Reduction of constituents in tobacco
First Claim
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1. A method of reducing an amount of a constituent in tobacco, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) providing a vessel containing said tobacco comprising said constituent;
(b) contacting said tobacco with a subcritical fluid consisting of carbon dioxide or a hydrocarbon under conditions so that said amount of said constituent dissolves in said subcritical fluid, wherein said subcritical fluid is carbon dioxide at 0-24°
C. and 1000-2200 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
said subcritical fluid is ethane at 0-30°
C. and 500-2000 psi;
said subcritical fluid is propane at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
or said subcritical fluid is Freon 22 at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi;
or said subcritical fluid is butane and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%; and
(c) removing said subcritical fluid from said vessel;
thereby reducing the amount of said constituent in said tobacco.
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Abstract
Methods of selectively reducing constituents in tobacco as well as the tobacco obtained by such methods are disclosed. Subcritical fluids, e.g., liquid carbon dioxide, serve as the reduction media.
50 Citations
43 Claims
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1. A method of reducing an amount of a constituent in tobacco, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a vessel containing said tobacco comprising said constituent; (b) contacting said tobacco with a subcritical fluid consisting of carbon dioxide or a hydrocarbon under conditions so that said amount of said constituent dissolves in said subcritical fluid, wherein said subcritical fluid is carbon dioxide at 0-24°
C. and 1000-2200 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
said subcritical fluid is ethane at 0-30°
C. and 500-2000 psi;
said subcritical fluid is propane at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
or said subcritical fluid is Freon 22 at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi;
or said subcritical fluid is butane and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%; and(c) removing said subcritical fluid from said vessel; thereby reducing the amount of said constituent in said tobacco. - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 19, 22, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 39, 40, 41, 42)
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2. A method of selectively reducing an amount of a secondary alkaloid relative to a primary alkaloid in tobacco, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a vessel containing said tobacco comprising said secondary alkaloid and said primary alkaloid; (b) contacting said tobacco with a subcritical fluid under conditions so that a greater amount of said secondary alkaloid relative to said primary alkaloid dissolves in said subcritical fluid, wherein said subcritical fluid is carbon dioxide at 0-24°
C. and 1000-2200 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
said subcritical fluid is ethane at 0-30°
C. and 500-2000 psi;
said subcritical fluid is propane at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
said subcritical fluid is Freon 22 at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi;
or said subcritical fluid is butane and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%; and(c) removing said subcritical fluid from said vessel, thereby selectively reducing the amount of said secondary alkaloid relative to said primary alkaloid in said tobacco. - View Dependent Claims (12, 16, 17, 20, 23, 26)
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3. A method of reducing an amount of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) in tobacco, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a vessel containing said tobacco comprising said PAH; (b) contacting said tobacco with a subcritical fluid under conditions so that said amount of said PAH dissolves in said subcritical fluid, wherein said subcritical fluid is carbon dioxide at 0-24°
C. and 1000-2200 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
said subcritical fluid is ethane at 0-30°
C. and 500-2000 psi;
said subcritical fluid is propane at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
said subcritical fluid is Freon 22 at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi;
or said subcritical fluid is butane and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%; and(c) removing said subcritical fluid from said vessel; thereby reducing the amount of said PAH in said tobacco. - View Dependent Claims (13, 18, 21, 24, 27)
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4. A method of selectively reducing an amount of a PAH relative to a primary alkaloid in tobacco, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a vessel containing said tobacco comprising said PAH and said primary alkaloid; (b) contacting said tobacco with a subcritical fluid under conditions so that a greater amount of said PAH relative to said primary alkaloid dissolves in said subcritical fluid, wherein said subcritical fluid is carbon dioxide at 0-24°
C. and 1000-2200 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
said subcritical fluid is ethane at 0-30°
C. and 500-2000 psi;
said subcritical fluid is propane at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
said subcritical fluid is Freon 22 at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi;
or said subcritical fluid is butane and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%; and(c) removing said subcritical fluid from the vessel, thereby selectively reducing the amount of said PAH relative to said primary alkaloid in said tobacco.
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5. A method of reducing an amount of a constituent in tobacco, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a system comprising a plurality of connected vessels containing said tobacco comprising said constituent; (b) contacting tobacco in a first vessel with a subcritical fluid under conditions so that said amount of said constituent dissolves in said subcritical fluid, wherein said subcritical fluid is carbon dioxide at 0-24°
C. and 1000-2200 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
said subcritical fluid is ethane at 0-30°
C. and 500-2000 psi;
said subcritical fluid is propane at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;
said subcritical fluid is Freon 22 at 0-50°
C. and 100-2000 psi;
or said subcritical fluid is butane and the tobacco of step (a) has a moisture content of at least 30%;(c) removing said subcritical fluid from said first vessel; and (d) directing said subcritical fluid to a second vessel; thereby reducing the amount of said constituent in said tobacco in said first vessel. - View Dependent Claims (6, 7, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
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43. A method of selectively reducing an amount of a secondary alkaloid relative to a primary alkaloid in tobacco, said method comprising the steps of:
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(a) providing a vessel containing said tobacco comprising said secondary alkaloid and said primary alkaloid; (b) contacting said tobacco with a subcritical fluid under conditions so that a greater amount of said secondary alkaloid relative to a said primary alkaloid dissolves in said subcritical fluid; (c) removing said subcritical fluid from said vessel, (d) separating said secondary alkaloid from the subcritical fluid in step (c), wherein said separating comprises flowing the subcritical fluid containing said secondary alkaloid from step (c) into a separator vessel containing a substance capable of separating said secondary alkaloid from the subcritical fluid, wherein the substance comprises citric acid or magnesium silicate; thereby selectively reducing the amount of said secondary alkaloid relative to said primary alkaloid in said tobacco.
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Specification