U.S. patent application number 10/322469 was filed with the patent office on 2004-06-24 for tobacco dough and a method for its manufacture.
This patent application is currently assigned to SWEDISH MATCH NORTH EUROPE AB. Invention is credited to Arnarp, Jan, Hodin, Fredrik, Lundin, Jorgen.
Application Number | 20040118422 10/322469 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 32592997 |
Filed Date | 2004-06-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20040118422 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Lundin, Jorgen ; et
al. |
June 24, 2004 |
Tobacco dough and a method for its manufacture
Abstract
A smoke-less tobacco composition includes at least one
thickening agent such as xanthan gum or a mixture of xanthan gum
and galactomannan.
Inventors: |
Lundin, Jorgen;
(Upplands-Vasby, SE) ; Hodin, Fredrik; (Ronninge,
SE) ; Arnarp, Jan; (Stockholm, SE) |
Correspondence
Address: |
YOUNG & THOMPSON
745 SOUTH 23RD STREET 2ND FLOOR
ARLINGTON
VA
22202
|
Assignee: |
SWEDISH MATCH NORTH EUROPE
AB
Stockholm
SE
|
Family ID: |
32592997 |
Appl. No.: |
10/322469 |
Filed: |
December 19, 2002 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
131/352 ;
131/347 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A24B 13/00 20130101;
A24F 23/00 20130101; A23L 33/175 20160801; A24B 15/183
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
131/352 ;
131/347 |
International
Class: |
A24F 047/00 |
Claims
1. A smoke-less tobacco composition comprising at least one
thickening agent.
2. A tobacco composition according to claim 1 characterized by that
it is moist snuff composition, preferably snus.
3. A tobacco composition according to claim 1 or 2 characterized by
that the content of the thickening agent(s) is from 0.00001 to 20%
(weight/weight), preferably from 0.00001 to 2% (weight/weight),
most preferred 0.00001 to 0.6%.
4. A tobacco composition according to any one of claims 1 to 3
wherein the thickening agent is xanthan gum or a mixture comprising
xanthan gum.
5. A tobacco composition according to any one of claims 1 to 4
wherein the thickening agent is a) xanthan gum and galactomannan or
b) Acacia gum and xanthan gum, preferably Thixogum S.TM. or
Thixogum X.TM., most preferred Thixogum S.TM..
6. A method for obtaining a smokeless tobacco composition according
to claim 1 comprising adding at least one thickening agent to a
tobacco raw material.
7. A method according to claim 6 wherein the thickening agent is a
mixture comprising a) xanthan gum and galactomannan or b) Acacia
gum and xanthan gum, preferably Thixogum S.TM. or Thixogum X.TM.,
most preferred Thixogum S.TM..
8. A method for obtaining a moist snuff composition according to
claim 2 comprising the following steps: a) grinding or cutting and
optionally sieving, of tobacco raw material, b) processing of
tobacco obtained in step a); c) and optionally packing, wherein at
least one thickening agent is added during the processing step
b).
9. A method according to claim 8 wherein step b) comprises the
following steps: i) adding water and NaCl to the tobacco flour
under stirring to form a mixture; ii) heating and keeping the
mixture heated up, thus achieving a pasteurisation or "sweating" of
the mixture; iii) cooling the moist snuff mixture; and iv) adding
at least one thickening agent and optionally other ingredients such
as other salts, humectants and flavour additives.
10. A method according to any one of claim 6 to 9 wherein the
thickening agent is added in the form of an aqueous solution or
dispersion giving 0.00001-20% (weight) of thickening agent in the
end product.
11. A method according to any one of claim 6 to 10 wherein the
thickening agent is added in a solid form giving 0.00001-20%
(weight) of thickening agent in the end product.
12. A method according to any one of claim 6 to 11 wherein the
thickening agent is xanthan gum or a mixture comprising xanthan
gum, preferably a mixture comprising a) xanthan gum and
galactomannan or b) Acacia gum and xanthan gum, most preferred
Thixogum S.TM. or Thixogum X.TM., especially preferred Thixogum
S.TM..
13. A smoke-less tobacco product obtainable by a method according
to any one of claims 6 to 7.
14. A moist snuff composition obtainable by a method according to
any one of claims 8 to 12.
15. A smoke-less tobacco product according to claim 1 or 13 or a
moist snuff composition according to claim 2 or 14 presented in the
form of a reel or coil, optionally equipped with spacing paper
intermediate the layers in the reel or coil.
16. A container containing a smoke-less tobacco product according
to claim 1 or 13 or a moist snuff composition according to claim 2
or 14, wherein preferably said container is a can, most preferred a
can provided with a lid.
Description
[0001] This invention concerns the technical field of tobacco
products, preferably moist snuff, in particular a smoke-less
tobacco composition comprising a thickening agent, a method for
obtaining a smoke-less tobacco products, preferably a moist snuff,
comprising one or more thickening agents, and a smoke-less tobacco
product obtainable from said method.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Moist snuff and other tobacco products presently available
on the market are difficult to form. Their formability is very
limited which is a drawback for consumers wishing to form a certain
amount of tobacco product, preferably moist snuff, into a dainty
and inviting piece of tobacco product. Also the water keeping
characteristics of the tobacco products of today have drawbacks.
Thus it is desirable to be able to provide a method for obtaining
an easily formable tobacco product and also a such product with
enhanced water keeping characteristics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention solves one or more of the above
problems by providing according to a first aspect a smoke-less
tobacco composition comprising at least one thickening agent.
According to second aspect of the invention a method for
manufacturing a composition according to the first aspect is
provided.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0004] It is intended throughout the present description that the
expression "tobacco raw material" or "tobacco" (used
interchangeably in the present description) embrace any tobacco
type available or mixtures thereof. Examples of tobacco types are:
Rustika, Va., Burley, Oriental and Kentucky. Preferably the tobacco
is tobacco in powder form, moist snuff or finely divided tobacco.
Most preferred the tobacco is moist snuff produced essentially in
accordance with GothiaTek.RTM. (trademark owned by Swedish Match)
standard. The smoke-less tobacco composition (or smoke-less tobacco
product) according to the first aspect of the invention is
preferably a chewing tobacco, nose snuff or a moist snuff product,
most preferred a moist snuff product. The smoke-less tobacco
composition (or smoke-less tobacco product) according to the first
aspect of the invention is especially preferred a "snus" or a moist
snuff product manufactured in accordance with GothiaTek.RTM.
standard.
[0005] It is intended throughout the present description that the
expression "thickening agent" embrace any thickening agent or
mixtures thereof for use in food products. The thickening agent is
preferably selected from the group consisting of guar gum (E412),
Acacia gum (incl. gum Arabic E414), xanthan gum (E415), Locust bean
gum (Carob) (E410), alginates (E400 to 405), carboxymethylcellulose
(CMC) (E466), other types of cellulose (E460 till E465), pectins
(E440), carrageenan (E407), Furcellaran, Tragacanth gum (E413),
Karaya gum (E416), galactomannan and Gellan gum (E418) or
combinations (mixtures) thereof. The thickening agent is not
necessarily limited to the above group but can also be any other
substance capable of giving a similar consistency as a thickening
agent selected from the above group or a mixture thereof. Most
preferred mixtures are those comprising xanthan gum. Especially
preferred are mixtures comprising a) xanthan gum and galactomannan;
and b) Acacia gum and xanthan gum; preferably thickening agents
sold under the trade marks Thixogum S.TM. and Thixogum X.TM.
(trademark owned by Colloides Naturels, Inc) e.g. provided by
Kemiflor AB. Especially preferred is Thixogum S.TM.. The thickening
agent is preferably added in the form of an aqueous solution or
dispersion giving 0.00001-20% (weight) of thickening agent in the
end product. The thickening agent is then treated before added to
the tobacco as follows: The thickening agent is added, preferably
by dusting, into an aqueous solution under heating and vigorous
stirring, preferably when a vortex appears in the solution. The
thickening agent may also be "dusted" without using a carrier, i.e.
a liquid as set out above, into the tobacco. The tobacco is then
treated so that a large surface area is available for the
thickening agent dust to blend in. The tobacco end product
preferably has a content of thickening agent(s) of from 0.00001 to
2% (weight/weight), preferably 0.00001 to 0.6%. The desired
characteristics of the end product may also be amplified by adding
compounds comprising potassium and/or calcium-ions.
[0006] "Snus", i.e. one example of a moist snuff, produced in
accordance with GothiaTek.RTM. standard is manufactured using
essentially the following method set out below: The moist snuff is
made from selected tobaccos, salts, humectants and flavour
additives. The moist snuff is made from mainly air cured tobaccos.
Traditionally fire-cured tobacco may also be used. Tobacco may be
purchased from North and South America, Asia and also from a few
countries in Africa and Europe. Tobacco samples are taken already
in the farmers barns and sent to laboratories for analysis. When
making "snus" the main ingredients except for tobacco are normally
water, salt (table salt; NaCl) and sodium carbonate. Flavour
additives and humectants may also be used. However in the present
invention one or more thickening agents are added to the tobacco
composition, preferably a moist snuff composition. Salt is added
mainly for its effect on taste but also has a preservative action
which contributes to improved shelf life of the products. Sodium
carbonate is used to give the products their characteristic flavour
profile but also brings the pH value to the slightly alkaline side.
Sodium carbonate will convert to baking soda immediately after it
is added. Flavour additives in general are natural or artificial
flavour compounds that comply with food regulations. Flavours are
usually dissolved in alcohol when added. Most of the alcohol
evaporates during production. Only trace quantities remain.
Humectants may also be added to protect the products from drying
out. Two types may be used: glycerol and propylene glycol. Both of
them also have a preservative effect since they lower the water
activity of the product, thus preventing microorganisms from
growing.
[0007] The moist snuff is manufactured in three major steps, a)
grinding (cutting), b) processing and c) packing (see also FIG.
1).
[0008] a) Grinding, Sieving
[0009] The tobacco is broken up, dried and fed into a grinder. The
ground tobacco is sieved into three particle size fractions,
coarse, medium and fine. Pre-set quantities of the three fractions
are fed into a mixer silo where the tobacco flour is mixed. After
blending, the tobacco flour is fed into a storage silo, from which
flour is automatically taken to the processing operation. Each type
of tobacco flour is kept in a separate silo.
[0010] b) Processing
[0011] Manufacturing of moist snuff is preferably done in a batch
operation. The whole process may be computer controlled and can be
run day and night, all week around. To start the process, tobacco
flour is automatically weighed and fed into the process blender.
Water and salt is added to the batch under stirring. The batch is
then heated and kept heated up for a specified time, which varies
with brands. Temperature and stirring is preferably controlled by a
process computer program. This part of the process is traditionally
named "sweating" but is more close to a pasteurisation process.
After pasteurisation the moist snuff batch is cooled down and the
rest of the ingredients are added. The thickening agent may be
added, in accordance with the present invention, at any time during
the above processing steps. The thickening agent(s) is (are)
preferably added at the end of the processing. The thickening
agent(s) is (are) further preferably added in the form of a
solution as set out above. The power of the mixing and the time
period for the mixing may be crucial for obtaining an optimal
product. Some of the above mentioned water may be used to form an
aqueous solution of the thickening agent before adding said agent
to the tobacco during the above process. This may enhance the water
keeping characteristics of the end product, preferably a moist
snuff. The water-binding characteristics of the thickening agent(s)
may also reduce the microbiological growth.
[0012] c) Packing of Loose Moist Snuff
[0013] Containers, preferably cans, may be filled in automatic
filling machines. Filled cans are preferably sealed with a lid.
After lidding all cans are weighed on a check-weigher, which also
regulates the filling volume of the cans. Then the cans may be
labelled in a labelling machine, shrink-sealed in a distribution
pack and packed in cases.
[0014] Packaging Material
[0015] Paraffin coated cardboard cans or plastic cans may
preferably be used for most loose moist snuff and obviously also
for "snus". The lids are preferably made of polypropylene. For the
pouch products cans may be used which are made of polypropylene.
Pouch products are more sensitive to drying than loose moist snuff
so plastic cans help to increase shelf life of these products.
[0016] The paper material used to pack individual pouches may be
made of viscose. When sealing an adhesive which is approved as
packaging material in contact with food is preferably used.
[0017] Cold Storage
[0018] All finished moist snuff (including "snus") may preferably
be kept in a cold storage a few days before it is shipped out to
the trade in order to ripen and obtain its characteristic
flavour.
[0019] According to a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of
the present invention there is provided a smoke-less tobacco
composition, which is a moist snuff composition, preferably
snus.
[0020] According to a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of
the present invention there is provided a smoke-less tobacco
composition wherein the content of the thickening agent(s) is from
0.00001 to 20% (weight/weight), preferably from 0.00001 to 2%
(weight/weight), most preferred 0.00001 to 0.6% in the end
product.
[0021] According to a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of
the present invention the thickening agent is xanthan gum or a
mixture comprising xanthan gum.
[0022] According to a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of
the present invention there is provided a smoke-less tobacco
composition wherein the thickening agent is a mixture comprising a)
xanthan gum and galactomannan or b) Acacia gum and xanthan gum,
preferably Thixogum S.TM. or Thixogum X.TM., most preferred
Thixogum S.TM..
[0023] According to a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of
the present invention there is provided a method wherein the
thickening agent is a mixture comprising a) xanthan gum and
galactomannan or b) Acacia gum and xanthan gum, preferably Thixogum
S.TM. or Thixogum X.TM., most preferred Thixogum S.TM..
[0024] According to a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of
the present invention there is provided a method for obtaining a
moist snuff composition according to the first aspect comprising
the following steps:
[0025] a) grinding, cutting and optionally sieving, of tobacco raw
material,
[0026] b) processing of tobacco (preferably in the form of a flour)
obtained in step a);
[0027] c) and optionally packing,
[0028] wherein at least one thickening agent is added during the
processing step b).
[0029] Preferably step b), i.e. the processing, comprises the
following steps:
[0030] i) adding water and NaCl to the tobacco flour under stirring
to form a mixture;
[0031] ii) heating and keeping the mixture heated up for a
specified time, thus achieving a pasteurisation or "sweating" of
the mixture;
[0032] iii) cooling the moist snuff mixture; and
[0033] iv) adding at least one thickening agent and optionally
other ingredients such as other salts (e.g. sodium carbonate),
humectants and flavour additives.
[0034] According to a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of
the present invention the thickening agent is added in the form of
an aqueous solution or dispersion giving 0.00001-20% (weight) of
thickening agent in the end product.
[0035] According to a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of
the present invention the thickening agent is added in solid form
giving 0.00001-20% (weight) of thickening agent in the end
product.
[0036] According to a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of
the present invention the thickening agent is xanthan gum or a
mixture comprising xanthan gum, preferably a mixture comprising a)
xanthan gum and galactomannan or b) Acacia gum and xanthan gum,
most preferred Thixogum S.TM. or Thixogum X.TM., especially
preferred Thixogum S.TM..
[0037] According to a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of
the present invention there is provided a smoke-less tobacco
product obtainable by the above method.
[0038] According to a preferred embodiment of the second aspect of
the present invention there is provided a moist snuff composition
obtainable by the above method.
[0039] According to a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of
the present invention there is provided a smoke-less tobacco
product or a moist snuff composition presented in the form of a
reel or coil, optionally equipped with spacing paper intermediate
the layers in the reel or coil.
[0040] According to a preferred embodiment of the first aspect of
the present invention there is provided a container containing a
smoke-less tobacco product or a moist snuff composition according
to the first aspect of the invention, wherein preferably said
container is a can, most preferred a can provided with a lid.
[0041] The method according to the second aspect of the invention
may further be used in other moist snuff manufacturing processes
such as in the manufacturing process disclosed in U.S. Pat. No.
4,528,993.
[0042] Preferred features of each aspect of the invention are as
for each of the other aspects mutatis mutandis. The prior art
documents mentioned herein are incorporated to the fullest extent
permitted by law. The invention is further described in the
following examples in conjunction with the appended figure, which
do not limit the scope of the invention in any way. Embodiments of
the present invention are described in more detail with the aid of
examples of embodiments and figure, the only purpose of which is to
illustrate the invention and are in no way intended to limit its
extent.
SHORT DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0043] FIG. 1 shows the manufacturing process of moist snuff in
accordance with GothiaTek.RTM. standard. The thickening agent(s)
may be added at any time of the processing step.
EXAMPLES
[0044] Moist snuff was manufactured in accordance with the
GothiaTek standard as set out above and two different thickening
agents were added in two different batches of moist snuff during
the processing step as set out above. The thickening agents were
Thixogum S.TM. and Thixogum X.TM. provided by Kemiflor AB. The
thickening agents were added during the processing steps
("pasteurisation") as set out above. Two different tobacco "doughs"
were obtained. Both moist snuff products demonstrated good
performance with regards to plasticity and unity. Both the
plasticity and the unity characteristics were enhanced in
comparison with "normal" moist snuff manufactured in accordance
with the GothiaTek standard. The best results were obtained using
Thixogum S.TM. but also Thixogum X.TM. provided good results.
[0045] Various embodiments of the present invention have been
described above but a person skilled in the art realizes further
minor alterations, which would fall into the scope of the present
invention. The breadth and scope of the present invention should
not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments,
but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims
and their equivalents. For example, any of the above-noted methods
can be combined with other known methods. Other aspects, advantages
and modifications within the scope of the invention will be
apparent to those skilled in the art to which the invention
pertains.
* * * * *