Claims
- 1. A process for altering the chemical nature of tobacco material, wherein said tobacco material has not been previously extracted, comprising subjecting a tobacco suspension comprising said tobacco material to heat treatment (i) in a pressure controlled and generally inert environment at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, and (ii) at a temperature of at least about 140° C. for a period of time sufficient to alter the chemical nature of the tobacco material; and applying the treated tobacco suspension to a smokable material.
- 2. The process according to claim 1, wherein said tobacco suspension is produced by contacting said tobacco material with an aqueous liquid.
- 3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco suspension contains 10 percent or greater tobacco material by weight.
- 4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the pressure controlled and generally inert environment is a closed system.
- 5. The process accordingly to claim 1, wherein said heat treatment is performed in an inert gas.
- 6. The process accordingly to claim 1, wherein said heat treatment is performed under ambient atmosphere in absence of increased oxygen concentration.
- 7. The process according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco suspension is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature of at least about 160° C.
- 8. The process accordingly to claim 1, wherein the tobacco suspension is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature of about 175° C.
- 9. The process according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco suspension is subjected to heat treatment at a pressure of about 10 psig to about 1000 psig.
- 10. The process according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco suspension is subjected to heat treatment at a pressure of about 20 psig to about 500 psig.
- 11. The process according to claim 1, wherein the tobacco suspension is subjected to heat treatment at a pressure exceeding 100 psig.
- 12. A process for altering the chemical nature of tobacco material, the process comprising the steps of:(a) grinding tobacco material to provide finely ground tobacco material; (b) contacting the finely ground tobacco material with an aqueous liquid to provide a tobacco suspension; (c) subjecting the tobacco suspension to heat treatment (i) in a pressure controlled and generally inert environment at a pressure greater than atmospheric pressure, and (ii) at a temperature of at least about 140° C. so that the chemical nature of the tobacco material is altered; and (d) applying the treated tobacco suspension to a smokable material.
- 13. The process according to claim 12, wherein the tobacco suspension contains 10 percent or greater tobacco material by weight.
- 14. The process according to claim 12, wherein the pressure controlled and generally inert environment is a closed system.
- 15. The process according to claim 12, wherein said heat treatment is performed in an inert gas.
- 16. The process according to claim 12, wherein said heat treatment is performed under ambient atmosphere in absence of increased oxygen concentration.
- 17. The process according to claim 12, wherein the tobacco suspension is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature of at least about 160° C.
- 18. The process according to claim 12, wherein the tobacco suspension is subjected to heat treatment at a temperature of about 175° C.
- 19. The process according to claim 12, wherein the tobacco suspension is subjected to heat treatment at a pressure of about 20 psig to about 500 psig.
- 20. The process according to claim 12, wherein the tobacco suspension is subjected to heat treatment at a pressure exceeding 100 psig.
- 21. The process according to claim 1, wherein the smokable material comprises tobacco.
- 22. The process according to claim 1, wherein said applying step comprises applying the treated tobacco suspension to a smokable material in the form of a top dressing or casing.
- 23. The process according to claim 22, wherein the smokable material is tobacco laminae or cut filler.
- 24. The process according to claim 22, wherein the treated tobacco suspension is applied in an amount of about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of the smokable material.
- 25. The process according to claim 12, wherein the smokable material comprises tobacco.
- 26. The process according to claim 12, wherein said applying step comprises applying the treated tobacco suspension to a smokable material in the form of a top dressing or casing.
- 27. The process according to claim 26, wherein the smokable material is tobacco laminae or cut filler.
- 28. The process according to claim 26, wherein the treated tobacco suspension is applied in an amount of about 0.1% to about 10% by weight of the smokable material.
- 29. A process for altering the chemical nature of tobacco material, wherein said tobacco material has not been previously extracted, comprising subjecting a tobacco suspension comprising said tobacco material to heat treatment (i) in a pressure controlled and generally inert environment at a pressure of about 10 psig to about 1,000 psig, and (ii) at a temperature of at least about 160° C. for a period of time sufficient to alter the chemical nature of the tobacco material; and applying the treated tobacco suspension to a smokable material, wherein the smokable material comprises tobacco.
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/204,652, filed Dec. 2, 1998 now abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part application of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/691,158, filed on Aug. 1, 1996 now abandoned, for Method of Providing Flavorful and Aromatic Compounds, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
US Referenced Citations (29)
Foreign Referenced Citations (5)
Number |
Date |
Country |
1 517 280 |
Sep 1969 |
DE |
0 212 234 |
Mar 1987 |
EP |
0 277 519 |
Aug 1988 |
EP |
572236 |
Jul 1945 |
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1 383 029 |
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Continuation in Parts (2)
|
Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
09/204652 |
Dec 1998 |
US |
Child |
09/993755 |
|
US |
Parent |
08/691158 |
Aug 1996 |
US |
Child |
09/204652 |
|
US |