A method of preparing a whitened tobacco material is provided, including: (i) extracting a tobacco material with a first extraction solution to provide a tobacco solids material and a tobacco extract; (ii) cooking the tobacco solids material in an alkaline cooking liquid comprising sodium sulfide and having a pH of greater than 11 to form a tobacco pulp; (iii) treating the tobacco pulp with an acid to lower the pH of the tobacco pulp and provide a neutralized tobacco pulp; (iv) extracting the neutralized tobacco pulp with a second extraction solution comprising at least one chelating agent to provide an extracted tobacco pulp; and (v) bleaching the extracted tobacco pulp with a bleaching solution to provide a whitened tobacco material.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a tobacco flavor liquid that is useful for smoking articles, the tobacco flavor liquid, a method for producing an ester compound, and a smoking article that contains the tobacco flavor liquid.

The method according to the present embodiment for producing a tobacco flavor liquid comprises: extracting a component from a starting tobacco material using an organic solvent to give a tobacco component-containing liquid; and, in an oxygen-containing atmosphere, mixing the tobacco component-containing liquid with an aqueous solution, which contains a basic substance and an alcohol, and reacting therewith to thereby give a tobacco flavor liquid.

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a tobacco flavor liquid that is useful for smoking articles, the tobacco flavor liquid, a method for producing an ester compound, and a smoking article that contains the tobacco flavor liquid.

The method according to the present embodiment for producing a tobacco flavor liquid comprises: extracting a component from a starting tobacco material using an organic solvent to give a tobacco component-containing liquid; and, in an oxygen-containing atmosphere, mixing the tobacco component-containing liquid with an aqueous solution, which contains a basic substance and an alcohol, and reacting therewith to thereby give a tobacco flavor liquid.

A method for preparing a tar extract with aroma characteristics from a discarded cigarette butt includes: (1) adding the discarded cigarette butt to an extraction solvent, and carrying out subcritical fluid extraction to obtain an extraction solution; (2) carrying out vacuum filtration on the extraction solution, and carrying out vacuum distillation on the filtrate to obtain a concentrated extractum; and (3) carrying out molecular distillation on the concentrated extractum, and collecting a light fraction of the molecular distillation to obtain the tar extract with aroma characteristics. Through the subcritical fluid extraction and separation by the molecular distillation to prepare the tar extract, harmful substances in the tar are removed, and the aroma components are retained. The tar extract is applied to a cigarette to improve the aroma, smoke and taste characteristics of the cigarette.

A method for preparing a tar extract with aroma characteristics from a discarded cigarette butt includes: (1) adding the discarded cigarette butt to an extraction solvent, and carrying out subcritical fluid extraction to obtain an extraction solution; (2) carrying out vacuum filtration on the extraction solution, and carrying out vacuum distillation on the filtrate to obtain a concentrated extractum; and (3) carrying out molecular distillation on the concentrated extractum, and collecting a light fraction of the molecular distillation to obtain the tar extract with aroma characteristics. Through the subcritical fluid extraction and separation by the molecular distillation to prepare the tar extract, harmful substances in the tar are removed, and the aroma components are retained. The tar extract is applied to a cigarette to improve the aroma, smoke and taste characteristics of the cigarette.

A producing method of a tobacco raw material comprises: a step A1 for heating a tobacco raw material in a closed space which is treated with alkali and for taking a flavor constituent released in the gas phase from the tobacco raw material to an outside of the closed space; a step B1 for allowing a first solvent to capture the flavor constituent by bringing the flavor constituent released in the gas phase in the step A1 into contact with the first solvent which is a liquid substance at normal temperature on the outside of the closed space; and a step C1 for adding the first solvent capturing the flavor constituent in the step B1 to the tobacco raw material in the closed space after the step B1.

A producing method of a tobacco raw material comprises: a step A1 for heating a tobacco raw material in a closed space which is treated with alkali and for taking a flavor constituent released in the gas phase from the tobacco raw material to an outside of the closed space; a step B1 for allowing a first solvent to capture the flavor constituent by bringing the flavor constituent released in the gas phase in the step A1 into contact with the first solvent which is a liquid substance at normal temperature on the outside of the closed space; and a step C1 for adding the first solvent capturing the flavor constituent in the step B1 to the tobacco raw material in the closed space after the step B1.

Embodiments described herein provide a method of making a tobacco extract comprising; (a) contacting tobacco with an extraction solvent in a first chamber such that tobacco components are extracted from the tobacco into the extraction solvent, wherein the extraction solvent is a supercritical fluid in the first chamber; (b) passing the extraction solvent containing tobacco components along a line towards a second chamber, wherein a valve is present in the line and the conditions downstream of the valve are such that the extraction solvent is subcritical; and (c) pumping entrapment solvent into a flow downstream of the valve, wherein the tobacco components are released from the extraction solvent by transfer to subcritical conditions and are dissolved in the entrapment solvent, whereby the tobacco components dissolved in entrapment solvent are collected in the second chamber.

Embodiments described herein provide a method of making a tobacco extract comprising; (a) contacting tobacco with an extraction solvent in a first chamber such that tobacco components are extracted from the tobacco into the extraction solvent, wherein the extraction solvent is a supercritical fluid in the first chamber; (b) passing the extraction solvent containing tobacco components along a line towards a second chamber, wherein a valve is present in the line and the conditions downstream of the valve are such that the extraction solvent is subcritical; and (c) pumping entrapment solvent into a flow downstream of the valve, wherein the tobacco components are released from the extraction solvent by transfer to subcritical conditions and are dissolved in the entrapment solvent, whereby the tobacco components dissolved in entrapment solvent are collected in the second chamber.

Methods for creating concentrated plant material solution are disclosed. Some examples include combining at least a concentrated plant material, at least one terpenoid compound, and a solvent to define a mixture; heating the mixture, wherein a temperature of the mixture is heated above a boiling point of the solvent and wherein the temperature of the heated mixture does not exceed a lower one of a boiling point of the concentrated plant material and a boiling point of the at least one terpenoid compound; and maintaining the temperature of the mixture above the boiling point of the solvent and below the lower one of the boiling point of the concentrated plant material and the boiling point of the at least one terpenoid compound until the amount of solvent remaining in the mixture reaches a predetermined concentration level.