| Patent application number | Description | Published |
| 20090025738 | Smokeless Tobacco Composition - The invention provides a process for preparing a tobacco composition suitable for use as a smokeless tobacco composition, the process including: providing a slurry comprising water and a tobacco material, the slurry comprising at least about 75% by weight water, based on the total weight of the slurry; heating the slurry to a temperature of at least about 60° C. for a time sufficient to pasteurize the tobacco material; adding an amount of a base to the slurry sufficient to raise the pH of the slurry to at least about 8.5, thereby forming a pH-adjusted slurry; and continuing to heat the pH-adjusted slurry to a temperature of at least about 60° C. for a time sufficient for the pH of the slurry to drop at least about 0.5 pH unit following the adding step. | 01-29-2009 |
| 20100294291 | Smokeless Tobacco - A smokeless tobacco formulation includes particles or pieces of tobacco, and may include other ingredients, such as salts, sweeteners, binders, colorants, pH adjusters, fillers, flavoring agents, disintegration aids, antioxidants, humectants, and preservatives. The moisture content of the particles of the tobacco may vary. Certain smokeless tobacco products have the form of tobacco compositions or formulations that result from casting or otherwise forming a slurry incorporating tobacco material and other components as a film or sheet. Certain smokeless tobacco products have the form of tobacco compositions or formulations that result from pressing, extruding or otherwise forming a mixture incorporating tobacco material and other components into a desired shape. The foregoing tobacco products, as well as snus-type products, can be packaged under conditions of controlled atmosphere. Smokeless tobacco products can be sealed in outer packaging materials that are virtually impervious to oxygen and/or moisture, and those packaging materials can be vacuum sealed or sealed such that the atmosphere therewithin is essentially inert. | 11-25-2010 |
| 20100300463 | THERMAL TREATMENT PROCESS FOR TOBACCO MATERIALS - A method of thermally processing a tobacco material is provided, the method including the steps of (i) mixing a tobacco material, water, and an additive selected from the group consisting of lysine, glycine, histidine, alanine, methionine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, phenylalanine, valine, arginine, di- and trivalent cations, asparaginase, saccharides, phenolic compounds, reducing agents, compounds having a free thiol group, oxidizing agents, oxidation catalysts, plant extracts, and combinations thereof, to form a moist tobacco mixture; (ii) heating the moist tobacco mixture at a temperature of at least about 60° C. to form a heat-treated tobacco mixture; and (iii) incorporating the heat-treated tobacco mixture into a tobacco product. Heat-treated tobacco composition prepared according to the method are also provided, such as heat-treated smokeless tobacco composition comprising a tobacco material, water, flavorant, binder, and filler, the heat-treated smokeless tobacco composition having an acrylamide content of less than about 2000 ppb. | 12-02-2010 |
| 20110048434 | THERMAL TREATMENT PROCESS FOR TOBACCO MATERIALS - A method of preparing a tobacco material for use in a smoking article is provided, including (i) mixing a tobacco material, water, and an additive selected from the group consisting of lysine, glycine, histidine, alanine, methionine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, phenylalanine, valine, arginine, di- and trivalent cations, asparaginase, saccharides, phenolic compounds, reducing agents, compounds having a free thiol group, oxidizing agents, oxidation catalysts, plant extracts, and combinations thereof; (ii) heating the mixture; and (iii) incorporating the heat-treated mixture into a smoking article as a smokable material. A smoking article in the form of a cigarette is also provided that includes a tobacco material pre-treated to inhibit reaction of asparagine to form acrylamide in mainstream smoke. Upon smoking, the smoking article is characterized by an acrylamide content of mainstream smoke that is reduced relative to an untreated control smoking article. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110061666 | Smokeless Tobacco Composition - A smokeless tobacco product configured for insertion into the mouth of a user of the product is provided, the tobacco product including a water-permeable pouch containing a tobacco formulation, the tobacco formulation including a tobacco material and a plurality of microcapsules dispersed within the tobacco material, the plurality of microcapsules including an outer shell encapsulating an internal payload. The internal payload may include an additive such as water, flavorants, binders, colorants, pH adjusters, buffering agents, fillers, disintegration aids, humectants, antioxidants, oral care ingredients, preservatives, additives derived from herbal or botanical sources, and mixtures thereof. Microencapsulated flavorants include tobacco-containing flavorants, such as tobacco extracts or a particulate tobacco material, sweeteners (e.g., sweeteners containing neotame), and vanillin (optionally in a complexed form). | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110139164 | Tobacco Product And Method For Manufacture - The tobacco products incorporate binder systems. The binder systems possess or exhibit thermoplastic properties, characteristics or behaviors. The binder system can incorporate at least one type of binding agent that exhibits thermoplastic properties (e.g., the binding agent can be composed of at least one thermoplastic polymeric material). Additionally, the binder system can incorporate ingredients or materials so as to provide a binding agent that exhibits thermoplastic characteristics (e.g., the binding agent can be composed of at least one thermoplastic binding material in combination with a plasticizer). Tobacco products are produced by contacting tobacco, together with other desired ingredients, in the presence of a binder system, and forming (e.g., by extrusion) the resulting mixture into a shape. Of particular interest are processing conditions that most preferably involve exposing a tobacco formulation to a temperature of less than about 100° C. during processing conditions (such as those experienced during extrusion), that involve use of a binding agent that can be employed in relatively low amounts, that involve use of a binding agent that exhibits desirable thermoplastic behavior (and hence can act to provide good physical integrity to the formed tobacco product) at processing conditions of less than about 100° C., and that involve the use of relatively low to moderate amounts of liquid processing aids (e.g., water or other liquid carriers). | 06-16-2011 |
| 20110220130 | Tobacco Product And Method For Manufacture - The tobacco products incorporate binder systems. The binder systems exhibit thermoplastic properties, characteristics, or behaviors. The binder system can incorporate at least one type of binding agent that exhibits thermoplastic properties. Additionally, the binder system can incorporate materials to provide a binding agent that exhibits thermoplastic characteristics, for example at least one thermoplastic binding material in combination with a plasticizer. Also, tobacco products can incorporate a plasticizer blend. Tobacco products are produced by contacting tobacco, with other desired ingredients, in the presence of a binder system, and forming the resulting mixture into a shape. Of particular interest are processing conditions that involve exposing a tobacco formulation to less than about 100° C. during processing, using relatively low amounts of a binding agent that exhibits desirable thermoplastic behavior at such processing temperatures, and using relatively low to moderate amounts of liquid processing aids. Other processing conditions include adding a plasticizer blend to the tobacco formulation. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110315154 | SMOKELESS TOBACCO COMPOSITION - The invention provides a process for preparing a tobacco composition suitable for use as a smokeless tobacco composition, the process including: providing a slurry comprising water and a tobacco material, the slurry comprising at least about 75% by weight water, based on the total weight of the slurry; heating the slurry to a temperature of at least about 60° C. for a time sufficient to pasteurize the tobacco material; adding an amount of a base to the slurry sufficient to raise the pH of the slurry to at least about 8.5, thereby forming a pH-adjusted slurry; and continuing to heat the pH-adjusted slurry to a temperature of at least about 60° C. for a time sufficient for the pH of the slurry to drop at least about 0.5 pH unit following the adding step. | 12-29-2011 |