Process for the manufacture of a tobacco rib cut having an improved filling capacity

Abstract

A method for the treatment of tobacco stems which comprises providing the tobacco stems in the uncut condition with a moisture content ranging from 15 to 70% relative to the dry weight of the tobacco stems, performing at least one first cut of said tobacco stems in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof, conditioning the resultingly cut tobacco stems, and performing more than one second cut of said tobacco stems in a direction parallel to said longitudinal axis, wherein the respective longitudinal planes containing said first and said second cuts reside in substantially perpendicular relation to each other. The resulting tobacco stem sections exhibit improved uniformity of length and thickness, and minimal fiber destruction, and have improved expansion capacity.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.