Preformed Smokeless Tobacco Product

• US 20120024301A1
• Filed: 04/13/2011
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Altria Client Services LLC (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Altria Client Services, Inc. (Altria Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Holland, Tommy C., Carroll, Andrew Nathan, Macko, Jason Andrew, DiNovi, Christopher Joseph, Black, Shannon Maxwell
• Granted Patent: US 10,327,467 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 131/275
• 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 15/18 Treatment of tobacco products or tobacco substitutes

Abstract

Some embodiments of a smokeless tobacco system include one or more preformed smokeless tobacco products configured to generally retain their shape during processing, shipping, and consumer handling. In particular embodiments, each smokeless tobacco product can comprise a moist smokeless tobacco in combination with a selected binder such that the final product is configured to have material properties providing improved handling, an improved mouth feel, and a satisfying flavor profile.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a container including a lid and a base that defines an interior space; and

a plurality of preformed smokeless tobacco products having a substantially similar shape and being disposed in the interior space of the container, each of the preformed smokeless tobacco products comprising tobacco and a binder compressed into the substantially similar shape such that at least a portion of the tobacco is exposed along exterior surfaces of each of the preformed smokeless tobacco products, the preformed smokeless tobacco products having an average individual product friability of between 0.5 weight percent and 80 weight percent.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the preformed smokeless tobacco products has an individual product friability of less than 40 weight percent.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the preformed smokeless tobacco products has an individual product friability of less than 10 weight percent.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the preformed smokeless tobacco products have an average individual product friability of between 1 and 4 weight percent.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system has a whole package friability of less than 20 weight percent.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the preformed smokeless tobacco products have an average three point bend strength of at least 0.25 N.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the preformed smokeless tobacco products have an average three point bend strength of less than 4.0 N.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the preformed smokeless tobacco products have an average texture profile hardness of at least 2.0 N.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the preformed smokeless tobacco products have an average texture profile hardness of less than 12.0 N.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the preformed smokeless tobacco products has a substantially similar shape, having at least one pair of opposing, generally parallel exterior surfaces.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the preformed smokeless tobacco products has a substantially similar shape, having three pairs of opposing, generally parallel exterior surfaces.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the preformed smokeless tobacco products comprises a flavorant.

13. The system of claim 12, 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.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of a hydroxyl containing compound, a dextrin or dextrin 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, dextrin, 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.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of guar gum, xanthan, cellulose, and combinations thereof.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the binder comprises guar gum.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the binder comprises guar gum, cellulose, and xanthan.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the preformed smokeless tobacco products comprises between 0.5 weight percent binder and 5.0 weight percent binder.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein the tobacco is moist long-cut, cured, fermented tobacco.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the tobacco comprises tobacco prepared from plants having less than 20 μ

g of DVT per cm² of green leaf tissue.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the preformed smokeless tobacco products comprises between 50 and 61 weight percent oven volatiles.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of preformed smokeless tobacco products each have a thickness that is at least 50% of an internal height of the container.

23. A preformed smokeless tobacco product comprising a shaped smokeless tobacco body having a defined shape, the shaped smokeless tobacco body comprising tobacco and a binder, the shaped smokeless tobacco body having an individual product friability of between 0.5 weight percent and 80 weight percent.

24. The product of claim 23, wherein the defined shape is a substantially rectangular cuboidal shape.

25. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body has an individual product friability of from 0.5 to than 40 weight percent.

26. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body has an individual product friability of from 0.5 to than 10 weight percent.

27. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body has an individual product friability of at least 1.0 weight percent to 80.

28. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body has an individual product friability of between 1.7 and 2.1 weight percent.

29. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body has a three point bend strength of at least 0.25 N.

30. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body has a three point bend strength of less than 4.0 N.

31. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body has a texture profile hardness of at least 2.0 N.

32. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body has a texture profile hardness of less than 12.0 N.

33. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body has an individual product friability of between 1.7 and 2.1 weight percent, a three point bend strength of between 0.25 N and 0.8 N, and a texture profile hardness of between 4.5 N and 5.5 N.

34. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body comprises tobacco exposed along the surface.

35. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body comprises a flavorant.

36. The product of claim 35, 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.

37. The product of claim 23, wherein the binder is selected from the group consisting of guar gum, xanthan, cellulose, and combinations thereof.

38. The product of claim 23, wherein the binder comprises guar gum.

39. The product of claim 23, wherein the binder comprises guar gum, cellulose, and xanthan.

40. The product of claim 39, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body comprises between 0.6 and 0.8 weight percent binder.

41. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body comprises between 0.5 weight percent and 5.0 weight percent binder.

42. The product of claim 23, wherein the tobacco is moist long-cut fermented cured tobacco.

43. The product of claim 23, wherein the shaped smokeless tobacco body comprises between 50 and 61 weight percent oven volatiles.

44. A method of consuming tobacco comprising:

opening a container that houses a plurality of preformed smokeless tobacco products with a substantially similar shape, each of the preformed smokeless tobacco products comprising tobacco and a binder compressed into the substantially similar shape so that the preformed smokeless tobacco products have an average individual product friability of between 0.5 weight percent and 80 weight percent; and

placing at least one of the preformed smokeless tobacco products in a mouth of an adult tobacco consumer such that at least a portion of the tobacco of the at least one preformed smokeless tobacco product contacts tissue in the adult tobacco consumer'"'"'s mouth.

45. The method of claim 44, wherein the placing the at least one preformed smokeless tobacco product comprises gripping the at least one preformed smokeless tobacco product between a thumb and a finger.

46. The method of claim 44, wherein the plurality of preformed smokeless tobacco products each comprise tobacco exposed along one or more exterior surfaces of the preformed smokeless tobacco products.

47. A method of making a shaped smokeless tobacco body comprising:

blending tobacco and a binder into a mixture; and

compressing at least a portion of the mixture into at least one shaped smokeless tobacco body having an individual product friability of between 0.5 weight percent and 80 weight percent, the at least one shaped smokeless tobacco body having at least a portion of the tobacco exposed along an exterior surface of the at least one shaped smokeless tobacco body.

48. A method of making a system comprising:

compressing a mixture of tobacco and a binder into a plurality of shaped smokeless tobacco bodies, each shaped smokeless tobacco body having a substantially similar shape, each shaped smokeless tobacco body having an individual product friability of between 0.5 weight percent and 80 weight percent, each shaped smokeless tobacco body having at least a portion of the tobacco exposed along an exterior surface,

inserting the plurality of the shaped smokeless tobacco bodies into the base of a container;

placing a container lid on the base; and

sealing the lid to the base.