Tobacco Granules and Method of Producing Tobacco Granules

• US 20100170522A1
• Filed: 12/18/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: US Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC
• Original Assignee: US Smokeless Tobacco Company LLC
• Inventors: Sun, Yan Helen, Atchley, Frank Scott
• Granted Patent: US 9,307,787 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 131/274
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 13/00 Tobacco for pipes, for cigars, e.g. cigar inserts, or for cigarettes; Chewing tobacco; Snuff reconstituted tobacco products A24B3/14
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/16 of tobacco substitutes
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/186 by coating with a coating composition, encapsulation of tobacco particles encapsulation of additives other than tobacco : A24B15/283
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/283 by encapsulation of the chemical substances
• CPC Class Codes: A24B 15/303 Plant extracts other than tobacco
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 13/04 by physical processes, e.g. drying, spraying

Abstract

A smokeless tobacco product includes a plurality of orally disintegrable granules. Each granule has a core and at least one layer surrounding the core. The at least one layer includes tobacco particles and a binder. Also disclosed are methods of making tobacco granules that comprise a core and at least one layer having tobacco particles and a binder.

Claims

1. A smokeless tobacco product comprising a plurality of orally disintegrable granules, each granule having:

a non-tobacco core, and

at least one layer surrounding the core, the at least one layer comprising tobacco particles and a binder.

2. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the at least one layer further comprises a flavorant.

3. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 2, wherein the flavorant is selected from the group consisting of licorice, wintergreen, cherry and berry type flavorants, Dramboui, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, spearmint, peppermint, lavender, cinnamon, cardamon, apium graveolents, clove, cascarilla, nutmeg, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, Japanese mint, cassia, caraway, cognac, jasmin, chamomile, menthol, ilangilang, sage, fennel, piment, ginger, anise, coriander, coffee, mint oils from a species of the genus Mentha, and combinations thereof.

4. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the granule further comprises an additional layer concentrically surrounding the core, the additional layer comprising a different composition than the at least one layer with regard to tobacco particle concentration, type of tobacco particles, binder, flavorant, or combination thereof.

5. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 4, wherein the additional layer and the at least one layer comprise different flavorants.

6. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 4, wherein the additional layer and the at least one layer comprise different concentrations of tobacco.

7. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the smokeless tobacco product includes a flavor profile having two different flavors each having a peak flavor intensity being perceptible at different times during consumption in a standardized sensory evaluation.

8. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 7, wherein the smokeless tobacco product includes at least a first granule and a second granule each having different flavor profiles.

9. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the core has a diameter of between 300 micrometers and 2 millimeters.

10. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the core comprises a carbohydrate, a water soluble polymer, a flavorant, a salt, or a combination thereof.

11. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the tobacco particles comprise non-fermented tobacco.

12. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the tobacco particles comprise dry snuff.

13. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the tobacco particles are cured tobacco particles prepared from plants having less than 20 μ

g of DVT per cm² of green leaf tissue.

14. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the tobacco particles in the at least one layer have an average diameter of less than 100 micrometers.

15. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the binder comprises a hydroxyl containing compound and a dextran or dextran derivative.

16. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, konjac, collagen, inulin, soy protein, whey protein, casein, wheat gluten, carrageenan, alginates, propylene glycol alginate, xanthan, dextran, pullulan, curdlan, gellan, locust bean gum, guar gum, tara gum, gum tragacanth, pectin, agar, zein, karaya, gelatin, psyllium seed, chitin, chitosan, gum acacia, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl alcohol, and combinations thereof.

17. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the granule is generally spherical.

18. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 17, wherein the granule has a diameter of between 500 micrometers and 5 millimeters.

19. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, further comprising a pouch comprising the plurality of granules.

20. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 19, wherein the pouch comprises an edible film.

21. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 19, wherein the pouch comprises a plurality of pores.

22. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, further comprising snuff, the plurality of granules being dispersed within the snuff.

32. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1, wherein the core comprises tobacco powder and a binder.

33. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 32, wherein the core comprises tobacco particles, wherein the core has a different concentration of tobacco particles than the at least one layer.

23. A smokeless tobacco product comprising a plurality of orally disintegrable granules, each granule having:

a core having a core largest diameter, and

at least one layer surrounding the core, the at least one layer comprising tobacco particles and a binder, the tobacco particles each having a tobacco particle largest diameter that is no more than ⅓

of the size of the core largest diameter.

24. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein each of the tobacco particles have a tobacco particle diameter that is no more than ⅕

the size of the core largest diameter.

25. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein the at least one layer further comprises a flavorant.

26. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein the granule further comprises an additional layer concentrically surrounding the core, the additional layer comprising a different composition than the at least one layer with regard to tobacco particle concentration, type of tobacco particles, binder, flavorant, or combination thereof.

27. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 26, wherein the additional layer and the at least one layer comprise different flavorants.

28. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 26, wherein the additional layer and the at least one layer comprise different concentrations of tobacco.

29. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein the smokeless tobacco product includes a flavor profile including two different flavors having peak flavor intensities being perceptible at different times during consumption in a standardized sensory evaluation.

30. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 29, wherein the smokeless tobacco product includes at least a first granule and a second granule each having different flavor profiles, the first granule comprising at least a first flavorant and the second granule comprising at least a second flavorant, the first flavorant providing a first peak flavor intensity that is perceptible at a different time than a second peak flavor intensity from the second flavorant.

31. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein the core has a diameter of between 300 micrometers and 2 millimeters.

34. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein the tobacco particles comprise non-fermented tobacco.

35. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein the tobacco particles comprise dry snuff.

36. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein the core comprises a carbohydrate, a starch, a flavorant, a salt, or a combination thereof.

37. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein the tobacco particles in the at least one layer have an average diameter of less than 100 micrometers.

38. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of hydroxyl containing compounds and a dextran or dextran derivative, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, konjac, collagen, inulin, soy protein, whey protein, casein, wheat gluten, carrageenan, alginates, propylene glycol alginate, xanthan, dextran, pullulan, curdlan, gellan, locust bean gum, guar gum, tara gum, gum tragacanth, pectin, agar, zein, karaya, gelatin, psyllium seed, chitin, chitosan, gum acacia, polyvinyl pyrrolidone, polyethylene oxide, polyvinyl alcohol, and combinations thereof.

39. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein the granule is generally spherical.

40. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, wherein the granule has a diameter of between 500 micrometers and 5 millimeters.

41. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, further comprising a pouch comprising the plurality of granules.

42. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the pouch comprises an edible film.

43. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 41, wherein the pouch comprises a plurality of pores.

44. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 23, further comprising snuff, the plurality of granules being dispersed within the snuff.

45. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 44, wherein a snuff to granule ratio for the smokeless tobacco product is between 1 and 90 weight/weight (wet).

46. A smokeless tobacco comprising a plurality of orally disintegrable granules, each granule having a core and at least one layer surrounding the core, the at least one layer of each granule comprising tobacco particles and a binder, the core of each granule being coated with the at least one layer by fluidizing the core within a fluid bed processor having a rotor, feeding a plurality of tobacco particles into the fluidized bed, and spraying a binder solution or suspension into the fluidized bed containing the fluidized cores.

47. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 46, wherein the binding solution or suspension further comprises a flavorant.

48. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 46, wherein said core is coated by spraying a second binder solution or suspension into the fluidized bed after spraying said first binding solution to produce at least two concentric layers surrounding the core, each of the binding solutions or suspensions having a different composition.

49. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 48, wherein the first binding solution or suspension has a first flavorant and the second binding solution has a second flavorant different from the first flavorant.

50. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 48, further comprising altering the feed rate of tobacco into the fluidized bed to create adjacent layers having different concentrations of tobacco.

51. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 46, wherein the core has a diameter of between 300 micrometers and 2 millimeters.

52. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 46, wherein the tobacco particles comprise non-fermented tobacco.

53. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 46, wherein the tobacco particles in the at least one layer have an average diameter of less than 100 micrometers.

54. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 46, wherein the rotor is a conical rotor.

55. A process for making a tobacco product comprising:

fluidizing a plurality of cores within a fluid bed, the fluid bed including a rotor;

feeding tobacco particles into the fluid bed;

spraying a coating solution or suspension into the fluid bed containing the fluidized cores, the coating solution comprising a binder and a solvent or suspension fluid; and

collecting granules formed after said spraying and said feeding, each said granule comprising a core surrounded by at least one layer, the at least one layer comprising the binder and a plurality of tobacco particles.

56. The process of claim 55, wherein the rotor is a conical rotor.

57. The process of claim 55, further comprising introducing a flavorant into the fluid bed containing the fluidized cores.

58. The process of claim 55, wherein the coating solution or suspension comprises a flavorant.

59. The process of claim 55, wherein said feeding of the tobacco particles into the fluid bed comprises adding the tobacco particles to the coating solution or suspension so that the tobacco particles are fed to the fluid bed during said spraying of the coating solution or suspension.

60. The process of claim 55, wherein said feeding of the tobacco particles comprises feeding the tobacco particles separately from the spraying of the coating solution or suspension.

61. The process of claim 55, wherein said feeding step is concurrent with said spraying step.

62. The process of claim 55, wherein said feeding step is prior to said spraying step.

63. The process of claim 55, wherein said feeding step is after said spraying step.

64. The process of claim 55, further comprising changing the composition of the binding solution or suspension during said spraying step, thereby producing two or more concentric layers on said core, each of said layers having a different composition.

65. The process of claim 55, further comprising feeding a plurality of starch particles into the fluidized bed.

66. The process of claim 65, wherein the plurality of starch particles are mixed with the tobacco particles and the starch particles and the tobacco particles are fed to the fluid bed in a common feeder.

67. A smokeless tobacco product comprising a plurality of orally disintegrable granules, each granule having a plurality of concentric layers, at least one of the plurality of concentric layers comprising a binder and a plurality of tobacco particles having an average diameter of less than 100 micrometers, at least two of the plurality of concentric layers differing in composition.