Patent Application
20250049100
This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0105758, Aug. 11, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.
One or more embodiments relate to sustained-release menthol and a method of preparing the same.
To satisfy preferences of smokers, smoking articles are flavored in various ways. A flavoring method may typically include directly adding (e.g., spraying) flavoring liquid to a filter plug or a smoking material, such as cut tobacco leaves.
However, due to volatility of flavorings, the flavorings may be lost during the distribution and consumption of smoking articles, which may lead to a continuous decrease in the taste of tobacco.
One or more embodiments provide sustained-release menthol and a method of preparing the same that may be in a solid state and that may enhance storability and retention of flavoring.
However, goals to be achieved are not limited to those described above, and other goals not mentioned above can be clearly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art from the following description.
According to an aspect, there is provided a method of preparing sustained-release menthol, the method including step S1 of melting menthol, step S2 of preparing a liquid mixture by mixing the molten menthol and glycerin, and step S3 of preparing a solid dispersion by stirring the liquid mixture, wherein, in step S2, an amount of the menthol is greater than an amount of the glycerin.
According to another aspect, there is provided sustained-release menthol including a solid dispersion including menthol, and glycerin, wherein the solid dispersion is obtained by uniformly dispersing the menthol in the glycerin, and wherein an amount of the menthol is greater than an amount of the glycerin.
According to another aspect, there is provided a smoking article including a medium portion, a filter portion, and a wrapper, wherein at least one of the medium portion, the filter portion, and the wrapper includes sustained-release menthol, wherein the sustained-release menthol includes a solid dispersion including menthol, and glycerin, wherein the solid dispersion is obtained by uniformly dispersing the menthol in the glycerin, and wherein an amount of the menthol is greater than an amount of the glycerin.
Additional aspects of embodiments will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.
According to embodiments, using a method of preparing sustained-release menthol, menthol may be uniformly dispersed and easily applied to a composition of a smoking article.
According to embodiments, sustained-release menthol prepared by the method of preparing the sustained-release menthol may continue to express scent without a loss of scent, due to excellent scent retention and storability.
According to embodiments, a smoking article including the sustained-release menthol may be excellent in scent retention, storability, and persistence.
It should be understood that the effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-described effects, but are construed as including all effects that can be inferred from the configurations and features described in the following description or claims of the present disclosure.
These and/or other aspects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, various alterations and modifications may be made to the embodiments. Here, the embodiments are not meant to be limited by the descriptions of the present disclosure. The embodiments should be understood to include all changes, equivalents, and replacements within the idea and the technical scope of the disclosure.
The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises/comprising” and/or “includes/including” when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments belong. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly-used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.
When describing the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, like reference numerals refer to like components and a repeated description related thereto will be omitted. In the description of embodiments, detailed description of well-known related structures or functions will be omitted when it is deemed that such description will cause ambiguous interpretation of the present disclosure.
In addition, the terms first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used to describe components of the embodiments. These terms are used only for the purpose of discriminating one component from another component, and the nature, the sequences, or the orders of the components are not limited by the terms.
A component, which has the same common function as a component included in any one embodiment, will be described by using the same name in other embodiments. Unless disclosed to the contrary, the description of any one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, and duplicated descriptions will be omitted.
In the present specification, when one part “includes” one component, this indicates that the part may further include another component instead of excluding another component.
Throughout the specification, a “smoking article” refers to an article capable of generating an aerosol, such as tobacco (cigarettes), cigars, and the like. The smoking article may include an aerosol generating material, or an aerosol forming substrate. In addition, the smoking article may include a solid material based on tobacco raw materials such as a reconstituted tobacco sheet, cut tobacco leaves, reconstituted tobacco, and the like. A smoking material may include a volatile compound.
In addition, throughout the specification, the term “upstream” or “upstream direction” refers to a direction away from a mouth of a user puffing a smoking article, and the term “downstream” or “downstream direction” refers to a direction toward the mouth of the user puffing the smoking article.
Throughout the specification, the term “solid dispersion” may be a system in which an active material (menthol) is uniformly dispersed in glycerin in a solid state and that is in a solid state.
According to an embodiment, a method of preparing sustained-release menthol may be provided. The method may include step S1 of melting menthol, step S2 of preparing a liquid mixture by mixing the molten menthol and glycerin, and step S3 of preparing a solid dispersion by stirring the liquid mixture, as shown in
Hereinafter, each step is described in detail.
In step S1, the menthol may be melted at a temperature of 40° C. to 50° C. Since a melting point of menthol ranges from 42° C. to 43° C., the menthol in the solid state may be changed to liquid menthol when step S1 is performed in the above temperature range.
In step S2, the liquid mixture may be prepared by mixing the molten menthol and the glycerin.
When powder raw materials are mixed, or when a powder raw material and a liquid raw material are mixed, it may be necessary to constantly examine a mixing amount and a mixing method for uniform mixing. This is because, when a powder raw material is dissolved in a liquid raw material, when a solubility exceeds a predetermined level, the powder raw material may not be dissolved anymore so that a suspension may be obtained or a precipitation phenomenon may occur. In the present disclosure, menthol dissolved in liquid may be mixed with glycerin to prepare a solid dispersion, and thus, menthol may be more uniformly dispersed in comparison to when powder raw materials are used.
In the liquid mixture, the amount of menthol may need to be greater than the amount of glycerin. Desirably, a weight ratio of the molten menthol:the glycerin in the liquid mixture in step S2 may range from 6:4 to 9.9:0.1, and more desirably from 6:4 to 8:2. When the weight ratio is satisfied, a solid dispersion desired in the present disclosure may be finally obtained.
When the weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin satisfies the above-described ranges, sustained-release menthol that is in a solid state and that has scent retention and storability may be prepared. Menthol is generally dissolved in glycerin, but if a small amount of menthol is added to the liquid mixture below the lower limit of the weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin, the menthol may remain in a liquid state or change to a semi-solid state irreversibly. On the other hand, if a large amount of menthol is added to the liquid mixture above the upper limit of the weight ratio, scent retention and storability may be reduced due to a high sublimation of the menthol. Desirably, the menthol may be in an amount of 80% by weight (wt %) or less based on the total amount of the menthol and the glycerin.
In step S3, the solid dispersion may be prepared, by stirring the liquid mixture prepared above.
In step S3, the solid dispersion may be obtained by uniformly dispersing and solidifying the molten menthol in the glycerin. For example, when the liquid mixture is stirred at a high speed, the liquid mixture of the molten menthol and the glycerin may be evenly mixed, a melting point of the liquid mixture may decrease, and a temperature of the liquid mixture may drop. When the temperature of the liquid mixture drops, solid particles may be generated, and when the temperature is further lowered with continuous stirring, the state may be changed to a solid state irreversibly. As a result, a solid dispersion in which a large amount of menthol is evenly dispersed in glycerin and that is stably solidified may be finally prepared.
The method of preparing the sustained-release menthol may further include, after step S3, step S4 of preparing a form by adding an excipient to the solid dispersion.
The excipient may include at least one of lactose, microcellulose, or a binder.
In an example, when the sustained-release menthol is produced in the form of a granule or a cylindrical block with a predetermined size, lactose and microcellulose may be used advantageously in forming and maintaining the shape. In particular, when the sustained-release menthol is produced in the form of a cylindrical block is prepared, the sustained-release menthol may be directly applied as a component (e.g., a medium portion, a filter portion, etc.) of a smoking article in manufacturing of the smoking article.
The binder may function to increase a cohesion. The binder may be at least one of a water-soluble polymer, or gums. The water-soluble polymer may include, for example, at least one of starch, gelatin, or polyvinyl alcohol. The gums may include, for example, at least one of guar gum or arabia gum.
According to an embodiment, sustained-release menthol may be provided. The sustained-release menthol may include a solid dispersion including menthol, and glycerin. The solid dispersion may be obtained by uniformly dispersing the menthol in the glycerin, and an amount of the menthol may be greater than an amount of the glycerin. Since the solid dispersion is included in the sustained-release menthol, scent retention and storability may be enhanced.
The glycerin in the sustained-release menthol may function to transfer the menthol that is flavoring. For example, when heat is applied to the sustained-release menthol, a bond between the menthol and the glycerin may be broken as the solidified sustained-release menthol is liquefied, and the menthol may be released.
The sustained-release menthol according to an embodiment may be in the form of at least one of a powder, a granule, or a cylindrical block, and desirably, in the form of a granule or a cylindrical block. Since the sustained-release menthol is in the form described above, an amount of menthol to be added may vary within a wider amount range, and may be more easily set. The sustained-release menthol may be prepared in the form of a cylindrical block without a separate carrier and inserted into a medium portion or a filter portion, to be easily applied to a smoking article.
According to an embodiment, a smoking article including a medium portion, a filter portion, and a wrapper may be provided. At least one of the medium portion, the filter portion, and the wrapper may include sustained-release menthol. The sustained-release menthol may include a solid dispersion including menthol, and glycerin. The solid dispersion may be obtained by uniformly dispersing the menthol in the glycerin, and an amount of the menthol may be greater than an amount of the glycerin.
By heating the smoking article including the sustained-release menthol, the menthol may be transferred from the sustained-release menthol. For example, due to an amount of heat applied to the smoking article by heating (an amount of heat transferred from a heat source, an amount of heat transferred to outer wrapping paper, an amount of heat accumulated therein, etc.), the bond between the menthol and the glycerin may be broken as the solidified sustained-release menthol is liquefied. The molten menthol may be impregnated or permeated into a component (the medium portion, the filter portion, the wrapper, etc.) of the smoking article. Here, the glycerin may be aerosolized and may function as a carrier for the menthol when inhaled. Since the above process allows a uniform amount of menthol transferred during smoking to be maintained, a smoking article with excellent scent persistence may be provided by applying the sustained-release menthol. In addition, when heat is not applied to the smoking article, menthol may not be released, because the sustained-release menthol is in the form of an irreversibly stable solid. Thus, the smoking article may also be excellent in scent retention and storability.
The filter portion may be disposed at a downstream end of the smoking article and may be a mono filter or a composite filter. The filter portion may include, but is not limited to, for example, at least one fiber among cellulose acetate, lyocell, polypropylene, polyester, and polylactic acid. In addition, the filter portion may further include activated carbon and a plasticizer.
The wrapper may include filter wrapping paper and cigarette paper. The filter wrapping paper may surround the filter portion and may have an oil-resistance function. The cigarette paper may surround the medium portion, and flax and wood pulp may be mainly used as raw materials. The cigarette paper may include a filler as an additive. The filler may increase whiteness and opacity and control porosity.
A smoking article according to an embodiment may be a heat-not-burn smoking article. The heat-not-burn smoking article may include, for example, an electric smoking article that is indirectly heated using electrical energy rather than directly burning.
The electric smoking article may include a heat-not-burn smoking article, and an aerosol generating device into which the heat-not-burn smoking article may be inserted. The electric smoking article may be an article that allows smoking to be performed by a scheme of generating an aerosol by heating an inserted smoking article using electrical energy and of allowing the aerosol to be inhaled by a user and released.
A heat-not-burn smoking article according to an embodiment may have various structures.
In an example, the smoking article according to an embodiment may further include a support structure and a cooling structure between the medium portion and the filter portion.
The support structure may be disposed downstream of the medium portion and may be a tube-shaped structure including a hollow inside. The support structure may function to support the medium portion to prevent the medium portion from being pushed when the medium portion is inserted into an aerosol generating device, and may function to move atomization. The support structure may be produced using, for example, cellulose acetate, and a hardness of the support structure may be adjusted by changing an amount of a plasticizer to be added in the producing of the support structure. Alternatively, the support structure may also be produced by inserting a structure, such as a film or a tube formed of the same material or different materials, into the hollow.
The cooling structure may be disposed downstream of the support structure. When a smoker inhales an aerosol generated by heating the medium portion, heat may be generated, especially with a first puff, which may cause discomfort to the smoker. The cooling structure may function as a cooling member that cools the aerosol generated by heating the medium portion. Accordingly, the smoker may inhale the aerosol cooled to an appropriate temperature.
In another example, the smoking article according to an embodiment may further include a front-end filter segment and a support structure, in addition to the medium portion and the filter portion.
The front-end filter segment may be disposed upstream of the medium portion. The front filter segment may function to notify that the smoking article is used exclusively for an aerosol generating device. The front filter segment may be formed of, for example, cellulose acetate. In a central portion of the front-end filter segment, a hollow may be formed, or only channels fine enough to form an airflow path while preventing a tobacco medium from being separated from the medium portion may be formed.
However, the example described above is merely an example of the heat-not-burn smoking article in which the present disclosure may be used, and embodiments are not limited to the example described above.
The aerosol generating device may include a portion or all of a battery, a controller, a vaporizer, and a heater. An arrangement relationship of the above components may vary depending on the design of the aerosol generating device. The aerosol generating device may further include general-purpose configurations in addition to the configurations described above.
Hereinafter, the present disclosure will be described in detail based on examples, however, the present disclosure is not limited to the following examples.
Sustained-release menthol of examples and comparative examples was prepared by a method described below.
First, 10 g of crystalline menthol ((1R,2S,5R)-2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol, MW 156.27, the melting point of 42° C.) was melted at 43° C. (step S1). 10 g of the molten menthol was added to 6.6 g of glycerin (a weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin of 6:4), and mixing was performed (step S2). The liquid mixture was stirred at a speed of 300 to 600 rpm and 40° C. for 5 minutes, left at room temperature, and cooled, to prepare sustained-release menthol (step S3).
Sustained-release menthol was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that mixing was performed in step S2 such that the weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin was 6.3:3.7.
Sustained-release menthol was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that mixing was performed in step S2 such that the weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin was 8:2.
Sustained-release menthol was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that mixing was performed in step S2 such that the weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin was 5.5:4.5.
Sustained-release menthol was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that mixing was performed in step S2 such that the weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin was 4.9:5.1.
Sustained-release menthol was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that mixing was performed in step S2 such that the weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin was 4.2:5.8.
Sustained-release menthol was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that mixing was performed in step S2 such that the weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin was 4:6.
Sustained-release menthol was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that mixing was performed in step S2 such that the weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin was 3.6:6.4.
Sustained-release menthol was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that mixing was performed in step S2 such that the weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin was 3:7.
Sustained-release menthol was prepared in the same manner as in Example 1, except that mixing was performed in step S2 such that the weight ratio of the menthol:the glycerin was 1.5:8.5.
Images of the sustained-release menthol of Example 1 and Comparative Example 4 are shown in
States of the sustained-release menthol of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7 were observed. After a liquid mixture obtained by mixing menthol and glycerin was stirred at a high speed and left at room temperature, the states of the sustained-release menthol were examined, and the results thereof are shown in Table 1 below. To compare the states of the sustained-release menthol of Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7, menthol was mixed with medium chain triglyceride (MCT), which is an oil used in a flavor capsule of a smoking article, and the like, instead of glycerin, and a menthol-MCT mixture was prepared.
From Examples 1 to 3 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7, it is confirmed that the state of the prepared sustained-release menthol may be adjusted by changing the amount of menthol. Specifically, glycerin is originally in a liquid state at room temperature (18 to 23° C.). However, it is confirmed that, even when only a small amount of menthol was added to glycerin, the sustained-release menthol in the semi-solid state was prepared irreversibly (Comparative Examples 6 and 7), and that when the amount of menthol was 60 wt % or greater, the sustained-release menthol in the solid state desired in the present disclosure was prepared (Examples 1 to 3).
In addition, unlike the sustained-release menthol, when the MCT was mixed with menthol, the state rapidly changed from a liquid state to a solid state as the weight of the menthol became greater than the weight of the MCT.
Sustained-release menthol, which was solidified to be in the solid state, was in the form of powder, and may be in the form of a granule or a cylindrical block by adding lactose and microcellulose. By additionally adding a binder, the cohesion in the solid state may be increased. When heat is applied to the sustained-release menthol, menthol may be released as the glycerin is melted.
From Experimental Examples 1 and 2, it is predicted that, using the method of preparing the sustained-release menthol described in the claims, the sustained-release menthol may be easily applied to a configuration of a smoking article, that sustained-release menthol prepared by the method is excellent in scent retention and storability, and that a smoking article including the sustained-release menthol is excellent in scent retention and storability and may continue to express scent without a loss of scent of menthol.
While the embodiments are described with reference to the drawings, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art that various alterations and modifications in form and details may be made in these embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents. For example, suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order and/or if components in a described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents.
Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims are also within the scope of the following claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-2023-0105758 | Aug 2023 | KR | national |
