Tobacco processing
AssigneeR. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
InventorsWilliam L. Clapp, Barry S. Fagg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Tobacco material having a reduced protein content is provided by first extracting water soluble components from tobacco. The extracted residue then is subjected to enzyme treatment using an enzyme which can decompose water insoluble protein molecules to smaller sized water soluble molecular components. The enzyme treated extracted tobacco material then is isolated. The extracted tobacco components then are subjected to ultrafiltration treatment, and the extracted tobacco components having the high molecular weight components thereof so removed are reapplied to the protein-reduced tobacco material. As such, a reconstituted tobacco material is provided. The reconstituted tobacco material so provided is useful as smokable material for cigarette manufacture.
Claims15
A process for reducing the protein content of tobacco material, the process comprising:
- (i) extracting components from tobacco material with a solvent having an aqueous character;
- (ii) separating extracted tobacco components from extracted tobacco material;
- (iii) subjecting the extracted tobacco material to aqueous enzyme treatment to decompose essentially water insoluble protein components of the tobacco material to water soluble and/or water dispersible fragments;
- and separating tobacco material subjected to such treatment from decomposed protein fragments resulting from such treatment;
- (iv) subjecting the extracted tobacco components to membrane treatment and collecting permeate resulting from such treatment;
- and
- (v) contacting the extracted tobacco material resulting from step (iii) with the permeate collected in step (iv).
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.