbent obtained above, 16.7 parts by weight of glycerin, 3 parts by weight of guar gum (Fujifilm Wako Pure Chemical Corporation, product code: 073-04615), and 40 parts by weight of ion-exchanged water were kneaded, and the resulting kneaded product was crushed with a roller and molded into a sheet shape. The sheet-shaped molded product was dried for 10 minutes in a hot air oven set at 80°C. This resulted in a sheet-shaped flavor molded product (thickness: 0.3 mm).

1-3. Sensory Evaluation 200 mg of the flavor component adsorbent obtained above was loaded into the raw material chamber of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler (trade name: PAX3, manufactured by PAX Labs), and the flavor inhaler was turned on. This caused the flavor component adsorbent to be heated by heat transfer from the outside. When an expert evaluation panel inhaled the aerosol generated by heating, they strongly sensed the aroma and taste unique to tobacco distillate.

Similarly, 200 mg of the tablet-shaped flavor molded product obtained above was heated in a non-combustion heating flavor inhaler (product name: PAX3, manufactured by PAX Labs). When an expert evaluation panel inhaled the aerosol produced by heating, they strongly detected the aroma and taste characteristic of tobacco distillate.

Similarly, 200 mg of the cut pieces of the sheet-shaped flavor molded product obtained above was heated in a non-combustion heating flavor inhaler (product name: PAX3, manufactured by PAX Labs). When an expert evaluation panel inhaled the aerosol produced by heating, they strongly detected the aroma and taste characteristic of tobacco distillate.

These results indicate that both flavor component adsorbents and flavor molded bodies can be used as flavor sources in non-combustion heating type flavor inhalers.

[Example 2]
In Example 2, a comparison was made between the use of water and the use of polyethylene glycol as a trap solvent in preparing a flavor component adsorbent.

2-1. Preparation of flavor component adsorbent (when water is used as trap solvent)
A "flavor component adsorbent" was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1. This was designated flavor component adsorbent 2A.

(When polyethylene glycol is used as the trap solvent)
A "flavor component adsorbent" was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that a gas containing flavor components was bubbled into polyethylene glycol, and the polyethylene glycol was removed by centrifuging using a cell strainer, followed by drying for 30 minutes in a dryer set at 100° C. This was designated flavor component adsorbent 2B.

2-2. Preparation of Flavor Molded Product Tablet-shaped flavor molded products were prepared according to the same compression molding method as in Example 1. The flavor molded product prepared using flavor component adsorbent 2A is referred to as flavor molded product 2A. The flavor molded product prepared using flavor component adsorbent 2B is referred to as flavor molded product 2B.

2-3. Sensory Evaluation 200 mg of the flavor molded product was loaded into the raw material chamber of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler (product name: PAX3, manufactured by PAX Labs), and the flavor inhaler was turned on. This heated the flavor molded product by heat transfer from the outside. Five expert evaluation panel members inhaled the aerosol generated by heating.

In the case of flavor molded body 2A, the aroma and taste unique to tobacco distillate (i.e., a complex aroma that combines a burnt sweet smell with green herbal notes) was strongly felt from around the first puff. This aroma continued for around 5 to 8 puffs. This aroma weakened from the 10th puff onwards, but the distinctive flavor was still recognizable.

On the other hand, with flavor molded body 2B, the distinctive aroma of tobacco distillate was faintly detected on the first puff. The distinctive aroma was still slightly detectable from the second puff onwards, but only a faint "burnt" part of the distinctive aroma of tobacco distillate.

These results indicate that when water was used as the trapping solvent, activated carbon was able to sufficiently adsorb flavor components derived from tobacco materials, but when polyethylene glycol was used as the trapping solvent, activated carbon was unable to sufficiently adsorb flavor components derived from tobacco materials.

2...heating device, 2A...container, 2B...sintered plate, 2C...preheater, 2D...tobacco material, 2E...air flow path, 2F...gas flow path,
3... Melting device, 3A... Inner container, 3B... Sintered filter, 3C... Outer container, 3D... Adsorbent, 3E... Water, 3F... Glass beads, 3G... Ice water, 3H... Exhaust gas flow path,
1...Non-combustion heating type flavor inhaler, 10...power supply unit, 20...cartridge, 11...power supply unit case, 11a...top part, 11b...bottom part, 12...power supply, 13...charger, 14...operation unit, 15...intake sensor, 16...voltage sensor, 17...temperature sensor, 18...memory, 21...load, 22...aerosol source, 23...reservoir, 24...wick, 25...aerosol flow path, 26A...suction mouthpiece, 26B...gas outlet, 27...cartridge case, 41...discharge terminal, 42...air supply unit, 45...notification unit, 50...control unit DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... aerosol generating device, 101... outer housing, 102... slide cover, 103... switch portion, 110... inner housing, 120... power supply portion, 121... power supply, 130... atomization portion, 132... heat insulating portion, 134... insertion guide member, 136... bottom member, 137... first holding portion, 138... second holding portion, 140... heater, 150... chamber, 200... flavor generating article, 201... smokable article, 202... first cigarette paper, 203... second cigarette paper, 204... tubular member, 205... filter portion, 206... hollow filter portion, 207... lip release agent

Claims (8)

heating the tobacco material to vaporize flavor components from the tobacco material;
Passing the gas containing the flavor component through water containing an adsorbent to adsorb the flavor component onto the adsorbent;
and recovering the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor component. The method of claim 1, wherein the adsorbent is a porous material. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the adsorbent is in the form of particles. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the passing is carried out by bubbling the gas through the water. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the heating is carried out at a temperature of 120 to 400°C. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising cooling the water containing the adsorbent between the passing and the recovery. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising drying the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor component after the recovery. heating the tobacco material to vaporize flavor components from the tobacco material;
Passing the gas containing the flavor component through water containing an adsorbent to adsorb the flavor component onto the adsorbent;
recovering the adsorbent that has adsorbed the flavor components to obtain a flavor component adsorbent;
a method for producing a flavor molded body, the method comprising: mixing the flavor component adsorbent with a molding material; and molding the resulting mixture.