Methods for treating tobacco and tobacco-derived materials to reduce nitrosamines
AssigneeR.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
InventorsJohn E Bunch, Robert Reinbold
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method for reducing the content of nitrosamines in a tobacco material is provided herein, the method involving the steps of contacting a tobacco material with a treatment solution so as to form a treatment composition containing, in addition to the tobacco material, an acid, a complexing agent, a solvent, and, optionally, a salt, at a pH of about 5.5 or less, to obtain a tobacco material having a tobacco-specific nitrosamine content that is lower than the initial tobacco-specific nitrosamine content. The method can optionally include further processing of the tobacco material. Smoking articles and other tobacco products incorporating such treated tobacco materials are also provided.
Claims14
A method for reducing the content of nitrosamines in tobacco, said method comprising:
- contacting a tobacco material having an initial tobacco-specific nitrosamine (TSNA) content with a treatment solution to obtain a treatment composition;
- wherein said tobacco material is in a form of processed tobacco parts or pieces, or is a cured and aged tobacco;
- wherein the treatment composition comprises, in addition to the tobacco material, an acid selected from the group consisting of hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, acetic acid, and combinations thereof, a complexing agent present at a concentration from about 1% to about 6.5% by weight of the treatment composition on a dry weight basis, the complexing agent selected from the group consisting of a zinc salt, a copper salt, an iron salt, and combinations thereof, and water in an amount from about 20% to about 60% by weight;
- and
- wherein the pH of the treatment composition is about 5.5 or less;
- to provide a treated tobacco material having a TSNA content that is lower than the initial TSNA content.
The method of claim of 6, wherein the salt is selected from the group consisting of sodium chloride, sodium bromide, sodium iodide, potassium chloride, potassium bromide, potassium iodide, calcium chloride, calcium bromide, magnesium chloride, magnesium bromide, ammonium chloride, and combinations thereof.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.