NOVEL TOBACCO COMPOSITIONS AND METHODS OF MAKING

• US 20080209586A1
• Filed: 02/22/2008
• Published: 08/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: US Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC
• Original Assignee: US Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC
• Inventors: Nielsen, Mark T., Lusso, Marcos F., Antoine, Francis
• Granted Patent: US 8,168,855 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 800/270
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 1/06 Processes for producing mutations, e.g. treatment with chemicals or with radiation specific mutations prepared by genetic engineering on plant cell or plant tissues C12N15/00 ; process for producing transgenic plants C12N15/82
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 1/101 involving biosynthetic or metabolic pathways, i.e. metabolic engineering, e.g. nicotine or caffeine
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 5/12 Leaves
• CPC Class Codes: A01H 6/823 Nicotiana, e.g. tobacco
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/10 Chemical features of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes

Abstract

The present disclosure describes tobacco varieties having reduced levels of DVTs, methods of making such varieties, and tobacco compositions including such varieties.

Claims

1. A smokeless tobacco composition comprising cured tobacco having reduced levels of DVTs relative to cured tobacco of the variety designated KY14.

4. The smokeless tobacco composition of claim 1, wherein said cured tobacco exhibits significantly reduced bitterness in a sensory panel evaluation relative to cured tobacco of the variety designated KY14.

5. The tobacco composition of claim 1, wherein said cured tobacco further has reduced levels of solanone, solavetivone, cembrene, or thunbergol.

7. The tobacco composition of claim 1, wherein said cured tobacco has significantly reduced bitterness as determined by a sensory panel evaluation.

8. The tobacco composition of claim 1, wherein said cured tobacco is dark fire-cured tobacco, dark air-cured tobacco, Burley air-cured tobacco other than TI 1406, flue-cured tobacco, or sun-cured tobacco.

9. The tobacco composition of claim 1, wherein said cured tobacco is from a variety selected from the group consisting of TI 1406, TI 1269, GR139NS, KDH959, and progeny thereof having reduced levels of DVTs relative to cured tobacco of the variety designated KY14 and progeny thereof having less than 20 μ

g of DVT per cm² of green leaf tissue.

10. The tobacco composition of claim 1, wherein said composition is a moist smokeless tobacco, a dry smokeless tobacco, a chewing tobacco, a smokeless cigarette, an edible film, an extruded product, a tablet, or a tobacco-coated toothpick.

2. A smokeless tobacco composition comprising cured tobacco, said cured tobacco prepared from green tobacco having less than 20 μ

g of DVT per cm² of green leaf tissue.

6. The tobacco composition of claim 2, wherein said green tobacco further has reduced levels of solanone, solavetivone, cembrene, or thunbergol.

3. A smokeless tobacco composition comprising cured tobacco from a variety selected for reduced levels of DVTs, plants of said variety having less than 20 μ

g of DVTs per cm² of green leaf tissue.

11. A method of producing a plant variety, comprising the steps of:

crossing first tobacco plants with second tobacco plants to produce progeny plants, wherein said first tobacco plants have less than 20 μ

g DVTs/cm² green leaf tissue;

allowing said progeny plants to self-pollinate for at least one generation; and

selecting, in at least one generation, for reduced levels of DVTs in tobacco relative to tobacco of the variety designated KY14, selecting for less than 20 μ

g of DVT per cm² of green leaf tissue or selecting for significantly reduced bitterness in a sensory panel evaluation of tobacco from plants of said generation, thereby producing said variety.

12. A method of producing a plant variety, comprising the steps of:

mutagenizing tobacco plant tissue;

propagating plants derived from said mutagenized plant tissue by self-pollination for at least one generation; and

selecting, in at least one generation, for reduced levels of DVTs in tobacco relative to tobacco of the variety designated KY14, selecting for less than 20 μ

g of DVT per cm² of green leaf tissue or selecting for significantly reduced bitterness in a sensory panel evaluation of tobacco from plants of said generation, thereby producing said variety.

13. A method of producing a plant variety, said method comprising the steps of:

crossing first tobacco plants with second tobacco plants to produce progeny plants, said first tobacco plants having significantly reduced bitterness in a sensory panel evaluation of tobacco from said plants, relative to tobacco of the variety designated KY14;

allowing said progeny plants to self-pollinate for at least one generation; and

selecting, in at least one generation, for reduced levels of DVTs in tobacco relative to tobacco of the variety designated KY14, selecting for less than 20 μ

g of DVT per cm² of green leaf tissue or selecting for significantly reduced bitterness in a sensory panel evaluation of tobacco from plants of said generation, thereby producing said variety.

14. A tobacco plant produced by the method of claim 13.

15. A plant variety produced by the method of claim 13.

16. The plant variety of claim 15, wherein plants of said variety have less than 20 μ

g of DVTs per cm² green leaf tissue.

17. Cured N. tabacum tobacco having reduced levels of DVTs, provided that said tobacco is not produced from a variety shown in Table 1.

18. Cured tobacco produced from plants of a tobacco variety selected for reduced levels of DVTs in green leaf tissue.

19. Cured tobacco produced from plants of a tobacco variety selected for significantly reduced bitterness in a sensory panel evaluation.

20. A method of preparing tobacco having reduced bitterness, comprising the steps of:

curing fresh tobacco;

aging cured tobacco; and

washing the fresh tobacco, the cured tobacco, or the aged and cured tobacco with a food-grade solvent.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said food-grade solvent is ethanol.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said washed tobacco exhibits significantly reduced bitterness in a sensory panel evaluation.

23. The method of claim 20, wherein said fresh tobacco does not exhibit significantly reduced bitterness in a sensory panel evaluation.

24. Cured tobacco having significantly reduced bitterness in a sensory panel evaluation, said cured tobacco produced by the method of claim 20.

25. The cured tobacco of claim 24, wherein said cured tobacco is produced from fresh tobacco having less than 20 μ

g of DVTs per cm² of green leaf tissue.