Method and apparatus for introducing additives to smokeless tobacco products

A method of processing tobacco for the production of an oral tobacco product in a process line, comprising:

• providing a plain base blend of tobacco in a vessel, the plain base blend not including any or many additive agents that the oral tobacco product is intended to include;
• delivering the plain base blend of tobacco from the vessel to an individual consumer-portion container;
• delivering the plain base blend of tobacco in the consumer-portion container to an additive system located proximate the end of the process line;
• introducing, proximate the end of the process line and using the additive system, liquid additive agents including flavourants, preservatives, and/or balancing agents to the plain base blend of tobacco in the container;
• wherein the step of delivering the plain base blend of tobacco from the vessel to the individual consumer-portion container comprises:
• directing the base blend of tobacco into individual pouches of tobacco to form a tobacco product and delivering the individual tobacco pouches into the container;
• or
• directing the plain base blend of tobacco directly into the container as loose tobacco comprising tobacco product;
• and
• wherein the liquid additive is introduced to the tobacco pouches in the container or the loose tobacco product in the container by introducing the additive directly into the container.