# US 2021/0274829 A1 · Methods of treating cut stem tobacco material > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2021/0274829 A1 - Document ID: US20210274829A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 17/259,438 - Filed: 2019-07-10 - Published: 2021-09-09 - Earliest claimed: 2018-07-11 - Assignees: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited - Applicants: British American Tobacco (Investments) Limited - Inventors: Dietmar FRANKE; Frank PLUECKHAHN; Matthias LINK; Horst GRZONKA; Thomas LINDNER - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20210274829A1 ## CPC - A24B 3/182: {Puffing} - A24B 3/10: Roasting or cooling tobacco - A24B: MANUFACTURE OR PREPARATION OF TOBACCO FOR SMOKING OR CHEWING; TOBACCO; SNUFF ## Abstract A method of treating cut stem tobacco material by expanding the cut stem to provide a first expanded tobacco material having a fill value at least about 10% greater than the fill value of the untreated cut stem tobacco material; intermittently contacting the first expanded tobacco material with a heated surface to provide a second expanded tobacco material with a moisture content of from 0 to about 10% OV and a fill value at least 5% greater than the fill value of the first expanded tobacco material; and (c) adjusting the moisture content of the second expanded tobacco material from about 5% to about 30% OV to provide an expanded product, wherein the fill value of the expanded product is at least 50% greater than the fill value of the untreated cut stem tobacco material when measured at a normalized moisture content of 14.5% OV. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of treating cut stem tobacco material comprising: (a) a first expansion step expanding a starting cut stem tobacco material to provide a first expanded tobacco material having a fill value at least about 10% greater than the fill value of the untreated cut stem tobacco material when measured at a normalized moisture content of 14.5% oven volatiles (OV); (b) a second expansion step expanding the first expanded tobacco material by intermittently contacting the first expanded tobacco material with a heated surface to provide a second expanded tobacco material having a moisture content from 0 to about 10% OV and a fill value at least 5% greater than the fill value of the first expanded tobacco material when measured at a normalized moisture content of 14.5% OV; and (c) adjusting the moisture content of the second expanded tobacco material from about 10% to about 20% OV to provide an expanded cut stem tobacco product, wherein the fill value of the expanded cut stem tobacco product is at least 50% greater than the fill value of the starting cut stem tobacco material when measured at a normalized moisture content of 14.5% OV. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein adjusting the moisture content further expands the second expanded tobacco material. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the fill value of the expanded cut stem tobacco product is at least 5% greater than the fill value of the second expanded tobacco material when measured at a normalized moisture content of 14.5% OV. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second expansion step further comprises agitating the first expanded tobacco material. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the heated surface used in the second expansion step has a temperature of from at least about 100° C. to about 300° C. prior to contact with the first expanded tobacco material. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the heated surface has a temperature from at least about 120° C. to about 250° C., or from at least about 150° C. to about 300° C. prior to contact with the first expanded tobacco material. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein intermittently contacting the first expanded tobacco material with the heated surface in the second expansion step heats the first expanded tobacco material to a peak temperature of from about 120° C. to about 230° C. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second expanded tobacco material has a moisture content from about 1% to about 5% OV. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first expanded tobacco material is intermittently contacted with the heated surface in the second expansion step for a period of time from at least about 1 minute to about 15 minutes. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein the period of time is from at least about 2 minutes to about 10 minutes. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the starting cut stem tobacco material has a moisture content prior to expanding from about 20% to about 60% OV. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the moisture content of the second expanded tobacco material is adjusted from about 10% to about 16% OV. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the starting cut stem tobacco material has a fill value prior to the first expansion step from about 3.5 to about 4.5 ml/g when measured at a normalized moisture content of 14.5% OV. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first expanded tobacco material has a fill value from about 5 ml/g to about 8 ml/g when measured at a normalized moisture content of 14.5% OV. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the expanded cut stem tobacco product has a fill value from about 6.5 ml/g to about 12 ml/g when measured at a normalized moisture content of 14.5% OV. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a resting phase between the first expansion step (a) and the second expansion step (b), and/or between the second expansion step (b) and the third step (c), wherein the resting phase comprises allowing the tobacco material to rest without being treated for a period of at least about 1 minute. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the resting phase comprises allowing the tobacco material to rest without being treated for a period of time from about 1 hour to about 72 hours. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) A method as claimed in claim 16, wherein the resting phase comprises allowing the tobacco material to cool to a temperature no greater than about 40° C. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first expansion step (a) comprises exposing the starting cut stem tobacco material to an expansion agent. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) A method as claimed in claim 19, wherein the expansion agent is selected from the group consisting of liquid carbon dioxide, solid carbon dioxide, steam, liquid nitrogen, liquid short (C5 or C6) chain carbohydrates, and mixtures thereof. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of water and steam is added to the second expanded tobacco material when adjusting the moisture content of the second expanded tobacco material. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) An apparatus for carrying out a method as claimed in claim 1, the apparatus comprising a module for carrying out the second expansion step, the module comprising the heated surface provided to intermittently contact the first expanded tobacco material. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) An apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the heated surface of the module for carrying out the second expansion step has a temperature from at least about 120° C. to about 250° C. prior to contact with the first expanded tobacco material. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) An apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the module for carrying out the second expansion step comprises a treatment chamber including the heated surface and at least one mechanism for agitating the first expanded tobacco material selected from the group consisting of: a screw mechanism; a dual screw mechanism; air flow; and a rotating drum. ### Claim 25 (depends on 22) An apparatus as claimed in claim 22, further comprising a module for carrying out the first expansion step. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) An apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein said module for carrying out the first expansion step comprises a conventional expansion technology selected from the group consisting of an expansion steaming tunnel, an STS (Steam Treated Stem) system, conditioning cylinder, a conditioning screw, and a pressurized conditioning screw. ### Claim 27 (depends on 25) An apparatus as claimed in claim 25, wherein the module for carrying out the first expansion step further comprises any conventional drying technology, optionally selected from the group consisting of: a fluidized bed dryer, a flash tower dryer, a rotary dryer and a band dryer. ### Claim 28 (depends on 22) An apparatus as claimed in claim 22, further comprising a module for carrying out the third step. ### Claim 29 (depends on 28) An apparatus as claimed in claim 28, wherein the module for carrying out the third step comprises one or more selected from the group consisting of a reordering drum, a steaming tunnel, and a band conditioner. ### Claim at position 30 30-31. (canceled) ### Claim 32 (depends on 1) A tobacco industry product comprising the expanded cut stem tobacco product of claim 1. ### Claim 33 (depends on 1) Use of the expanded cut stem tobacco product of claim 1 for the manufacture of a tobacco industry product.