Tobacco stem treatment and expanded tobacco product
AssigneePhilip Morris Incorporated
InventorsNorman B. Rainer, Dean M. Siwiec
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Abstract
An improved process for expanding tobacco is disclosed wherein tobacco components such as stems, midribs and veins are contacted with an alkaline-hydrogen peroxide solution and thereafter dried and roasted to produce an expanded tobacco material highly suitable for use in smoking products. In a preferred approach, tobacco is treated with a hydroxide or oxide of a multivalent metal and then contacted with a solution of hydrogen peroxide; thereafter the tobacco is dried and roasted to produce an expanded tobacco product.
Claims17
A process for expanding rolled and cut tobacco stems which comprises the steps of:
- (a) treating tobacco stems having a moisture content between about 2 and 40% with an aqueous hydrogen peroxide mixture under alkaline conditions and in the presence of at least one compound of a multivalent metal to expand and bleach said stems, and
- (b) drying the peroxide-treated tobacco stems to effect removal of water, and roasting the dried stems to restore a tobacco-like color thereto.
Brown colored expanded tobacco stem material in shred form suitable for blending with cut tobacco for the production of cigarettes, said material having an equilibrated moisture content between about 10 and 14%, a calcium ion content between 3 and 6%, of which calcium ion content at least 50% is water insoluble, with the charge-balancing anions for said calcium ions being derived from carboxyl groups and CO.sub.2 generated by the oxidation of tobacco components, said shreds having an intrinsic cylinder volume between 4 and 7 cc/gram, a specific volume between 4 and 7 cc/gram, a specific volume between 2 and 5 cc/gram, and a stiffness index between 0.3 and 0.6.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.