JP7628551B2 - Tobacco Sheet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tobacco sheet.

Many technologies have been proposed for non-combustion smoking articles that inhale flavor components produced by heating tobacco sheets (for example, Patent Document 1).

Patent No. 5292410

In general, non-combustible smoking articles do not have a sufficiently high delivery efficiency compared to conventional combustible smoking articles, and therefore studies have been conducted to improve the satisfaction of use of non-combustible smoking articles. With regard to satisfaction of use, the inventors have found that a high response in the early stages of inhalation, i.e., sufficient delivery of flavor components in the early stages of inhalation, increases satisfaction of use. In view of these circumstances, the present invention has an objective of providing a tobacco sheet that achieves sufficient delivery of flavor components in the early stages of inhalation.

The inventors have found that the above-mentioned problems can be solved by setting the density of the tobacco sheet within a specific range. That is, the above-mentioned problems are solved by the present invention described below.
(1) A tobacco sheet having a density of 1.0 g/ ^cm3 or less.
(2) The sheet according to (1), which is a pressure-molded sheet.
(3) A sheet according to (1) or (2), which is produced from a wet powder comprising tobacco particles having a D90 of 200 μm or more and a liquid medium, and the moisture content in the wet powder is 50% by weight or more.
(4) A sheet according to any one of (1) to (3), comprising tobacco particles having a D90 of 300 μm or more.
(5) The sheet according to (4), which contains tobacco particles having a D90 of 500 μm or more.
(6) A non-combustion heating type smoking article comprising the tobacco sheet or a material derived therefrom according to any one of (1) to (5).
(7) Step 1 of kneading at least tobacco particles, a binder, and a medium to prepare a mixture;
Step 2 is extruding the mixture through a press or die to prepare a wet sheet; and Step 3 is drying the wet sheet.
The manufacturing method according to any one of (1) to (5), comprising:
(8) The manufacturing method described in (7), wherein the medium contains water.
(9) The method according to (7) or (8), wherein step 2 includes preparing a laminate sheet in which a wet sheet is present between two base films.
(10) The manufacturing method according to any one of (7) to (9), wherein step 1 includes kneading at least a tobacco material, a binder, and a medium in a single-shaft or multi-shaft kneader.
(11) The method according to any one of (7) to (10), wherein the mixture contains 20 to 80% by weight of a medium based on the total amount of the mixture.

The present invention provides a tobacco sheet that achieves sufficient delivery of flavor components in the early stages of puffing.

Schematic diagram showing an example of a tobacco segment using a tobacco sheet A schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a non-combustion heating type smoking system. Schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article.

The present invention will be described in detail below. In the present invention, "X to Y" includes the extreme values X and Y.
1. Tobacco Sheet A tobacco sheet is a sheet used in smoking articles, and contains at least a tobacco material and a binder.

(1) Binder The binder is an adhesive for binding tobacco materials together or between tobacco materials and other components. In the present invention, known binders can be used. Examples of such binders include polysaccharides such as guar gum or xanthan gum; and cellulose derivatives such as CMC (carboxymethylcellulose), CMC-Na (sodium salt of carboxymethylcellulose), or HPC (hydroxypropylcellulose). The upper limit of the binder content is preferably 6% by weight or less in dry weight (weight excluding water mixed in, the same applies below) relative to the dry weight of the tobacco sheet, and the lower limit is preferably 1% by weight or more, more preferably 3% by weight or more. If the amount of binder exceeds the upper limit or is less than the lower limit, the above-mentioned effect may not be fully achieved.

Binders include polysaccharides, proteins, and synthetic polymers. Specific examples are shown below. In the present invention, these binders can also be used in combination.

1) Polysaccharides 1-1) Cellulose derivatives [Cellulose ethers]
Methyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, hydroxymethylethyl cellulose, hydroxypropyl cellulose, hydroxypropylmethyl cellulose, benzyl cellulose, trityl cellulose, cyanoethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl cellulose, carboxyethyl cellulose, aminoethyl cellulose [cellulose esters]
Organic acid esters: cellulose acetate, cellulose formate, cellulose propionate, cellulose butyrate, cellulose benzoate, cellulose phthalate, cellulose tosyl Inorganic acid esters: cellulose nitrate, cellulose sulfate, cellulose phosphate, cellulose xanthogenate

1-2) Natural polysaccharides [plant-derived]
Guar gum, tara gum, roasted bean gum, tamarind seed gum, pectin, gum arabic, tragacanth gum, karaya gum, ghatti gum, arabinogalactan, amas seed gum, cassia gum, psyllium seed gum, artemisia seed gum [derived from algae]
Carrageenan, agar, alginic acid, propylene glycol alginate, furcellan, fukuronori extract [derived from microorganisms]
Xanthan gum, Gellan gum, Curdlan, Pullulan, Agrobacterium succinoglycan, Welan gum, Macrophomopsis gum, Rhamsan gum [derived from crustaceans]
Chitin, chitosan, glucosamine [starches]
Starch, sodium starch glycolate, pregelatinized starch, dextrin

2) Protein: Wheat gluten, rye gluten

3) Synthetic polymers: Polyphosphoric acid, sodium polyacrylate, polyvinylpyrrolidone

(2) Tobacco Particles The tobacco sheet of the present invention contains tobacco particles as a tobacco material. Tobacco particles are particulate tobacco-derived materials, and examples thereof include particles (pulverized leaf tobacco) obtained by pulverizing tobacco leaves. The density of the tobacco sheet can be reduced by using tobacco particles with a specific particle size. The upper limit of the particle size D90 is not limited, but from the viewpoint of handling and the like, it is preferably 5 mm or less, more preferably 3 mm or less, and even more preferably 1 mm or less. The lower limit of the particle size D90 is not limited, but is preferably 200 μm or more, more preferably 300 μm or more, even more preferably 400 μm or more, and particularly preferably 500 μm or more. The upper limit of the average particle size D50 is preferably 1500 μm or less, 1000 μm or less, or 500 μm or less, and the lower limit is preferably 50 μm or more, more preferably 100 μm or more, and even more preferably 120 μm or more. The pulverization can be performed using a known pulverizer, and may be either dry pulverization or wet pulverization. Therefore, the ground leaf tobacco is also called leaf tobacco particles. In the present invention, the particle size is determined by a laser diffraction/scattering method, specifically, measured using a laser diffraction particle size distribution measuring device (e.g., HORIBA LA-950). The type of tobacco is not limited, and flue-cured, Burley, Orient, native, and other Nicotiana tabacum and Nicotiana rustica varieties can be used. The amount of tobacco particles in the tobacco sheet is not particularly limited, but is preferably 50 to 95% by weight, more preferably 60 to 90% by weight, in terms of dry weight.

(3) Aerosol-generating substrate The tobacco sheet may contain an aerosol-generating substrate. The aerosol-generating substrate is a material that vaporizes when heated and cools to generate an aerosol, or that generates an aerosol by atomization. Known aerosol-generating substrates can be used, and examples thereof include polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin or propylene glycol (PG); and substances with a boiling point of more than 100°C, such as triethyl citrate (TEC) or triacetin. The amount of the aerosol-generating substrate in the tobacco sheet is preferably 1 to 40% by weight, more preferably 10 to 20% by weight, in terms of dry weight (weight excluding water mixed in, the same applies below). If the amount of the aerosol-generating substrate exceeds the upper limit, it may be difficult to manufacture the tobacco sheet, and if it is less than the lower limit, the smoke sensation may be reduced.

(4) Emulsifier The tobacco sheet may contain an emulsifier. The emulsifier enhances the affinity between the lipophilic aerosol-generating substrate and the hydrophilic tobacco material. Thus, the addition of an emulsifier is effective, particularly when a lipophilic aerosol-generating substrate is used. Any known emulsifier can be used, and examples of such emulsifiers include emulsifiers having an HLB value of 8 to 18. The amount of emulsifier is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.1 to 3 parts by weight, more preferably 1 to 2 parts by weight, on a dry weight basis, relative to 100 parts by weight of the tobacco sheet.

(5) Fibers In one embodiment, the tobacco sheet of the present invention does not contain tobacco-derived fibers or fibers derived from materials other than tobacco (e.g., cellulose). In this embodiment, it is possible to avoid undesirable effects on the smoking taste, such as unpleasant flavors, caused by these fibers. However, since it is not realistic to completely eliminate fibers, the amount of the fibers in the tobacco sheet is preferably 1.0% by weight or less, more preferably 0.5% by weight or less, by dry weight. In another embodiment, the tobacco sheet of the present invention contains tobacco-derived fibers or fibers derived from materials other than tobacco. In particular, the tobacco sheet tends to become brittle as the particle size of the tobacco particles increases, so it is preferable that the tobacco sheet contains the fibers. In this case, the content (total) of the sheets is 0.5 to 2.0% by dry weight. In this embodiment, the fibers improve the strength of the tobacco sheet, and the balance between the smoking taste and strength is excellent. In the present invention, the tobacco-derived fibers refer to tobacco raw materials pulped by beating with a grinder or the like, and are different from the tobacco particles described above.

(6) Flavoring The tobacco sheet may contain a flavoring. A flavoring is a substance that provides a scent or flavor. The flavoring may be a natural flavoring or a synthetic flavoring. A single type of flavoring may be used as the flavoring, or a mixture of multiple types of flavorings may be used. Any flavoring that is generally used in smoking articles may be used as the flavoring, and specific examples will be described later. The flavoring may be contained in the sheet for smoking articles in an amount that allows the smoking article to provide a preferred scent or flavor, and for example, the amount is preferably 1 to 30% by weight, more preferably 2 to 20% by weight, in the tobacco sheet.

The type of the fragrance is not particularly limited, and from the viewpoint of imparting a good fragrance sensation, the following may be used: acetanisole, acetophenone, acetylpyrazine, 2-acetylthiazole, alfalfa extract, amyl alcohol, amyl butyrate, trans-anethole, star anise oil, apple juice, Peru balsam oil, beeswax absolute, benzaldehyde, benzoin resinoid, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, benzyl propionate, 2,3-butanedione, 2-butanol, butyl butyrate, butyric acid, caramel, cardamom oil, carob absolute, β-carotene, carrot juice, L-carvone, β-potassium Ophyllene, cassia bark oil, cedarwood oil, celery seed oil, chamomile oil, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamyl cinnamate, citronella oil, DL-citronellol, clary sage extract, cocoa, coffee, konjac oil, coriander oil, cuminaldehyde, davana oil, delta-decalactone, gamma-decalactone, decanoic acid, dill herb oil, 3,4-dimethyl-1,2-cyclopentanedione, 4,5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-one, 3,7-dimethyl-6-octenoic acid, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine , ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl isovalerate, ethyl lactate, ethyl laurate, ethyl levulinate, ethyl maltol, ethyl octanoate, ethyl oleate, ethyl palmitate, ethyl phenylacetate, ethyl propionate, ethyl stearate, ethyl valerate, ethyl vanillin, ethyl vanillin glucoside, 2-ethyl-3,(5 or 6)-dimethylpyrazine, 5-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone, 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine, eucalyptol, fenugreek absolute, gene absolute, gentian root infusion, geraniol ol, geranyl acetate, grape juice, guaiacol, guava extract, gamma-heptalactone, gamma-hexalactone, hexanoic acid, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, hexyl acetate, hexyl alcohol, phenylhexyl acetate, honey, 4-hydroxy-3-pentenoic acid lactone, 4-hydroxy-4-(3-hydroxy-1-butenyl)-3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one, 4-(para-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone, sodium 4-hydroxyundecanoate, immortelle absolute, beta-ionone, isoamyl acetate, isoamyl butyrate, isoamyl phenylacetate, isobutyl acetate, phenoxyethanol, Isobutyl nyl acetate, Jasmine absolute, Cola nut tincture, Labdanum oil, Lemon terpeneless oil, Licorice extract, Linalool, Linalyl acetate, Lovage root oil, Maltol, Maple syrup, Menthol, Menthone, L-Menthyl acetate, Paramethoxybenzaldehyde, Methyl 2-pyrrolyl ketone, Methyl anthranilate, Methyl phenylacetate, Methyl salicylate, 4'-Methylacetophenone, Methylcyclopentenolone, 3-Methylvaleric acid, Mimosa absolute, Honey beet, Myristic acid, Nerol, Nerolidol, γ-Nonalactone, Nutmeg oil, δ-Octalactone, Octanal, Octanal Tannic acid, orange flower oil, orange oil, orris root oil, palmitic acid, omega-pentadecalactone, peppermint oil, petitgrain Paraguay oil, phenethyl alcohol, phenethyl phenylacetate, phenylacetic acid, piperonal, plum extract, propenyl guaethol, propyl acetate, 3-propylidenephthalide, prune juice, pyruvic acid, raisin extract, rose oil, rum, sage oil, sandalwood oil, spearmint oil, styrax absolute, marigold oil, tea distillate, alpha-terpineol, terpinyl acetate, 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoxaline, 1,5,5,9 ... tetramethyl-13-oxacyclo(8.3.0.0(4.9))tridecane, 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, thyme oil, tomato extract, 2-tridecanone, triethyl citrate, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexenyl)2-buten-4-one, 2,6,6-trimethyl-2-cyclohexene-1,4-dione, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadienyl)2-buten-4-one, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, gamma-undecalactone, gamma-valerolactone, vanilla extract, vanillin, veratraldehyde, violet leaf absolute, N-ethyl-p-mene Examples of the aromatic compounds include tan-3-carboxamide (WS-3), ethyl-2-(p-menthane-3-carboxamide) acetate (WS-5), sugar (sucrose, fructose, etc.), cocoa powder, carob powder, coriander powder, licorice powder, orange peel powder, rose pip powder, chamomile flower powder, lemon verbena powder, peppermint powder, leaf powder, spearmint powder, black tea powder, natural plant flavors (e.g., jasmine oil, lemon oil, vetiver oil, lovage oil), esters (e.g., menthyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, etc.), and alcohols (e.g., phenylethyl alcohol, cis-6-nonen-1-ol, etc.). These flavors may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

(7) Characteristics and Form of Tobacco Sheet 1) Density The tobacco sheet of the present invention has a density of 1.0 g/ ^cm3 or less. A tobacco sheet having such a low density can achieve sufficient delivery of flavor components at the beginning of inhalation. The reason is not limited, but it is presumed that the low-density tobacco sheet can reduce the packing density of the tobacco filler in the smoking article, thereby increasing the amount of heat received per weight. In addition, the reduction in packing density can also achieve cost reduction. From these viewpoints, the density is preferably 0.95 g/cm3 or ^less , more preferably 0.75 g/cm3 ^or less. The lower limit of the density is not limited, but is preferably 0.5 g/ ^cm3 or more from the viewpoint of strength, etc. In the present invention, the density is calculated from the basis weight (weight per unit area) and the thickness. The air permeability of the tobacco sheet of the present invention is preferably 0 Coresta units.

2) Thickness The thickness of the tobacco sheet is not limited, but the upper limit is preferably 1500 μm or less, more preferably 1000 μm or less, and even more preferably 500 μm or less. The lower limit is preferably 20 μm or more, more preferably 100 μm or more, and even more preferably 150 μm or more.

(8) Tobacco Segment Tobacco segments for use in smoking articles can be manufactured from the tobacco sheet. In one embodiment, the tobacco segment comprises a cylindrical wrapper, and a tobacco sheet is spirally packed in the wrapper (see FIG. 1(A)). In the figure, 20A is the tobacco segment, 1 is the tobacco sheet, and 22 is the wrapper, which is usually paper. The tobacco segment is preferably rod-shaped, and can have a length of about 15 to 80 mm and a diameter of about 5 to 10 mm. Furthermore, the tobacco segment 20A shown in FIG. 1(A) can be cut to have an aspect ratio (length/diameter) of about 0.5 to 1.2 (see FIG. 1(B)).

In another embodiment, the tobacco segment 20A comprises a cylindrical wrapper 22 and a tobacco sheet 1 that is folded and filled into the wrapper. The ridges created by the folding are approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the segment (see FIG. 1(C)). The tobacco segment 20A is preferably rod-shaped, and can have a length of about 15 to 80 mm and a diameter of about 5 to 10 mm. In this embodiment, it is preferable that the tobacco sheet 1 has been subjected to a surface wrinkling process such as pleating or crimping in advance.

In another embodiment, the tobacco segment 20A has a cylindrical wrapper 22 and a cut piece 1c of a tobacco sheet filled in the wrapper (see FIG. 1(D)). The tobacco segment 20A is preferably rod-shaped and may have a length of about 15 to 80 mm and a diameter of about 5 to 10 mm. The size of the cut piece is not limited, but may have, for example, a longest side length of about 2 to 20 mm and a width of about 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

In another embodiment, the tobacco segment 20A has a cylindrical wrapper 22 and has strand-type shreds filled in the wrapper (see FIG. 1(E)). The strand-type shreds are filled so that their longitudinal direction is approximately parallel to the longitudinal direction of the wrapper 22. The width of the strand-type shreds can be about 0.5 to 1.5 mm.

In another embodiment, the tobacco segment 20A has a cylindrical wrapper 22 and a tobacco shred filler randomly filled in the wrapper. The tobacco shreds are cut and are different from strand-type shreds.

2. Manufacturing Method The tobacco sheet may be manufactured by any method, but is preferably manufactured by a method comprising the following steps:
Step 1 comprises kneading at least tobacco particles, a binder, and a medium to prepare a mixture.
Step 2: spreading or extruding the mixture through a die to prepare a wet sheet.
Step 3: drying the wet wipes.
A sheet formed by applying pressure in this manner is called a "pressure-formed sheet", and as described below, "pressure-formed sheets" include "laminated sheets" and "extruded sheets". A laminated sheet is a sheet obtained by pressing a mixture with a roller one or more times to a target thickness and then drying to a target moisture content. An extruded sheet is a sheet obtained by extruding a mixture through a T-die or the like to a target thickness and then drying to a target moisture content. In a pressure-formed sheet, pressing and extrusion may be combined. For example, the mixture may be extruded and then further pressed to form a sheet.

(1) Step 1
In this step, tobacco particles, a binder, and a medium are kneaded together. If necessary, an aerosol-generating base material, an emulsifier, or a flavoring can also be added. The amount of each component is adjusted so as to achieve the aforementioned amount. The medium is preferably mainly composed of a water-soluble organic solvent having a boiling point of less than 100°C, such as water or ethanol, and more preferably water or ethanol.

This step can be carried out by kneading the components, but is preferably carried out through 1) grinding the raw material (e.g., single leaves), 2) preparing a wet powder, and 3) kneading.
In this step, although pre-ground tobacco particles having the particle size as described above may be used, in one embodiment, the raw material is coarsely ground and then finely ground using a grinder (e.g., ACM-5, manufactured by Hosokawa Micron) to prepare tobacco particles having the particle size as described above. The particle size is measured using a laser diffraction type particle sizer such as Mastersizer (manufactured by Malvern).

2) Preparation of wet powder A binder and, if necessary, additives such as flavorings and lipids are added to the ground tobacco raw material (e.g., tobacco particles) and mixed. Since this mixing is preferably a dry blend, it is preferable to use a mixer as a mixer. Next, a medium such as water and, if necessary, an aerosol-generating base such as glycerin are added to the dry blend and mixed in a mixer to prepare a wet powder (powder in a wet state). The amount of the medium in the wet powder is preferably 20 to 80% by weight, more preferably 20 to 40% by weight, but is appropriately adjusted in step 2. For example, when compression is performed in step 2, the amount of the medium can be 20 to 60% by weight or 20 to 50% by weight, and when extrusion is performed, the amount can be 20 to 80% by weight. The solid content concentration of the wet powder is preferably 50 to 90% by weight. In a particularly preferred embodiment, a wet powder is used that contains tobacco particles with a D90 of 200 μm or more and a liquid medium containing water (more preferably a liquid medium consisting of water), and has a moisture content of 50% by weight or more.

3) Kneading The wet powder is kneaded using a kneader (e.g., DG-1 manufactured by Dalton Co., Ltd.) Kneading is preferably carried out until the medium is distributed throughout the mixture, for example, until the color of the mixture is visually uniform.

(2) Step 2
In this step, the mixture (wet powder) is pressed or extruded from a die to prepare a wet sheet. For example, the mixture is sandwiched between two substrate films and passed through a pair of rollers using a calendaring device (e.g., manufactured by Yuri Roll Machine Co., Ltd.) until a predetermined thickness (more than 100 μm) is reached, and pressed to obtain a laminate in which a wet sheet is present between two substrate films. As the substrate film, a non-adhesive film such as a fluorine-based polymer film is preferred. Pressing with a roller can be performed multiple times. In addition, the mixture (wet powder) can be extruded from a die (preferably a T-die) with a predetermined gap to form a wet sheet on the substrate. As the substrate, known materials such as a glass plate, a metal plate, and a plastic plate can be used. A known extruder can be used for extrusion.

(3) Step 3
In this step, the wet sheet is dried. For example, in lamination, this step can be carried out by the following procedure. 1) One of the substrate films is peeled off. 2) The laminate is dried using a ventilated dryer. The drying temperature may be room temperature, but is preferably 50 to 100°C, and the drying time can be 1 to 2 minutes. 3) Next, the remaining substrate film is peeled off, and the tobacco sheet is obtained by further drying under the above conditions. By drying in this manner, it is possible to prevent the tobacco sheet from adhering to other substrates. The tobacco sheet obtained in this manner is also called a "laminate sheet". The laminate sheet has a smooth surface, which is preferable because it can suppress the occurrence of chipping when it comes into contact with other members. In addition, this method is suitable for producing a sheet of 300 μm or less.

In the case of extrusion molding, the wet sheet on the substrate is dried by air drying or heating. The drying conditions are as described above. The tobacco sheet obtained in this manner is also called an "extruded sheet." Extruded sheets are preferable because they have a smooth surface and prevent chipping when they come into contact with other components. This method is suitable for producing sheets with a thickness of 200 μm or more.

3. Smoking Articles Smoking articles include flavor inhalation articles that allow users to inhale and enjoy flavors, and smokeless tobacco (smokeless smoking articles) that allow users to directly inhale the product into their nasal or oral cavity to enjoy flavors. Flavor inhalation articles can be broadly divided into combustion-type smoking articles, typified by conventional cigarettes, and non-combustion-type smoking articles. The tobacco sheet of the present invention is suitable for flavor inhalation articles.

Examples of combustion-type flavor inhalation articles include cigarettes, pipes, kiseru, cigars, or cigarillos.

The non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article may be heated by a heating device separate from the article, or may be heated by a heating device integrated with the article. In the former flavor inhalation article (separate type), the non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article and the heating device are collectively referred to as a "non-combustion heating type smoking system." An example of a non-combustion heating type smoking system is described below with reference to Figures 2 and 3.

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram showing an example of a non-combustion heating type smoking system, showing the state before the heater 12 is inserted into the tobacco segment 20A of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article 20. When in use, the heater 12 is inserted into the tobacco segment 20A. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article 20.

As shown in Fig. 2, the non-combustion heating smoking system includes a non-combustion heating flavor inhalation article 20 and a heating device 10 that heats the tobacco segment 20A from the inside. However, the non-combustion heating smoking system is not limited to the configuration shown in Fig. 2.

The heating device 10 shown in Fig. 2 includes a body 11 and a heater 12. Although not shown, the body 11 may include a battery unit and a control unit. The heater 12 may be an electric resistance heater and is inserted into the tobacco segment 20A to heat the tobacco segment 20A.

The tobacco sheet of the present invention is highly effective when the tobacco segment 20A is heated from the inside, as shown in Figure 2. In this heating method, the tobacco sheet and the heater are in direct contact with each other, so that the amount of heat received per sheet weight can be increased, and it is easy to achieve sufficient delivery of flavor components at the beginning of inhalation. However, the embodiment of the non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article 20 is not limited to this, and in another embodiment, the tobacco segment 20A is heated from the outside.

The heating temperature by the heating device 10 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 400° C. or less, more preferably 50 to 400° C., and even more preferably 150 to 350° C. The heating temperature refers to the temperature of the heater 12 of the heating device 10.

As shown in Figure 3, the non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article 20 (hereinafter simply referred to as "flavor inhalation article 20") has a cylindrical shape. The circumferential length of the flavor inhalation article 20 is preferably 16 to 27 mm, more preferably 20 to 26 mm, and even more preferably 21 to 25 mm. The overall length (horizontal length) of the flavor inhalation article 20 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 40 to 90 mm, more preferably 50 to 75 mm, and even more preferably 50 to 60 mm.

The flavor inhalation article 20 is composed of a tobacco segment 20A, a filter portion 20C that forms the mouthpiece, and a connecting portion 20B that connects these.

The tobacco segment 20A is cylindrical, and its total length (length in the axial direction) is, for example, preferably 5 to 100 mm, more preferably 10 to 50 mm, and even more preferably 10 to 25 mm. The cross-sectional shape of the tobacco segment 20A is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a circle, an ellipse, a polygon, etc.

The tobacco segment 20A has a tobacco sheet or material derived therefrom 21 and a wrapper 22 wrapped around it. The wrapper 22 may also be the tobacco sheet 1 of the present invention.

The filter section 20C has a cylindrical shape. The filter section 20C has a rod-shaped first segment 25 filled with cellulose acetate fiber and a rod-shaped second segment 26 similarly filled with cellulose acetate fiber. The first segment 25 is located on the tobacco segment 20A side. The first segment 25 may have a hollow portion. The second segment 26 is located on the mouthpiece side. The second segment 26 is solid. The first segment 25 is composed of a first filling layer (cellulose acetate fiber) 25a and an inner plug wrapper 25b wound around the first filling layer 25a. The second segment 26 is composed of a second filling layer (cellulose acetate fiber) 26a and an inner plug wrapper 26b wound around the second filling layer 26a. The first segment 25 and the second segment 26 are connected by an outer plug wrapper 27. The outer plug wrapper 27 is adhered to the first segment 25 and the second segment 26 by a vinyl acetate emulsion adhesive or the like.

The length of the filter portion 20C can be, for example, 10 to 30 mm, the length of the connecting portion 20B can be, for example, 10 to 30 mm, the length of the first segment 25 can be, for example, 5 to 15 mm, and the length of the second segment 26 can be, for example, 5 to 15 mm. These lengths of each segment are merely examples and can be changed as appropriate depending on manufacturing suitability, required quality, the length of the tobacco segment 20A, etc.

For example, the first segment 25 (center hole segment) is composed of a first filling layer 25a having one or more hollow portions, and an inner plug wrapper 25b that covers the first filling layer 25a. The first segment 25 has the function of increasing the strength of the second segment 26. The first filling layer 25a of the first segment 25 is densely packed with, for example, cellulose acetate fibers. A plasticizer containing triacetin is added to the cellulose acetate fibers in an amount of, for example, 6 to 20% by mass relative to the mass of the cellulose acetate, and the fibers are hardened. The hollow portion of the first segment 25 has an inner diameter of, for example, φ1.0 to φ5.0 mm.

The first packed layer 25a of the first segment 25 may be, for example, constructed with a relatively high fiber packing density, or may be equivalent to the fiber packing density of the second packed layer 26a of the second segment 26 described later. For this reason, during inhalation, air or aerosol flows only through the hollow portion, and almost no air or aerosol flows through the first packed layer 25a. For example, if it is desired to reduce the loss of aerosol components due to filtration in the second segment 26, the length of the second segment 26 can be shortened, and the first segment 25 can be lengthened accordingly.

Replacing the shortened second segment 26 with the first segment 25 is effective in increasing the amount of aerosol components delivered. Since the first filling layer 25a of the first segment 25 is a fiber-filled layer, the feel from the outside during use does not cause discomfort to the user.

The second segment 26 is composed of a second packed layer 26a and an inner plug wrapper 26b that covers the second packed layer 26a. The second segment 26 (filter segment) is packed with cellulose acetate fibers at a typical density and has typical filtering performance for filtering aerosol components.

The filtering performance for filtering the aerosol (mainstream smoke) emitted from the tobacco segment 20A may be different between the first segment 25 and the second segment 26. At least one of the first segment 25 and the second segment 26 may contain a flavoring. The structure of the filter portion 20C is arbitrary, and may be a structure having multiple segments as described above, or may be composed of a single segment. The filter portion 20C may also be composed of one segment. In this case, the filter portion 20C may be composed of either the first segment or the second segment.

The connecting part 20B has a cylindrical shape. The connecting part 20B has a paper tube 23 formed into a cylindrical shape using, for example, cardboard. The connecting part 20B may be filled with a cooling material for cooling the aerosol. An example of the cooling material is a sheet of a polymer such as polylactic acid, which can be folded and filled. Furthermore, a support part for suppressing the position of the tobacco segment 20A from fluctuating may be provided between the tobacco segment 20A and the connecting part 20B. The support part may be made of a known material such as a center hole filter like the first segment 25.

The wrapper 28 is wrapped around the tobacco segment 20A, the connecting portion 20B, and the filter portion 20C in a cylindrical shape to integrally connect them. A vinyl acetate emulsion adhesive is applied to the entire or nearly entire surface of one side (inner surface) of the wrapper 28, except for the vicinity of the ventilation hole portion 24. The multiple ventilation hole portions 24 are formed by laser processing from the outside after the tobacco segment 20A, the connecting portion 20B, and the filter portion 20C are integrated by the wrapper 28.

The ventilation hole section 24 has two or more through holes penetrating the connecting section 20B in the thickness direction. The two or more through holes are formed so as to be radially arranged when viewed from an extension line of the central axis of the flavor inhalation article 20. In this embodiment, the ventilation hole section 24 is provided in the connecting section 20B, but may be provided in the filter section 20C. In this embodiment, the two or more through holes of the ventilation hole section 24 are arranged in one row at a certain interval on one ring, but may be arranged in two rows at a certain interval on two rings, or one or two rows of the ventilation hole section 24 may be arranged discontinuously or irregularly. When a user holds the mouthpiece in his mouth and inhales, outside air is taken into the mainstream smoke through the ventilation hole section 24. However, the ventilation hole section 24 may not be provided.

[Example 1]
Tobacco leaves were pulverized using a grinder (ACM-5, manufactured by Hosokawa Micron) to obtain leaf tobacco particles with a D90 of 400 μm. D90 was measured using a Mastersizer (manufactured by Malvern). Leaf tobacco particles and Sunrose F20HC (cellulose ether, manufactured by Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.) as a binder were dry-blended using a mixer. Next, glycerin as an aerosol-generating base material and water as a medium were added to the dry blend, and the mixture was mixed in a mixer to prepare a wet powder. The composition of each component is shown in Table 1.

The wet powder was kneaded six times at room temperature using a kneader (Dalton, DG-1) to obtain a mixture. The die shape was circular and rectangular, and the screw rotation speed was 60 rpm.

The wet powder was sandwiched between two Teflon (registered trademark) films (NITOFLON(R) No. 900UL, manufactured by Nitto Denko Corporation) and rolled in four stages using a calendaring device (manufactured by Yuri Roll Machinery Co., Ltd.) until the desired thickness (over 100 μm) was reached, producing a 250 μm-thick laminate with a layered structure of film/wet sheet/film. The roll gaps for the first to fourth stages were 1100 μm, 500 μm, 300 μm, and 200 μm, respectively. The roll gap for the fourth stage was thicker than the thickness of the final sheet, because the sheet, released from the pressure between the rollers, expanded to nearly the final thickness.

One Teflon (registered trademark) film was peeled off from the laminate and dried at 80°C for 1 to 2 minutes using a forced air dryer. The other film was then peeled off and the wet sheet was dried under the same conditions to produce and evaluate the tobacco sheet of the present invention.

In the weight of wet powder in Table 1, the tobacco leaf grinding material, glycerin, and binder indicate the dry weight, while the water indicates the total weight of the charge and the weight of water contained in the tobacco leaf grinding material, glycerin, and binder.

[Examples 2 and 3]
Tobacco sheets were produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, except that leaf tobacco particles having a D90 of 600 μm and 800 μm, respectively, were used.

[Comparative Examples 1 and 2]
Tobacco sheets were produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, except that leaf tobacco particles having a D90 of 80 μm and 200 μm, respectively, were used.

[Example 4]
A tobacco sheet was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, except that leaf tobacco particles having a D90 of 200 μm were used and the weight ratio of water in the wet powder was 50 WB weight %.

[Comparative Examples 3 and 4]
Tobacco sheets were produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1, except that leaf tobacco particles with a D90 of 200 μm were used and the weight percentages of water in the wet powder were set to 30 and 40 WB weight%, respectively. The results are shown in Table 3. The "amount of water in the wet powder" in Table 3 corresponds to the amount of water in the weight percentage in the wet powder in Table 1.

[Example 5 and Comparative Example 5]
Tobacco sheets having sheet densities of 0.75 g/ ^cm3 and 0.96 g/ ^cm3 (Example 5) and a tobacco sheet having a sheet density of 1.19 g/ ^cm3 (Comparative Example 5) were produced by a casting method according to a conventional method. A smoking test was carried out using the obtained tobacco sheets, and it was confirmed that the smoking article using the sheet of Example 5 had a better delivery of flavor components at the initial stage of inhalation than the smoking article using the sheet of Comparative Example 5. From this, it was inferred that the smoking articles using the tobacco sheets obtained in Examples 1 to 3 also had a better delivery of flavor components at the initial stage of inhalation.

The evaluation method is explained below.
[Smoking test]
A non-combustion internal heating smoking system as shown in FIG. 2 was prepared. Then, a Cambridge filter was connected to the end of the mouthpiece. The tobacco sheet prepared in each example was cut to prepare shreds. The shreds were filled at 70% by volume in a wrapper 22 having a length of 12 mm and a diameter of 7 mm to prepare a tobacco segment 20A. The system was subjected to a smoking test using a smoking machine. Specifically, using an automatic smoking machine (R-26 manufactured by Borgwaldt KC Inc.), the sample was automatically smoked under the conditions of a smoke volume of 27.5 ml/sec, a smoking time of 2 sec/puff, a smoking frequency of 2 puffs/min, and 14 puffs, and particulate matter in the tobacco smoke for each puff was collected with a Cambridge filter (CM-133 manufactured by Borgwaldt KC Inc.). The Cambridge filter after the smoking test was shaken in 10 mL of methanol (special grade reagent manufactured by Wako Pure Chemical Industries, Ltd.) to obtain an analysis sample. 1 μL of the resulting analytical sample was placed in a microsyringe and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MSD manufactured by Agilent, GC: 7890A, MS: 5975C).

[density]
The tobacco sheet was cut into 55 mm squares, and the weight (dry weight) was measured to calculate the weight per unit area (basis weight). The thickness was measured using a thickness meter (manufactured by Mitutoyo), and the density was calculated from the basis weight and thickness.

[Example 5A]
The procedure of Example 5 was repeated. That is, a tobacco sheet was produced as follows.
1) Tobacco lamina was pulverized in a laboratory mill to obtain tobacco particles having a raw material particle size D90 = 300 μm.
2) Softwood pulp was crushed in a laboratory mill.
3) These powdered materials were placed in a Ken mixer and mixed.
4) Water, glycerin, and Sunrose F30MC (cellulose ether manufactured by Nippon Paper Industries Co., Ltd.) as a binder were placed in a disperser (manufactured by Primix Co., Ltd.) and mixed for 30 minutes.
5) The pulp was added to this mixture and dispersed for 30 minutes using a disperser (manufactured by Primix).
6) The mixture obtained in 5) above was cast onto an iron plate.
7) The iron plate on which the cast film was formed was placed in a forced-air dryer set at 80° C., and after drying for 30 minutes, the film was peeled off from the iron plate to obtain a tobacco sheet.

In the wet powder weights in Table 2, the tobacco leaf grinding material, glycerin, and binder indicate the dry weights, while water indicates the total weight of the feed weight and the weight of water contained in the tobacco leaf grinding material, glycerin, and binder.

[Example 6]
A tobacco sheet was produced and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 5A, except that tobacco leaf particles having a D90 of 80 μm were used. The results are shown in Table 3.

1. Tobacco sheet 1c. Cut pieces of tobacco sheet

10 heating device 11 body 12 heater

20 Non-combustion heating type flavor inhalation article 20A Tobacco segment 20B Connection part 20C Filter part

21 Tobacco sheet or material derived therefrom 22 Wrapper 23 Paper tube 24 Vent portion 25 First segment 25a First filling layer 25b Inner plug wrapper 26 Second segment 26a Second filling layer 26b Inner plug wrapper 27 Outer plug wrapper 28 Wrapper

Claims (8)

A wet powder containing tobacco particles having a D90 of 400 μm or more and a liquid medium, the wet powder having a moisture content of 50% by weight or more.
The density is 1.0 g/cm3 or ^less .
Pressure-formed tobacco sheets. 2. The sheet of claim 1 comprising tobacco particles having a D90 of 500 μm or more. A non-combustion heating type smoking article comprising the tobacco sheet according to claim 1 or a material derived therefrom. Step 1: preparing a mixture by kneading at least tobacco particles, a binder, and a medium;
Step 2 is extruding the mixture through a press or die to prepare a wet sheet; and Step 3 is drying the wet sheet.
The method for producing a pressure-molded tobacco sheet according to claim 1 or 2 , comprising: The method of claim 4 , wherein the medium comprises water. The method according to claim 4 or 5 , wherein step 2 includes preparing a laminate sheet in which a wet sheet is present between two substrate films. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6 , wherein step 1 comprises kneading at least a tobacco material, a binder, and a medium in a single-shaft or multi-shaft kneader. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7 , wherein the mixture contains 20 to 80% by weight of the medium based on the total amount of the mixture.