Methods for creating concentrated plant material solution, including combining ethanol-soluble, water-insoluble concentrated plant material with ethanol to define mixtures and reducing the amount of ethanol in the mixtures until the mixtures have viscosities compatible for use with electronic cigarettes. Some examples include combining ethanol-soluble, water-insoluble concentrated plant material, hydrocarbon bases, and liquid solutions containing ethanol to define mixtures, removing the hydrocarbon bases from the mixtures, and reducing the ethanol content of the mixtures until the mixtures define viscosities compatible for use with electronic cigarettes. Some examples include extracting solute from source materials and including the extracted solute in the ethanol-soluble, water-insoluble concentrated plant material.

The invention provides a tobacco composition for use in a smoking article or a smokeless tobacco composition that includes an additive derived from a flower of the Nicotiana species. The additive can be a flower isolate derived from a flower of the Nicotiana species. In certain embodiments, the flower isolate is in the form of an extract from a flower of the Nicotiana species or in the form of a chemically transformed flower isolate, the chemical transformation being selected from acid/base reaction, hydrolysis, thermal treatment, and enzymatic treatment, the chemical transformation releasing at least a portion of a glycosidically bound compound in the flower of the Nicotiana species. The invention also provides smoking articles and smokeless tobacco compositions that include the flower additives described herein, and methods for preparing an additive derived from a flower of the Nicotiana species for addition to a tobacco composition.

The invention provides a tobacco composition for use in a smoking article or a smokeless tobacco composition that includes an additive derived from a flower of the Nicotiana species. The additive can be a flower isolate derived from a flower of the Nicotiana species. In certain embodiments, the flower isolate is in the form of an extract from a flower of the Nicotiana species or in the form of a chemically transformed flower isolate, the chemical transformation being selected from acid/base reaction, hydrolysis, thermal treatment, and enzymatic treatment, the chemical transformation releasing at least a portion of a glycosidically bound compound in the flower of the Nicotiana species. The invention also provides smoking articles and smokeless tobacco compositions that include the flower additives described herein, and methods for preparing an additive derived from a flower of the Nicotiana species for addition to a tobacco composition.

The disclosure describes methods for providing nicotine isolates, including: receiving a solution containing nicotine derived from green tobacco biomass of a plant of the Nicotiana species; converting the nicotine to nicotine sulfate; concentrating the resulting nicotine sulfate-containing solution; adjusting the pH of the resulting nicotine sulfate concentrate to a pH of about 9.5 or greater to convert the nicotine sulfate to nicotine in free base form; extracting the resulting basic concentrate with an organic solvent to partition the nicotine into the organic solvent; and distilling the nicotine-containing organic solution to afford a nicotine isolate comprising about 90% or more nicotine by weight.

The disclosure describes methods for providing nicotine isolates, including: receiving a solution containing nicotine derived from green tobacco biomass of a plant of the Nicotiana species; converting the nicotine to nicotine sulfate; concentrating the resulting nicotine sulfate-containing solution; adjusting the pH of the resulting nicotine sulfate concentrate to a pH of about 9.5 or greater to convert the nicotine sulfate to nicotine in free base form; extracting the resulting basic concentrate with an organic solvent to partition the nicotine into the organic solvent; and distilling the nicotine-containing organic solution to afford a nicotine isolate comprising about 90% or more nicotine by weight.

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.

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.

An oil-infused plant product and method of infusing is provided. The method includes placing dried botanical matter with an alcohol and oil mixture into a pressurizable container, pressurizing and heating the pressurizable container, allowing the botanical matter and oil/alcohol mixture to remain in the container for a development time period while the oil is drawn into the botanical matter, and removing the oil/alcohol mixture via a vacuum. The botanical matter may be a processed plant matter, such as a blunt wrapper, or may be a natural or minimally processed plant matter, such as dried edible plants, smokable herbs, or herbs suitable for brewing (such as tea, coffee, and herbal tea components). The oil may be any nontoxic oil.

There is provided a method for determining the level of a polycyclic compound of interest present on the surface of a tobacco leaf, the method comprising the steps of: (a) washing the surface of the tobacco leaf with a solvent, the solvent comprising at least a non-polar solvent, such that no greater than about 10 wt. % of the polycyclic compound of interest present on the surface of the tobacco leaf is removed from the surface of the tobacco leaf; (b) collecting the solvent from step (a); and (c) subjecting the collected solvent to fluorescence spectroscopy to determine the level of the polycyclic compound of interest.

The production process comprises a step (A) in which an alkali-treated tobacco source is heated to make the tobacco source release a flavoring ingredient into a gas phase, a step (B) in which the flavoring ingredient released into the gas phase is brought into contact with a given solvent which is a liquid substance at ordinary temperature, thereby trapping the flavoring ingredient in the given solvent, and a step (C) in which the given solvent is added to a constituent element.