Stabilization methods for tobacco and tobacco products
AssigneeAltria Client Services LLC
InventorsYahya Karga, James Powell, Dongmei Xu, James A. Strickland, Ujwala Warek
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A stabilizing process for tobacco and tobacco products includes sterilizing the tobacco by applying an electron beam treatment to the tobacco. The process may also include treating the tobacco. The treating the tobacco includes pre-conditioning the tobacco, pasteurizing the tobacco, curing the tobacco, fermenting the tobacco, or combinations thereof. The method may also include forming a smokeless tobacco product containing the tobacco.
Claims20
A method for producing a smokeless tobacco product comprising:
- treating tobacco, the treating including,
- pre-conditioning the tobacco, pasteurizing the tobacco, curing the tobacco, fermenting the tobacco, or combinations thereof, and
- conditioning the tobacco, the conditioning including adjusting a pH and a moisture oven volatile content of the tobacco;
- forming a product containing the tobacco, the forming being performed after the treating the tobacco and the conditioning the tobacco;
- and
- sterilizing the product, the sterilizing including applying an electron beam (E-Beam) to the tobacco,
- wherein the conditioning is performed during or prior to the sterilizing such that the sterilizing does not increase a nitrite level in the tobacco by greater than 300 micrograms of nitrite per gram of dry tobacco.
A method for producing a smokeless tobacco product comprising:
- stabilizing tobacco, the stabilizing including,
- conditioning the tobacco, the conditioning including adjusting a pH and a moisture oven volatile content of the tobacco, and
- sterilizing tobacco, the sterilizing including applying an electron beam (E-Beam) to the;
- and
- forming a smokeless tobacco product containing the stabilized tobacco,
- wherein the conditioning is performed during or prior to the sterilizing tobacco such that the stabilizing does not increase a nitrite level in the tobacco by greater than 300 micrograms of nitrite per gram of dry tobacco.
A smokeless tobacco product comprising:
- stabilized, fermented tobacco produced by a method comprising:
- conditioning tobacco, the conditioning including adjusting a pH and a moisture oven volatile content of the tobacco;
- stabilizing tobacco, the stabilizing including applying an electron beam (E-Beam) to the tobacco;
- treating the tobacco, the treating including,
- pre-conditioning the tobacco, pasteurizing the tobacco, curing the tobacco, fermenting the tobacco, or combinations thereof;
- and
- adding the stabilized, fermented tobacco in a tobacco container,
- wherein the conditioning is performed during or prior to the stabilizing such that the stabilizing does not increase a nitrite level in the tobacco by greater than 300 micrograms of nitrite per gram of dry tobacco.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.