WO2024062588A1 - Decolored tobacco material and method for manufacturing same - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a method for manufacturing a decolored tobacco material, the method including irradiating a tobacco raw material with UV rays to obtain a decolored tobacco material, the tobacco raw material being selected from the group consisting of dried tobacco leaves having an absorbance of 0.1 or greater with respect to 665-nm light in a diluent obtained when extraction is carried out using ethanol at a solid/liquid ratio of 1:5 and the resultant ethanol liquid extract is diluted by a factor of 40, and liquid extracts of the dried tobacco leaves.

Description

Decolorized tobacco material and its manufacturing method

The present invention relates to a decolorized tobacco material and a method for producing the same.

The leaves of tobacco plants undergo processing steps such as drying and subsequent ripening to become dried tobacco leaves, which are used as a flavor source for tobacco products such as cigarettes, heated tobacco, and oral tobacco. Dried tobacco leaves are referred to in the art as "leaf tobacco." Leaf tobacco contains various flavor components. Leaf tobacco may be used as it is as a flavor source for tobacco products, or tobacco flavor components may be extracted from leaf tobacco and the resulting tobacco extract may be used as a flavor source for tobacco products (for example, Patent Document 1 ).

The leaves of tobacco plants exhibit a green color, but the green component (i.e. chlorophyll) is lost during the processing process, and various pigment-causing components such as brown-causing components are newly produced, resulting in a yellowed or yellowed color. Shows brown color. Since tobacco extract is an extract of leaf tobacco, it exhibits the same color as leaf tobacco.

Leaf tobacco and tobacco extract may be visible to users when using tobacco products, such as when replacing cartridges containing these flavor sources. In addition, leaf tobacco and tobacco extracts can cause brown stains on materials surrounding these flavor sources (eg, wrapping paper and nonwoven fabrics). For this reason, it is preferable for leaf tobacco to be close to colorless (that is, colorless and transparent or white) in terms of appearance, and it is preferable for tobacco extract to be close to colorless and transparent in terms of appearance.

Japan Special Table No. 2019-513353

An object of the present invention is to provide a decolorized tobacco material.

According to the first aspect,
Dried tobacco leaves that are extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5 and have an absorbance of 0.1 or more for light at 665 nm of the diluted liquid obtained when the obtained ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol, and A method for producing a bleached tobacco material is provided, which comprises obtaining a bleached tobacco material by irradiating a tobacco raw material selected from the group consisting of the above dried tobacco leaf extract with ultraviolet rays.

According to a second aspect, there is provided the method according to the first aspect, wherein the tobacco raw material is the dried tobacco leaf.
According to a third aspect, there is provided the method according to the first aspect, wherein the tobacco raw material is an extract of the dried tobacco leaf.

According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a bleached tobacco material which is bleached dried tobacco leaves obtained by the method according to the second aspect.
According to a fifth aspect, there is provided a bleached tobacco material which is a bleached tobacco extract obtained by the method according to the third aspect.

According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a tobacco product comprising the bleached tobacco material according to the fourth aspect.
According to a seventh aspect, there is provided a tobacco product comprising the bleached tobacco material according to the fifth aspect.

According to the eighth aspect, there is provided a recycled tobacco material containing the bleached tobacco material according to the fifth aspect and tobacco residue.

According to the ninth aspect:
Dried tobacco leaves that are extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5 and have an absorbance of 665 nm light of 0.1 or more of the diluted solution obtained when the obtained ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol, and a method for decolorizing a tobacco raw material, which comprises irradiating a tobacco raw material selected from the group consisting of the extract of the dried tobacco leaf with ultraviolet rays.

According to the present invention, a bleached tobacco material is provided.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing a method for producing decolorized dried tobacco leaves. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing a method for producing a decolorized tobacco extract. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a heated flavor inhaler. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the power supply unit in the heated flavor inhaler of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the heated flavor inhaler of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the main part configuration of the power supply unit in the heating type flavor inhaler of FIG. 3. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the absorbance of the ethanol extract of dried tobacco leaves before and after UV irradiation. FIG. 8 is a graph showing the relationship between ultraviolet irradiation time and absorbance of dried tobacco leaf extract. FIG. 9 is a graph showing the effect of cooling on ultraviolet irradiation.

The present inventor attempted to decolorize conventional dried tobacco leaves called leaf tobacco by irradiating them with ultraviolet rays, but was unable to decolorize the dried tobacco leaves. This is thought to be because conventionally dried tobacco leaves exhibit a yellowed or brown color and contain various browning-causing components, making it difficult to completely remove these various browning-causing components. It will be done. Therefore, the present inventor prepared dried tobacco leaves that maintain the green component of leaves of tobacco plants but do not produce many components that cause browning, and irradiated the dried tobacco leaves with ultraviolet rays. It has been found that tobacco leaves can be effectively decolorized. The present inventor has completed the present invention based on this discovery.

The present invention will be described in detail below, but the following description is intended to explain the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Furthermore, the following description is a more specific embodiment of one of the above aspects, and the items described below can be incorporated into each of the above aspects, either alone or in combination.

<1> Method for producing bleached tobacco material The method for producing bleached tobacco material is as follows:
Dried tobacco leaves that are extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5 and have an absorbance of 0.1 or more for light at 665 nm of the diluted liquid obtained when the obtained ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol, and irradiating a tobacco raw material selected from the group consisting of the extract of the dried tobacco leaves with ultraviolet rays to obtain a decolorized tobacco material.

"Decolorized tobacco material" refers to tobacco material that has lost its green color. The process of losing green color occurs as green color changes to yellow-green, yellow, and colorless (i.e., colorless and transparent or white). Therefore, "decolorized tobacco material" refers to tobacco material that has lost its green color and has changed from yellowish-green to colorless, preferably from yellow to colorless. "Yellow-green to colorless" includes yellow-green close to yellow, yellow, pale yellow (i.e., light yellow), and ivory (i.e., yellowish white). Furthermore, "yellow to colorless" includes pale yellow (that is, pale yellow) and ivory (that is, yellowish white). The color of the "decolorized tobacco material" varies depending on the degree of decolorization, but examples include yellow-green, yellow, pale yellow (i.e., pale yellow), ivory (i.e., yellowish white), and colorless (i.e., colorless and transparent). or white).

When "dried tobacco leaves" are used as tobacco raw materials in the method for producing bleached tobacco materials, "bleached dried tobacco leaves" are obtained as the bleached tobacco materials. On the other hand, when a "dried tobacco leaf extract" is used as a tobacco raw material in a method for producing a bleached tobacco material, a "bleached tobacco extract" is obtained as a bleached tobacco material. In other words, "bleached tobacco material" includes "bleached dried tobacco leaves" obtained by bleaching dried tobacco leaves, and "bleached tobacco extract liquid obtained by bleaching the extract of dried tobacco leaves." ” is included.

Hereinafter, the case where "dried tobacco leaves" are used as the tobacco raw material will be explained as the method according to the first embodiment, and the case where "dried tobacco leaf extract" is used as the tobacco raw material will be explained as the method according to the second embodiment. explain.

<1-1> Method according to the first embodiment The method according to the first embodiment is as follows:
(S1) When the leaves of tobacco plants are dried, and the leaves are thus extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the obtained ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol. preparing "dried tobacco leaves in which the absorbance of the diluted solution obtained in the above method for light at 665 nm is 0.1 or more,"
(S2) irradiating the dried tobacco leaves with ultraviolet rays to obtain decolorized dried tobacco leaves. FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of the method according to the first embodiment.

[Drying process (S1)]
In the drying step (S1), the leaves of the tobacco plant are dried, thereby extracting the dried tobacco leaves with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the resulting ethanol extract is diluted with ethanol 40 times. Prepare dried tobacco leaves whose absorbance to 665 nm light is 0.1 or more when diluted to 665 nm.

The leaves of tobacco plants can be of any variety, such as yellow varieties, burley varieties, orient varieties. The tobacco plant leaves may be of a single variety or a mixture of different varieties.

Tobacco plant leaves refer to leaves harvested from tobacco plants, and their moisture content is, for example, 80% by mass or more, generally 80 to 95% by mass. On the other hand, the dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) have a water content of, for example, 20% by mass or less, generally 5 to 20% by mass. Moisture content (% by mass) refers to the percentage of the total mass of tobacco leaves. The water content can be measured, for example, by GC-TCD (gas chromatograph-thermal conductivity detector).

Tobacco plant leaves are green immediately after harvesting. The extract (e.g., ethanol extract) obtained by extracting the green components from these tobacco plant leaves immediately after harvesting also has a green color. When this extract is irradiated with visible light (e.g., light with a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm) and its spectrum is obtained, it shows an absorption peak near 665 nm, and when tobacco plant leaves are extracted with ethanol in a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5 and the resulting ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol, the diluted solution has an absorbance of 0.3 to 1.0 for light at 665 nm.

Immediately after harvesting, leaves of tobacco plants usually have an a ^* value of about -9 to -1.5, expressed using the L ^* a ^* b ^* method. However, if leaves of tobacco plants are left unattended after harvesting, the green components present in the leaves of tobacco plants decrease over time, causing them to gradually turn yellow. Therefore, in the drying step (S1), the leaves of the tobacco plants are leaves of tobacco plants that have not yet turned yellow or leaves of tobacco plants that have a very low degree of yellowing, that is, leaves of tobacco plants that have almost no green color immediately after being harvested. It is preferable to use retained leaves. That is, in the drying step (S1), tobacco plant leaves exhibit an absorption peak near 665 nm when a spectrum is obtained by irradiating the extract obtained by extracting green components from the leaves with visible light; , when tobacco plant leaves are extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the resulting ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol, the absorbance of the diluted solution for light at 665 nm is 0.3 to 1. 1.0" is preferably used. Further, in the drying step (S1), it is preferable to use tobacco plant leaves having an a ^* value of −9 to −1.5 expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method.

The tobacco plant leaves to be subjected to the drying step (S1) may be harvested tobacco plant leaves, or may be the mesophyll portion obtained by removing the backbone from the tobacco plant leaves after harvesting (i.e. lamina), the leaves of tobacco plants may be compressed to remove water after harvesting, or the leaves of tobacco plants may be refrigerated or frozen.

It is preferable that the drying in the drying step (S1) be carried out under conditions in which leaves of tobacco plants are less likely to yellow. Drying in the drying step (S1) can be performed, for example, by drying the tobacco plant leaves until the moisture content becomes 20% by mass or less in a drying time of 72 hours or less. Drying can be carried out until the moisture content of the tobacco plant leaves reaches, for example, 5 to 20% by mass. Drying can be carried out, for example, with a drying time of 60 to 72 hours. The method of drying is not particularly limited, and examples include blow drying, freeze drying, heat drying, or a combination thereof.

More specifically, the leaves of tobacco plants are dried at a dry bulb temperature of 35°C and a wet bulb temperature of 29°C for 10 to 14 hours (fermentation stage), and then dried at a dry bulb temperature of 45 to 50°C and a wet bulb temperature of 29°C. Dry for 20 to 26 hours at a bulb temperature of 32 to 34°C (color gloss fixation period), then dry for 30 to 36 hours at a dry bulb temperature of 55 to 70°C and a wet bulb temperature of 37°C (bone drying period). This can be done by In this case as well, drying is preferably carried out for a total drying time of 72 hours or less until the tobacco plant leaves have a moisture content of 20% by mass or less.

When such a drying step (S1) is carried out, "dry tobacco leaves are extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the obtained ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol. It is possible to obtain "dried tobacco leaves" in which the absorbance of the diluted solution for light at 665 nm is 0.1 or more. Here, "extracting with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5" refers to extracting dried tobacco leaves with ethanol in a volume (mL) five times the mass (g) of the dried tobacco leaves.

"The absorbance for light at 665 nm is 0.1 or more" means that the diluted liquid to be measured exhibits a green color. The green color of the diluted solution is due to the green color of the ethanol extract before dilution. Furthermore, the green color of the diluted liquid and ethanol extract is due to the green component of dried tobacco leaves. Therefore, if dry tobacco leaves are extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5 and the resulting ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol, the absorbance of the diluted liquid for light at 665 nm is 0.1 or higher refers to dried tobacco leaves that maintain at least some degree of green color of the leaves of the tobacco plant.

That is, the drying step (S1) makes it possible to obtain dried tobacco leaves that maintain at least some of the green color of the leaves of the tobacco plant, rather than the conventional dried tobacco leaves that exhibit a yellowed or brown color. This is because most of the green components (i.e. chlorophyll) contained in the leaves of tobacco plants remain in the dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying process (S1), and the components that cause browning are not produced as much during the drying process. . When the dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) are irradiated with visible light (for example, light with a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm) of the extract obtained by extracting the green component from the dried tobacco leaves, a spectroscopic spectrum is obtained. It can show an absorption peak around 665 nm.

The larger the value of absorbance for light at 665 nm (hereinafter also referred to as "absorbance at 665 nm"), the stronger the green color becomes. "Absorbance at 665 nm of the diluted liquid obtained when the dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) are extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the obtained ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol. A ₁ '' is, for example, 0.1 or more, preferably 0.2 or more. The upper limit of the absorbance _A1 is, for example, 1.0.

In this specification, "absorbance A of a diluted liquid obtained when dry tobacco leaves are extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5 and the obtained ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol" ₁ '' refers to the value measured by the following method. That is, powder is prepared by grinding dried tobacco leaves into a mesh size of 1 to 2 mm using a grinder, and the powder is extracted with 5 ml of 100 volume % ethanol per 1 g of powder to prepare an ethanol extract. Then, the ethanol extract is diluted 40 times, and the absorbance of the resulting diluted solution at 665 nm is measured using a spectrophotometer. Extraction with ethanol can be performed by immersing the powder in ethanol at 20° C. for 60 minutes. As a spectrophotometer, for example, an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer UV-1800 (Shimadzu Corporation) can be used.

In a preferred embodiment, the absorbance A 2 of the diluted solution obtained when the ethanol extract is diluted 200 times with ethanol, that is, the absorbance A _{2 of the diluted solution obtained when the above-mentioned ethanol extract is diluted 200 times with ethanol, that is, the absorbance A 2} of the diluted solution obtained when the above-mentioned ethanol extract is diluted 200 times with ethanol, that is, the absorbance A 2 of the diluted solution obtained when the above-mentioned ethanol extract is diluted 200 times with ethanol, that is, “the dry tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) is When extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio and the obtained ethanol extract is diluted 200 times with ethanol, the diluted solution has an absorbance A ₂ of 665 nm of light of, for example, 0.1 or more, preferably It is 0.2 or more. The upper limit of the absorbance _A2 is, for example, 1.0. The above-mentioned absorbance _A2 can be obtained according to the same procedure as the above-mentioned absorbance _A1 except that the dilution ratio is changed to 200 times.

"Extract with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and dilute the obtained ethanol extract 40 times with ethanol. The absorbance _A1 of the diluted solution for light at 665 nm is 0.1 or more. The a ^* value of "tobacco leaf" expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method is preferably 1.0 or less. A method for obtaining dried tobacco leaves having an a ^* value of 1.0 or less expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method is described in Morioka Tobacco Experiment Station Report No. 14, 17-30, 1980.

The smaller the a ^* value expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method, the stronger the green color. The a ^* value of the dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) is, for example, 1.0 or less, and preferably -2.0 or less. The lower limit of the a ^* value of the dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) is, for example, -20 or more. The L ^* a ^* b ^* method refers to a method of quantifying color using the L ^* a ^* b ^* color system standardized by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) and adopted in JIS Z8781-4.

As used herein, the a ^* value of dried tobacco leaves refers to a value measured by the following method. That is, sample powder is prepared by pulverizing dried tobacco leaves into a mesh size of 1 to 2 mm using a pulverizer, and the color of the sample powder is measured using a spectrophotometer. As a spectrophotometer, for example, CM3700A (KONICA MINOLTA, INC.) can be used. For color measurement, sample powder is placed in a glass container with a layer thickness of 1 cm, and standard light (standard illuminant for color measurement D65, CIE, ISO reference light) is applied from the bottom of the container, and the reflected light is measured (reflected color measurement). / Specular reflection elimination method (SCE)).

The dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) have a b ^* value expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method, for example, from 10 to 50, preferably from 15 to 40. The dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) have an L ^* value expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method, for example, from 10 to 70, preferably from 20 to 55. The b ^* and L ^* values of dried tobacco leaves can be measured in the same manner as the a ^* values of dried tobacco leaves.

[Ultraviolet ray irradiation step (S2)]
In the ultraviolet irradiation step (S2), the dried tobacco leaves prepared in the drying step (S1) (i.e., dried tobacco leaves which have been extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the resulting ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol, resulting in a diluted solution having an absorbance of 0.1 or more for light at 665 nm) are irradiated with ultraviolet light to obtain decolorized dried tobacco leaves.

As the dried tobacco leaves for irradiation with ultraviolet rays, the dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) (for example, lamina) may be used as they are, or the dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) ( For example, a pulverized product obtained by pulverizing a lamina) may be used.

The ultraviolet rays irradiated to the dried tobacco leaves are ultraviolet rays having any wavelength within the range of 10 to 400 nm, such as UV-A (wavelength 315 to 400 nm), UV-B (wavelength 280 to 315 nm), or UV-B (wavelength 280 to 315 nm). C (wavelength: 100 to 280 nm). Preferably, the ultraviolet light has a wavelength of 315 to 400 nm. In this specification, the wavelength of ultraviolet light refers to the peak wavelength of the emission spectrum. Ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 315 to 400 nm can efficiently decolorize dried tobacco leaves.

The irradiation with ultraviolet rays is preferably carried out so that the entire dried tobacco leaf prepared in the drying step (S1) is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet irradiation can be carried out, for example, at an ultraviolet intensity of 1 to 200 mW/cm ² , preferably 3 to 20 mW/cm ² , for 5 to 720 minutes, preferably 30 to 360 minutes.

If the temperature of the dried tobacco leaves increases due to ultraviolet irradiation, it is preferable that the ultraviolet rays be irradiated while cooling the dried tobacco leaves. The ultraviolet irradiation can be carried out while maintaining the temperature of the dried tobacco leaves at, for example, 2 to 50°C, preferably 2 to 20°C. When the dried tobacco leaves are irradiated with ultraviolet light while being cooled, it is possible to suppress the generation of components that cause browning in the dried tobacco leaves (see FIG. 9).

The ultraviolet irradiation step (S2) allows the green components in the dried tobacco leaves to disappear (see FIG. 7), and decolorized dried tobacco leaves are obtained. As mentioned above, "bleached dried tobacco leaves" refers to dried tobacco leaves that have lost their green color. The process of losing green color occurs as green color changes to yellow-green, yellow, and colorless (i.e., colorless and transparent or white). Therefore, "bleached dried tobacco leaves" refers to dried tobacco leaves that have lost their green color and have changed from yellow-green to colorless, preferably from yellow to colorless. The color of "bleached dried tobacco leaves" varies depending on the degree of bleaching, but examples include yellow-green, yellow, pale yellow (i.e., light yellow), ivory (i.e., yellowish white), colorless (i.e. , colorless and transparent or white).

<1-2> Method according to the second embodiment The method according to the second embodiment is as follows:
(S1) When the leaves of tobacco plants are dried, and the leaves are thus extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the obtained ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol. preparing "dried tobacco leaves in which the absorbance of the diluted solution obtained in the above method for light at 665 nm is 0.1 or more,"
(S3) extracting a green component from the dried tobacco leaves to obtain an extract of the dried tobacco leaves;
(S4) irradiating the dried tobacco leaf extract with ultraviolet rays to obtain a decolorized tobacco extract. FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the method according to the second embodiment.

[Drying process (S1)]
In the drying step (S1), the leaves of the tobacco plant are dried, thereby extracting the dried tobacco leaves with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the resulting ethanol extract is diluted with ethanol 40 times. Prepare dried tobacco leaves whose absorbance to 665 nm light is 0.1 or more when diluted to 665 nm. The drying step (S1) can be performed in the same manner as the drying step (S1) described in the method according to the first embodiment.

[Extraction step (S3)]
In the extraction step (S3), the dried tobacco leaves prepared in the drying step (S1) (i.e., extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the obtained ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol) The green component is extracted from the dried tobacco leaves (in which the diluted solution has an absorbance of 0.1 or more for light at 665 nm) to obtain a dried tobacco leaf extract. In the extraction step (S3), in addition to the green component contained in the dried tobacco leaf, other components contained in the dried tobacco leaf (for example, tobacco flavor components) are also extracted at the same time.

As the extraction solvent, a solvent that can extract the green component (i.e. chlorophyll) can be used. The extraction solvent is, for example, a solvent containing alcohol, where the volume percentage of alcohol in the solvent is, for example, 30 to 100% by volume. The extraction solvent is, for example, a solvent containing ethanol, where the volume percentage of ethanol in the solvent is, for example, 50 to 100% by volume. As extraction solvent preferably 100% by volume ethanol can be used. Note that in this specification, the term "ethanol" refers to 100% by volume ethanol.

When a solvent containing alcohol is used as the extraction solvent, the green component (i.e. chlorophyll) can be efficiently extracted.

In the extraction step (S3), the dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) (for example, lamina) may be used as they are, or the dried tobacco leaves obtained in the drying step (S1) ( For example, a pulverized product obtained by pulverizing a lamina) may be used. When pulverized tobacco leaves are used as dried tobacco leaves, the extraction efficiency of green components (ie, chlorophyll) can be increased.

The extraction solvent can be used, for example, in an amount of 100 to 2000% by mass based on the dried tobacco leaves. Extraction is carried out, for example, by immersing dried tobacco leaves in an extraction solvent at 2 to 30°C for 30 to 180 minutes, or by shaking dried tobacco leaves in an extraction solvent at 2 to 30°C for 5 to 60 minutes. be able to.

In addition, the extraction may be performed by repeating the extraction operation several times. Specifically, the green components are extracted from the dried tobacco leaves with an extraction solvent, and then the obtained tobacco residue is placed in a new extraction solvent to perform a second extraction operation, and if necessary, the extraction operation is further repeated with the new extraction solvent.

The extraction yields a mixture of dried tobacco leaf extract and tobacco residue. After extraction, the dried tobacco leaf extract and tobacco residue are separated, and the dried tobacco leaf extract is transferred to an ultraviolet irradiation step (S4).

The dried tobacco leaf extract is obtained by extracting green components from dried tobacco leaves, so it exhibits the same green color as that of dried tobacco leaves. Therefore, the extract of dried tobacco leaves is preferably an extract obtained by extracting dried tobacco leaves with ethanol (ie, an ethanol extract). Extraction with ethanol can be performed using the above-mentioned extraction conditions.

When the ethanol extract of dried tobacco leaves is diluted so that the amount of ethanol per 1 g of dried tobacco leaves used for extraction is 200 mL, the absorbance of the obtained diluted solution to light at 665 nm is, for example, 0.1 or more. be. Here, "diluted so that the amount of ethanol per gram of dried tobacco leaves used for extraction is 200 mL" means that the dried tobacco leaves are diluted with ethanol in a volume (mL) five times the mass (g) of the dried tobacco leaves. When extracted with ethanol, it refers to diluting the ethanol extract 40 times with ethanol. When the ethanol extract of dried tobacco leaves and its diluted solution are irradiated with visible light (for example, light with a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm) and a spectroscopic spectrum is obtained, it can show an absorption peak around 665 nm.

As mentioned above, the larger the value of absorbance for light at 665 nm (hereinafter also referred to as "absorbance at 665 nm"), the stronger the green color becomes. When the ethanol extract of dried tobacco leaves is diluted so that the amount of ethanol per 1 g of dried tobacco leaves used for extraction is 200 mL, the absorbance of the obtained diluted solution at 665 nm is preferably 0.2 or more, and more Preferably it is 0.3 or more. The upper limit of the absorbance of the diluted solution at 665 nm is, for example, 1.0.

As mentioned above, the absorbance at 665 nm can be measured using a spectrophotometer. For example, an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer UV-1800 (Shimadzu Corporation) can be used as the spectrophotometer.

The extract having an absorbance of 0.1 or more for light at 665 nm preferably has an a ^* value of 1.0 or less as expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method. The a ^* value of the dried tobacco leaf extract is preferably -2.0 or less. The lower limit of the a ^* value of dried tobacco leaves is, for example, −20 or more.

Furthermore, the b ^* value of the dried tobacco leaf extract expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method is, for example, 10 to 50, preferably 15 to 40. The dried tobacco leaf extract has an L ^* value expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method, for example, from 10 to 70, preferably from 20 to 55.

The a ^* value, b ^* value, and L value of the dried tobacco leaf extract can be measured in the same manner as the a ^* value, b ^* value, and L value of the dried tobacco leaf.

On the other hand, the tobacco residue obtained in this process is mixed with the final "bleached tobacco extract," and the resulting mixture is appropriately processed to produce tobacco filler (hereinafter also referred to as recycled tobacco material). ) can be created. For example, the tobacco residue may be mixed with the finally obtained "decolorized tobacco extract," and a tobacco molded article such as a sheet cigarette may be produced from the resulting mixture. Alternatively, the tobacco residue may be mixed with the finally obtained "bleached tobacco extract," and the resulting mixture may be dried and ground to produce tobacco powder.

[Ultraviolet irradiation step (S4)]
In the ultraviolet irradiation step (S4), the "dried tobacco leaf extract" obtained in the extraction step (S3) is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to obtain a decolorized tobacco extract. The ultraviolet irradiation step (S4) is performed in the same manner as the ultraviolet irradiation step (S2) described in the method according to the first embodiment, except that the extract of dried tobacco leaves is irradiated with ultraviolet rays instead of the dried tobacco leaves. be able to.

The irradiation with ultraviolet rays is preferably carried out so that the entire extract of dried tobacco leaves is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet irradiation can be carried out, for example, at an ultraviolet intensity of 1 to 200 mW/cm ² , preferably 3 to 20 mW/cm ² , for 5 to 120 minutes, preferably 15 to 60 minutes.

When the extract of dried tobacco leaves is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the entire tobacco material can be irradiated with ultraviolet rays more efficiently than when the dried tobacco leaves are irradiated with ultraviolet rays (the method according to the first embodiment). Therefore, when the extract of dried tobacco leaves is irradiated with ultraviolet rays, the tobacco material can be decolorized in a shorter irradiation time than when the dried tobacco leaves are irradiated with ultraviolet rays (the method according to the first embodiment).

Through the ultraviolet irradiation step (S4), the green component in the dried tobacco leaf extract can be eliminated (see FIG. 8), and a decolorized tobacco extract can be obtained. As mentioned above, "decolorized tobacco extract" refers to tobacco extract from which the green color has been removed. The process of losing green color occurs as green color changes to yellow-green, yellow, and colorless (i.e., colorless and transparent or white). Therefore, "decolorized tobacco extract" refers to a tobacco extract that has lost its green color and has changed from yellowish-green to colorless, preferably from yellow to colorless. The color of "decolorized tobacco extract" varies depending on the degree of decolorization, but examples include yellow-green, yellow, pale yellow (i.e., light yellow), ivory (i.e., yellowish white), colorless (i.e. , colorless and transparent or white).

Note that the decolorized tobacco extract contains various tobacco flavor components, just as the extract of dried tobacco leaves contains various tobacco flavor components.

If the temperature of the dried tobacco leaf extract increases due to ultraviolet irradiation, it is preferable that the ultraviolet rays be irradiated while cooling the dried tobacco leaf extract. The ultraviolet irradiation can be carried out while maintaining the temperature of the dried tobacco leaf extract at a temperature of, for example, 2 to 50°C, preferably 2 to 20°C. When the ultraviolet rays are irradiated while cooling the dried tobacco leaf extract, it is possible to suppress the generation of components that cause browning in the dried tobacco leaf extract (see FIG. 9).

[effect]
As described above, according to the method according to the first embodiment, decolorized dried tobacco leaves can be obtained. Moreover, according to the method according to the second embodiment, a decolorized tobacco extract can be obtained. Decolorized dried tobacco leaves and decolorized tobacco extract lose their green color and exhibit a yellowish-green to colorless (i.e., colorless transparent or white) color, preferably yellow to colorless color, and therefore, when incorporated into tobacco products, Preferred for its appearance. In addition, since bleached dry tobacco leaves and bleached tobacco extracts do not contain visible components that cause browning, they are less likely to cause brown stains on surrounding materials (e.g., wrapping paper or non-woven fabric) after storage. .

<2> Another aspect According to another aspect, a bleached tobacco material obtained by the above-mentioned "method for producing bleached tobacco material" is provided. Specifically, decolorized dried tobacco leaves obtained by the method according to the first embodiment are provided. Also provided is a decolorized tobacco extract obtained by the method according to the second embodiment.

According to another aspect, there is provided a recycled tobacco material containing a decolorized tobacco extract obtained by the method according to the second embodiment and tobacco residue. As mentioned above, the recycled tobacco material may be a molded tobacco product such as a sheet tobacco, or may be tobacco powder. Since the recycled tobacco material contains decolorized tobacco extract and tobacco residue with a low content of green components, the green color is removed and the material is yellowish-green to colorless (i.e., colorless and transparent or white), preferably yellow to colorless. can be shown. For this reason, recycled tobacco materials are attractive for their appearance when incorporated into tobacco products, and are less likely to cause brown stains on surrounding materials (for example, wrapping paper or nonwoven fabric) after storage.

Furthermore, the above-mentioned "method for producing a bleached tobacco material" can also be expressed as a method for bleaching a tobacco material that includes the same steps. That is, according to another aspect, when the ethanol extract is extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5 and the resulting ethanol extract is diluted 40 times, the absorbance of the diluted solution for light at 665 nm is 0.1. A method for decolorizing tobacco materials is provided, which includes irradiating a tobacco material selected from the group consisting of the above dried tobacco leaves and an extract of the dried tobacco leaves with ultraviolet rays.

<3> Tobacco Products The above-mentioned "bleached tobacco material" can be incorporated into any tobacco product. Specifically, the above-mentioned "bleached dried tobacco leaf" or the above-mentioned "bleached tobacco extract" can be incorporated into any tobacco product. That is, according to another aspect, a tobacco product is provided that includes the above-described "bleached tobacco material." Specifically, tobacco products containing the above-mentioned "bleached dried tobacco leaf" and tobacco products containing the above-mentioned "bleached tobacco extract" are provided.

Tobacco products include combustible flavor inhalers, heated flavor inhalers, non-heated flavor inhalers, and smokeless tobacco.

A "combustion type flavor inhaler" is a flavor inhaler that provides tobacco flavor to the user by burning tobacco filler (such as shredded tobacco or molded tobacco). Examples of combustion flavor inhalers include cigarettes, pipes, kissels, cigars, or cigarillos.

A "heated flavor inhaler" is a flavor inhaler that provides tobacco flavor to the user by heating the tobacco filler without burning it. As an example of a heated flavor inhaler,
A carbon heat source type flavor inhaler that heats a tobacco filler with the combustion heat of a carbon heat source (for example, see WO 2006/073065);
An electrically heated flavor inhaler comprising a tobacco stick containing a tobacco filler and a heating device for electrically heating the tobacco stick (see e.g. WO 2010/110226); or heating a liquid aerosol source with a heater to form an aerosol. A liquid atomizing flavor inhaler that generates aerosol and inhales flavor derived from tobacco filler (for example, see WO2015/046385)
Examples include.

A "non-heating flavor inhaler" is a flavor inhaler that provides tobacco flavor to the user without burning or heating the tobacco filler. An example of a non-heating flavor inhaler is a non-heating tobacco flavor inhaler (which includes an inhaler main body having an air flow passage through which air is circulated by suction, and tobacco flavor emitting granules disposed within the air flow passage). For example, see WO2012/023515).

"Smokeless tobacco" is a product in which the user puts the product directly into the nasal cavity or oral cavity to enjoy the tobacco flavor. The former are called nasal tobacco products, and the latter are called oral tobacco products. An example of the former is snuff, and an example of the latter is chewing tobacco.

According to a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned "bleached dried tobacco leaf" can be incorporated into an oral tobacco product. That is, according to a preferred embodiment, an oral tobacco product containing the above-mentioned "bleached dried tobacco leaf" is provided. The oral tobacco product may further include a liquid permeable packaging material (e.g., a non-woven pouch) enclosing a tobacco filler comprising the "bleached dry tobacco" described above. Specifically, the oral tobacco product may have a tea bag shape in which the tobacco filler is wrapped in a non-woven pouch.

According to a preferred embodiment, the above-mentioned "bleached tobacco extract" can be incorporated into a flavor inhaler. That is, according to a preferred embodiment, a flavor inhaler is provided that includes the above-mentioned "bleached tobacco extract" and an atomization unit that atomizes the bleached tobacco extract. The flavor aspirator is more preferably a heated flavor aspirator. That is, according to a more preferred embodiment, there is provided a heated flavor inhaler comprising the above-mentioned "bleached tobacco extract" and an atomization unit that heats and atomizes the bleached tobacco extract. Ru.

(Example of heated flavor inhaler)
An example of the heating type flavor inhaler described above will be described below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a heated flavor inhaler. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the power supply unit in the heated flavor inhaler of FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the heated flavor inhaler of FIG. 3. FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the main part configuration of the power supply unit in the heating type flavor inhaler of FIG. 3.

The heated flavor inhaler 1 shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 has a rod shape that extends along a predetermined direction (hereinafter referred to as longitudinal direction A). As shown in FIG. 3, the heating type flavor inhaler 1 includes a power supply unit 10 and a cartridge 20 provided in this order along the longitudinal direction A. The cartridge 20 is removably attachable to the power supply unit 10. In other words, cartridge 20 is replaceable.

(Power supply unit)
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the power supply unit 10 houses a power supply 12, a charger 13, a control section 50, various sensors, etc. inside a cylindrical power supply unit case 11. The power source 12 is a rechargeable secondary battery, preferably a lithium ion secondary battery.

A discharge terminal 41 is provided on the top portion 11a located on one end side (cartridge 20 side) of the power supply unit case 11 in the longitudinal direction A. The discharge terminal 41 is provided so as to protrude from the upper surface of the top portion 11a toward the cartridge 20, and is configured to be electrically connectable to the load 21 of the cartridge 20.

Furthermore, an air supply section 42 that supplies air to the load 21 of the cartridge 20 is provided on the upper surface of the top portion 11a near the discharge terminal 41.

A charging terminal (not shown) that can be electrically connected to an external power source that can charge the power source 12 is provided on the bottom portion 11b located at the other end side of the power supply unit case 11 in the longitudinal direction A (the side opposite to the cartridge 20). will be provided.

Further, on the side surface of the top portion 11a of the power supply unit case 11, an operation section 14 that can be operated by the user is provided. The operation unit 14 is comprised of a button-type switch, a touch panel, etc., and is used to activate/shut off the control unit 50 and various sensors in accordance with the user's intention to use it.

As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 50 includes a charger 13, an operation unit 14, an intake sensor 15 that detects a puff (intake) operation, a voltage sensor 16 that measures the voltage of the power source 12, and a temperature sensor 17 that detects temperature. It is connected to various sensor devices such as the above, and a memory 18 that stores information such as the number of times of puffing operations or the energization time to the load 21, and performs various controls of the heating type flavor inhaler 1. The intake sensor 15 may include a condenser microphone, a pressure sensor, or the like. The control unit 50 is specifically a processor (MCU: microcontroller unit). More specifically, the structure of this processor is an electric circuit that combines circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

(cartridge)
As shown in FIG. 5, the cartridge 20 includes, inside a cylindrical cartridge case 27, a reservoir 23 that stores the above-mentioned "bleached tobacco extract" 22, and atomizes the bleached tobacco extract 22. An electrical load 21, a wick 24 that draws the bleached tobacco extract 22 from the reservoir 23 to the load 21, and an aerosol generated when the bleached tobacco extract 22 is atomized toward the mouthpiece 26A. A flowing aerosol channel 25 is provided.

The reservoir 23 is formed into sections to surround the aerosol channel 25, and stores the "decolorized tobacco extract" described above. A porous body such as a resin web or cotton may be accommodated in the reservoir 23, and the porous body may be impregnated with the decolorized tobacco extract 22. The reservoir 23 may not contain a porous material such as a resin web or cotton, and only the decolorized tobacco extract 22 may be stored therein. In addition to the decolorized tobacco extract 22, the reservoir 23 may also contain additional flavor components (for example, nicotine or fragrance).

The wick 24 is a liquid holding member that draws the decolorized tobacco extract 22 from the reservoir 23 into the load 21 using capillary action, and is made of, for example, glass fiber or porous ceramic.

The load 21 atomizes the decolorized tobacco extract 22 without combustion by the power supplied from the power source 12 through the discharge terminal 41. The load 21 is composed of a heating wire (coil) wound at a predetermined pitch. Note that the load 21 may be any element that can atomize the decolorized tobacco extract 22 and generate an aerosol, such as a heating element or an ultrasonic generator. Examples of the heating element include a heating resistor, a ceramic heater, and an induction heating type heater.

The aerosol flow path 25 is provided on the downstream side of the load 21 and on the center line L of the power supply unit 10.

In the heated flavor inhaler 1, as shown by arrow B in FIG. It passes near the load 21. Load 21 atomizes decolorized tobacco extract 22 drawn or displaced from reservoir 23 by wick 24 . The atomized aerosol flows through the aerosol flow path 25 together with the air flowing in from the air intake port, and is supplied to the suction port 26A.

The suction port 26A is provided with a gas outlet 26B that communicates the internal space of the cartridge case 27 and the external space of the heated flavor inhaler 1. During inhalation, an aerosol containing tobacco flavor components is discharged from the heated flavor inhaler 1 through the gas outlet 26B.

Furthermore, the heating type flavor inhaler 1 is provided with a notification section 45 that notifies various information. The notification section 45 may be composed of a light emitting element, a vibration element, or a sound output element. Furthermore, the notification section 45 may be a combination of two or more of a light emitting element, a vibration element, and a sound output element. Although the notification section 45 may be provided in either the power supply unit 10 or the cartridge 20, it is preferably provided in the power supply unit 10 in order to shorten the lead wire from the power supply 12. For example, the notification section 45 may be provided around the operation section 14, the area around the operation section 14 may be translucent, and the notification section 45 may be configured to emit light using a light emitting element such as an LED.

<4> Preferred Embodiments Preferred embodiments are summarized below.

[A1] Extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and diluted the resulting ethanol extract 40 times. Drying in which the absorbance _A1 of the diluted solution for light at 665 nm is 0.1 or more. A method for producing a bleached tobacco material, the method comprising obtaining a bleached tobacco material by irradiating a tobacco raw material selected from the group consisting of tobacco leaves and an extract of the dried tobacco leaf with ultraviolet rays.

[A2] The method according to [A1], wherein the tobacco raw material is the dried tobacco leaf.
[A3] The method according to [A1], wherein the tobacco raw material is an extract of the dried tobacco leaf.
[A4] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A3], further comprising drying leaves of a tobacco plant to prepare the dried tobacco leaves.

[A5] Dried tobacco leaves are obtained by drying the leaves of tobacco plants, extracting them with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and diluting the resulting ethanol extract 40 times. preparing dried tobacco leaves in which the diluted solution has an absorbance A1 of _0.1 or more for light at 665 nm;
A method for producing bleached dried tobacco leaves, the method comprising irradiating the dried tobacco leaves with ultraviolet rays to obtain bleached dried tobacco leaves.

[A6] Dried tobacco leaves are obtained by drying tobacco plant leaves and extracting them with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and diluting the resulting ethanol extract 40 times. preparing dried tobacco leaves in which the diluted solution has an absorbance A1 of _0.1 or more for light at 665 nm;
extracting a green component from the dried tobacco leaves to obtain an extract of the dried tobacco leaves;
A method for producing a decolorized tobacco extract, the method comprising irradiating the dried tobacco leaf extract with ultraviolet rays to obtain a decolorized tobacco extract.

[A7] The method according to any one of [ _A1 ] to [A6], wherein the absorbance A1 is 0.1 to 1.0.
[A8] The method according to any one of [ _A1 ] to [A7], wherein the absorbance A1 is 0.2 or more, preferably 0.2 to 1.0.
[A9] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A8], wherein the dried tobacco leaves are extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the resulting ethanol extract is diluted ₂₀₀ -fold with ethanol, and the resulting diluted solution has an absorbance A2 at 665 nm of 0.1 or more, preferably 0.1 to 1.0.
[A10] The method according to [A9], wherein the absorbance _A2 is 0.2 or more, preferably 0.2 to 1.0.

[A11] According to any one of [A1] to [A10], the ethanol extract exhibits an absorption peak near 665 nm when a spectroscopic spectrum is obtained by irradiating visible light (for example, light with a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm). the method of.
[A12] The dried tobacco leaf has an a ^* value of 1.0 or less, preferably -2.0 or less, expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method, according to any one of [A1] to [A11]. the method of.
[A13] Any of [A1] to [A12], wherein the dried tobacco leaf has an a ^* value expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method of -20 to 1.0, preferably -20 to -2.0. The method described in (1) above.
[A14] The dried tobacco leaf has a b ^* value of 10 to 50, preferably 15 to 40, expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method, and has an L ^* value of 10, expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method. -70, preferably 20-55, the method according to any one of [A1] to [A13].

[A15] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A14], wherein the dried tobacco leaf has a water content of 20% by mass or less, preferably 5 to 20% by mass.
[A16] Any one of [A1] to [A15], wherein the irradiation is performed while maintaining the temperature of the tobacco raw material (i.e., the dried tobacco leaf or the extract of the dried tobacco leaf) at 2 to 50°C. The method described in.
[A17] Any one of [A1] to [A16], wherein the irradiation is performed while maintaining the temperature of the tobacco raw material (i.e., the dried tobacco leaf or the extract of the dried tobacco leaf) at 2 to 20°C. The method described in.
[A18] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A17], wherein the ultraviolet ray has a wavelength of 315 to 400 nm.

[A19] Any one of [A1] to [A18], wherein the tobacco raw material is the dried tobacco leaf; and the irradiation is performed at an ultraviolet intensity of 1 to 200 mW/cm ² , preferably 3 to 20 mW/cm ² The method described in 1.
[A20] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A19], wherein the tobacco raw material is the dried tobacco leaf; and the irradiation is performed for 5 to 720 minutes, preferably 30 to 360 minutes.
[A21] The tobacco raw material is an extract of the dried tobacco leaf; the irradiation is performed at an ultraviolet intensity of 1 to 200 mW/cm ² , preferably 3 to 20 mW/cm ² [A1] to [A18] The method described in any one of .
[A22] Any one of [A1] to [A18] and [A21], wherein the tobacco raw material is an extract of the dried tobacco leaf; and the irradiation is performed for 5 to 120 minutes, preferably 15 to 60 minutes. The method described in 1.

[A23] Any of [A4] to [A22], wherein the dried tobacco leaves are prepared by drying the tobacco plant leaves to a moisture content of 20% by mass or less in a drying time of 72 hours or less. The method described in (1) above.
[A24] The method according to [A23], wherein the preparation of the dried tobacco leaves is performed by drying the leaves of the tobacco plant to a moisture content of 5 to 20% by mass.
[A25] The method according to [A23] or [A24], wherein the preparation of the dried tobacco leaves is performed by drying the leaves of the tobacco plant for a drying time of 60 to 72 hours.
[A26] The preparation of the dried tobacco leaves involves drying the leaves of the tobacco plant at a dry bulb temperature of 35°C and a wet bulb temperature of 29°C for 10 to 14 hours, and then drying them at a dry bulb temperature of 45 to 50°C and a wet bulb temperature. Any of [A23] to [A25] performed by drying at a temperature of 32 to 34 °C for 20 to 26 hours, and then drying at a dry bulb temperature of 55 to 70 °C and a wet bulb temperature of 37 °C for 30 to 36 hours. The method described in (1) above.

[A27] The method according to any one of [A1] to [A26], wherein the tobacco raw material is an extract of the dried tobacco leaves, preferably an ethanol extract of the dried tobacco leaves.
[A28] When the ethanol extract of the dried tobacco leaves is diluted so that the amount of ethanol per 1 g of dried tobacco leaves used for extraction is 200 mL, the absorbance of the obtained diluted solution for light at 665 nm is 0. .1 or more, preferably 0.1 to 1.0. The method according to [A27].
[A29] The method according to [A28], wherein the absorbance of the diluted liquid is 0.2 or more, preferably 0.2 to 1.0.
[A30] Any one of [A27] to [A29] in which the dried tobacco leaf extract exhibits an absorption peak around 665 nm when the spectrum is obtained by irradiating visible light (for example, light with a wavelength of 400 to 700 nm). The method described in 1.

[A31] Any one of [A27] to [A30], wherein the dried tobacco leaf extract has an a ^* value of 1.0 or less, preferably −2.0 or less, expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method. The method described in 1.
[A32] The dried tobacco leaf extract has an a ^* value of -20 to 1.0, preferably -20 to -2.0, expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method [A27] to [A31] ] The method described in any one of .
[A33] The dried tobacco leaf extract has a b ^* value expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method of 10 to 50, preferably 15 to 40, and has an L ^* value expressed by the L ^* a ^* b ^* method. The method according to any one of [A27] to [A32], wherein the value is 10 to 70, preferably 20 to 55.

[A34] The tobacco raw material is an extract of the dried tobacco leaves; further comprising extracting a green component from the dried tobacco leaves to obtain an extract of the dried tobacco leaves [A1] to [A33] The method described in any one of .
[A35] The method according to [A34], wherein the extraction is performed using a solvent containing alcohol, preferably a solvent containing ethanol, more preferably ethanol as an extraction solvent.
[A36] The method according to [A34] or [A35], wherein the extraction is performed using an extraction solvent in an amount of 100 to 2000% by mass based on the dried tobacco leaves.

[B1] A bleached tobacco material obtained by the method described in any one of [A1] to [A36].
[B2] A tobacco product comprising the bleached tobacco material according to [B1].

[C1] A bleached tobacco material obtained by the method according to any one of [A1] to [A36], wherein the tobacco raw material is the dried tobacco leaf, and the bleached tobacco material is the bleached dried tobacco leaf. Decolorized tobacco material that is tobacco leaves.
[C2] A tobacco product comprising the bleached tobacco material according to [C1].
[C3] The tobacco product according to [C2], which is a smokeless tobacco product, preferably an oral tobacco product.

[D1] A bleached tobacco material obtained by the method according to any one of [A1] to [A36], wherein the tobacco raw material is an extract of the dried tobacco leaf, and the bleached tobacco material is a bleached tobacco material. Decolorized tobacco material that is made from tobacco extract.
[D2] A tobacco product comprising the bleached tobacco material according to [D1].
[D3] A flavor inhaler comprising the bleached tobacco material according to [D1] and an atomization unit that atomizes the bleached tobacco material.
[D4] A heated flavor inhaler comprising the bleached tobacco material according to [D1] and an atomization unit that atomizes the bleached tobacco material.

[E1] A recycled tobacco material comprising the bleached tobacco material according to [D1] and tobacco residue.

[Example 1]
In Example 1, decolorized dried tobacco leaves were prepared and the effect of decolorization was confirmed.

1-1. Preparation of decolorized dried tobacco leaves (i) Drying process Leaves of Burley tobacco plants were left to dry under the following conditions to obtain dried tobacco lamina. Total drying time was 72 hours.
Fermentation period: dry bulb temperature 35°C, wet bulb temperature 29°C, 10 to 14 hours → Subsequent color fixation period: Dry bulb temperature 45 to 50°C, wet bulb temperature 32 to 34°C, 20 to 26 hours → Subsequent Back bone drying period: Dry bulb temperature 55-70℃, wet bulb temperature 37℃, 30-36 hours

Dried tobacco lamina was extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the resulting ethanol extract was diluted 200 times with ethanol. The extraction operation here was performed as described in the Detailed Description of the Invention section. The absorbance of the obtained diluted solution at 665 nm was about 0.15. Note that here, the obtained ethanol extract was diluted 200 times, but if a diluted solution is obtained at a lower dilution rate (for example, 40 times diluted), the absorbance at 665 nm of the diluted solution is greater than 0.15. Show value.

The a ^* value of the dried tobacco lamina was 1.0 or less. The moisture content of the dried tobacco lamina was 20% by mass or less. The dried tobacco lamina was ground with an electric mill to obtain dried tobacco powder.

(ii) Ultraviolet irradiation step The dried tobacco lamina was irradiated with 365 nm ultraviolet rays at an ultraviolet intensity of 10 mW/cm ² for 6 hours to prepare a decolorized tobacco lamina. Further, dried tobacco powder was irradiated with 365 nm ultraviolet rays for 6 hours to prepare decolorized tobacco powder.

1-2. Measurement The dried tobacco powder before UV irradiation and the dried tobacco powder after UV irradiation were each extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5, and the obtained ethanol extract was diluted 200 times with ethanol. The extraction operation here was performed as described in the Detailed Description of the Invention section. The absorbance of the obtained diluted solution was measured using a spectrophotometer. As a spectrophotometer, an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer UV-1800 (Shimadzu Corporation) was used to obtain spectra. The results are shown in FIG.

1-3. Results When observed with the naked eye, the dried tobacco lamina before UV irradiation showed a bright green color, similar to the tobacco lamina before drying, but the dried tobacco lamina after UV irradiation showed a yellow-green to yellow color. Similarly, the dried tobacco powder before UV irradiation exhibited a bright green color, but the dried tobacco powder after UV irradiation exhibited a yellow-green to yellow color.

As shown in Figure 7, the diluted ethanol extract obtained from dried tobacco powder before UV irradiation showed an absorption peak around 665 nm, but the diluted ethanol extract obtained from dried tobacco powder after UV irradiation showed an absorption peak at around 665 nm. The diluted solution had decreased absorbance around 665 nm. This indicates that chlorophyll, which is a green component, disappeared due to ultraviolet irradiation. Furthermore, although absorption of light around 420 nm indicates the presence of a brown component, the absorbance around 420 nm did not increase after UV irradiation. This indicates that no brown component was newly generated by ultraviolet irradiation.

[Example 2]
In Example 2, a decolorized tobacco extract was prepared and the decolorization effect was confirmed.

2-1. Preparation of Decolorized Tobacco Extract (iii) Extraction Step 1 g of dried tobacco lamina prepared in Example 1 was immersed in 5 mL of ethanol at room temperature (20° C.) for 60 minutes. Thereby, the green component was extracted from the dried tobacco lamina, and an extract of the dried tobacco lamina was obtained. The extract of dried tobacco lamina was diluted 200 times with ethanol for absorbance measurement. The resulting diluted solution had an absorbance of about 0.13 at 665 nm. The a ^* value of the dried tobacco lamina extract was 1.0 or less.

(iv) Ultraviolet irradiation step The dried tobacco lamina extract was irradiated with 365 nm ultraviolet rays at an ultraviolet intensity of 10 mW/cm ² for 0.5 or 1 hour to prepare a decolorized tobacco extract. Further, the dried tobacco lamina extract was irradiated with 285 nm ultraviolet rays at an ultraviolet intensity of 10 mW/cm ² for 0.5 or 1 hour to prepare a decolorized tobacco extract.

2-2. Measurement Tobacco extract before irradiation with ultraviolet rays, tobacco extract after irradiating with 365 nm ultraviolet rays for 0.5 hours, tobacco extract after irradiating with 365 nm ultraviolet rays for 1 hour, after irradiating with 285 nm ultraviolet rays for 0.5 hours Each of the tobacco extracts obtained after irradiation with 285 nm ultraviolet light for 1 hour was diluted 200 times with ethanol for absorbance measurement. The absorbance of the obtained diluted solution at 665 nm was measured using a spectrophotometer. As a spectrophotometer, an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer UV-1800 (Shimadzu Corporation) was used. The results are shown in FIG.

2-3. Results When observed with the naked eye, the tobacco extract before irradiation with ultraviolet rays showed a green color, whereas the tobacco extract after irradiation with 365 nm ultraviolet rays for 0.5 hours showed a yellow color. The tobacco extract after time irradiation showed a lighter yellow color.

On the other hand, the tobacco extract after irradiation with 285 nm ultraviolet rays for 0.5 hours and the tobacco extract after irradiation with 285 nm ultraviolet rays for 1 hour both showed a green color, similar to the tobacco extract before irradiation with ultraviolet rays. .

As shown in FIG. 8, when irradiated with 365 nm ultraviolet rays, the tobacco extract could be decolorized more efficiently than when irradiated with 285 nm ultraviolet rays. However, even when irradiated with 285 nm ultraviolet rays, the absorbance at 665 nm decreased with the irradiation time, so it is thought that the tobacco extract can be decolorized if irradiated for a longer time.

[Example 3]
In Example 3, the effect of cooling on ultraviolet irradiation was investigated.

3-1. Preparation of decolorized tobacco extract (iii) Extraction step As described in Example 2, an extract of dried tobacco lamina was obtained.

(iv) Ultraviolet irradiation process "Ultraviolet irradiation" sample The dried tobacco lamina extract was irradiated with 365 nm ultraviolet rays at an ultraviolet intensity of 10 mW/cm ² for 1 hour. In this way, a decolorized tobacco extract was prepared. During ultraviolet irradiation, the temperature of the extract rose to 70°C or higher.

"Cooling + UV irradiation" sample Meanwhile, the vial containing the extract of dried tobacco lamina was placed in a water bath, and while maintaining the temperature of the extract below 4°C, the extract of dried tobacco lamina was exposed to 365 nm ultraviolet rays. It was irradiated with ultraviolet light at an intensity of 10 mW/cm ² for 1 hour. In this way, a decolorized tobacco extract was prepared.

3-2. Measurement Each of the tobacco extract before and after irradiation with ultraviolet rays was diluted 200 times with ethanol for the measurement of absorbance. The absorbance of the obtained diluted solution was measured using a spectrophotometer. The amount of change in absorbance was determined using the following formula.
Change in absorbance = (Absorbance of tobacco extract after UV irradiation) - (Absorbance of tobacco extract before UV irradiation)
The results are shown in FIG.

3-3. Results A negative value for the amount of change in absorbance indicates that the amount of light-absorbing substances at that wavelength has decreased in the tobacco extract after UV irradiation compared to the tobacco extract before UV irradiation. As shown in Figure 9, in the "cooling + ultraviolet irradiation" sample, the amount of change in absorbance in the wavelength band (wavelength around 420 nm) indicating the presence of brown components showed a negative value, and compared to the "ultraviolet irradiation" sample. It showed a small value in comparison. This indicates that browning of the tobacco extract can be suppressed by irradiating the tobacco extract with ultraviolet rays while controlling the temperature of the extract to be low. Note that the amount of change in absorbance in the wavelength band (wavelength around 665 nm) indicating the presence of a green component (chlorophyll) was hardly affected by temperature control during ultraviolet irradiation. In other words, there is almost no difference in the decolorization efficiency of the tobacco extract between when UV irradiation is performed while controlling the temperature of the tobacco extract and when UV irradiation is performed without controlling the temperature of the tobacco extract. There wasn't.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Heating type flavor inhaler, 10... Power supply unit, 20... Cartridge, 11... Power supply unit case, 11a... Top part, 11b... Bottom part, 12... Power supply, 13... Charger, 14... Operation part, 15... Intake Sensor, 16...Voltage sensor, 17...Temperature sensor, 18...Memory, 21...Load, 22...Decolorized tobacco extract, 23...Reservoir, 24...Wick, 25...Aerosol channel, 26A...Spirit, 26B...Gas Outflow port, 27...Cartridge case, 41...Discharge terminal, 42...Air supply section, 45...Notification section, 50...Control section

Claims (15)

Dried tobacco leaves that are extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5 and have an absorbance of 0.1 or more for light at 665 nm of the diluted liquid obtained when the obtained ethanol extract is diluted 40 times with ethanol, and A method for producing a bleached tobacco material, the method comprising obtaining a bleached tobacco material by irradiating a tobacco raw material selected from the group consisting of the extract of the dried tobacco leaf with ultraviolet rays. The method according to claim 1, wherein the irradiation is performed while maintaining the temperature of the tobacco raw material at 2 to 50°C. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ultraviolet light has a wavelength of 315 to 400 nm. 4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising preparing the dried tobacco leaves by drying tobacco plant leaves to a moisture content of 20% by mass or less in a drying time of 72 hours or less. the method of. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tobacco raw material is the dried tobacco leaf. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tobacco raw material is an extract of the dried tobacco leaf. The method according to claim 6, wherein the extract is an extract obtained by extracting the dried tobacco leaves with ethanol. Dried tobacco leaves that are extracted with ethanol at a solid-liquid ratio of 1:5 and the resulting diluted ethanol extract is diluted 40 times, and the absorbance of the diluted solution for light at 665 nm is 0.1 or more, and A method for decolorizing a tobacco raw material, the method comprising irradiating a tobacco raw material selected from the group consisting of an extract of dried tobacco leaves with ultraviolet rays. A bleached tobacco material that is bleached dried tobacco leaves obtained by the method according to claim 5. A tobacco product comprising the bleached tobacco material according to claim 9. The tobacco product according to claim 10, which is an oral tobacco product. A bleached tobacco material that is a bleached tobacco extract obtained by the method according to claim 6 or 7. A tobacco product comprising the bleached tobacco material according to claim 12. A flavor inhaler comprising the bleached tobacco material according to claim 12 and an atomization unit that atomizes the bleached tobacco material. A recycled tobacco material comprising the bleached tobacco material according to claim 12 and tobacco residue.

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