High-Density Reconstituted Plant Sheet

Abstract

The invention relates to a reconstituted plant sheet suitable for devices for heating tobacco without burning it, said reconstituted plant sheet having a high density.

Claims

1. Reconstituted plant sheet comprising: a fibrous support comprising refined plant fibers, an aerosol-generating agent, and a plant extract, characterized in that the density of the reconstituted plant sheet is greater than or equal to 0.6 g/cm.sup.3, the total content by weight of solids of aerosol-generating agent is between 10% and 29%.

2. Reconstituted plant sheet according to claim 1, the density of which is between 0.62 g/cm.sup.3 and 1.50 g/cm.sup.3.

3. Reconstituted plant sheet according to claim 1, in which the plant is the tobacco plant.

4. Reconstituted plant sheet according to claim 1, in which the total content by weight of solids of the plant extract is between 20% and 45%.

5. Reconstituted plant sheet according to claim 1, in which the sum of the total content by weight of solids of plant extract and of the total content by weight of solids of aerosol-generating agent is between 40% and 70%.

6. Reconstituted plant sheet according to claim 1, the thickness of which is between 100 μm and 450 μm.

7. Reconstituted plant sheet according to claim 1, the basis weight of which is between 60 g/m.sup.2 and 300 g/m.sup.2.

8. Reconstituted plant sheet according to claim 1, in which the aerosol-generating agent is sorbitol, glycerol, propylene glycol, triethylene glycol, lactic acid, glycerol diacetate, glyceryl triacetate, triethyl citrate, isopropyl myristate, or a mixture thereof.

9. Process for producing a reconstituted plant sheet as defined in claim 1, comprising the following steps: a) passing the refined plant fibers through a papermaking machine so as to constitute a fibrous support, b) bringing an aerosol-generating agent and a plant extract into contact with the fibrous support so as to obtain a wet reconstituted plant sheet, and c) drying the wet reconstituted plant sheet.

10. A heat but not burn device comprising reconstituted plant sheet as defined in claim 1, placed in association with in a heating device.

Description

EXAMPLES

[0127] Reconstituted Tobacco Sheet 1 in Accordance with the Invention

[0128] A mixture of scraps and stems of tobacco of Virginia type is brought into contact with water at 65° C. with stirring for 45 minutes. The tobacco extract is separated from the fibrous portion by mechanical pressing. The tobacco extract is concentrated under vacuum to a solids concentration of 54%. Glycerol, as aerosol-generating agent, is added to the concentrated tobacco extract.

[0129] The tobacco fibers are refined to have a degree Schopper-Riegler of 55° SR and then passed to a laboratory papermaking machine so as to constitute a fibrous support which has a basis weight of approximately 77 g/m.sup.2.

[0130] The concentrated tobacco extract comprising glycerol is brought into contact with the fibrous support by impregnation in a size press to produce the reconstituted tobacco sheet in order to obtain an S.sub.P of 27.3%, an S.sub.AG of 23.7% and a sum S.sub.AG+S.sub.P of 51% in the reconstituted tobacco sheet produced.

[0131] This sheet has a density of 0.68 g/cm.sup.3, a basis weight of 145 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of 212 μm.

[0132] Reconstituted Tobacco Sheet 2 in Accordance with the Invention

[0133] Another reconstituted tobacco sheet is produced according to the method described above, the differences being that: it is a mixture of strips and stems of tobacco of Virginia type that is used, the degree Schopper-Riegler is 25° SR, the basis weight of the fibrous support is approximately 78 g/m.sup.2, S.sub.AG is 20.7%, S.sub.P is 30.8% and the sum S.sub.AG+S.sub.P is equal to 51.5%.

[0134] This sheet has a density of 0.69 g/cm.sup.3, a basis weight of 156 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of 226 μm.

[0135] Reconstituted Tobacco Sheet 3 in Accordance with the Invention

[0136] Another reconstituted tobacco sheet is produced according to the method described above, the differences being that: it is a mixture of strips and stems of tobacco of Virginia type that is used, the degree Schopper-Riegler is 25° SR, the basis weight of the fibrous support is approximately 63 g/m.sup.2, S.sub.AG is 21.1%, S.sub.P is 35.4% and the sum S.sub.AG+S.sub.p is equal to 56.5%.

[0137] This sheet has a density of 0.61 g/cm.sup.3, a basis weight of 129 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of 186 μm.

[0138] Reconstituted Tobacco Sheet Not in Accordance with the Invention

[0139] A reconstituted tobacco sheet not in accordance with the invention is produced according to a procedure similar to that described above, the differences being that the basis weight of the fibrous support is 57 g/m.sup.2, that S.sub.P is 34.1%, S.sub.AG is 14.9% and the sum S.sub.AG+S.sub.P is 43%.

[0140] This reconstituted tobacco sheet has a density of less than 0.6 g/cm.sup.3, a basis weight of 95 g/m.sup.2 and a thickness of 166 μm.

[0141] Nicotine Transfer Rate

[0142] The nicotine transfer rate of the reconstituted tobacco sheet 1 in accordance with the invention and of the reconstituted tobacco sheet not in accordance with the invention is determined with a heating system of glo™ type and according to the following protocol.

[0143] The nicotine transfer rate in a reconstituted tobacco sheet is calculated by dividing the nicotine content in the aerosol, generated by heating said reconstituted tobacco sheet, by the nicotine content in said reconstituted tobacco sheet.

[0144] The nicotine content in the aerosol generated by heating the reconstituted tobacco sheet is determined in the following way: [0145] the tobacco is emptied out of commercial Dunhill stick bought in Italy in August 2018 tubes for glo™ and said tubes are filled with scaferlati (cut tobacco) of the sheet tested, with a weight of tobacco of 260 mg/stick and a drawing resistance of 70+/−3 mm of water column, [0146] an aerosol is generated via a Borgwaldt RM04 smoking machine on which the filled sticks have been installed (by applying the procedure for use supplied with the glo™ heating system), [0147] the material of the aerosol is collected on a 40 mm Cambridge filter. It is then dissolved in methanol, [0148] the nicotine content in the aerosol is assayed after separation by gas chromatography and assaying by FID relative to n-heptadecane (used as standard). The nicotine content of the aerosol is measured according to standard ISO10315:2013, using methanol in place of the isopropanol mentioned in the standard. The chromatography material used is the same as that used for the analysis of nicotine of the tested sheet. 6 Replicates are performed for determining the nicotine content in the aerosol.

[0149] The nicotine content in the reconstituted tobacco sheet is determined in the following way: [0150] the nicotine content in the sheet tested is determined by gas chromatography-FID detection analysis, with an Innowax gas chromatography column (column dimensions: length 30 m; internal diameter: 0.53 mm; film thickness 1 μm).

[0151] The results for the sheets tested are indicated in [Table 1] below.

[0152] These results demonstrate that the nicotine transfer rate of the reconstituted tobacco sheet 1 in accordance with the invention is significantly higher than the nicotine transfer rate of the tobacco sheets having a density of less than 0.6 g/cm.sup.3.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Reconstituted tobacco sheet 1 in accordance with the  38% invention Reconstituted tobacco sheet not in accordance with the <30% invention

[0153] Organoleptic Properties

[0154] The tobacco sheet in accordance with the invention and a tobacco sheet not in accordance with the invention are cut into scaferlati (cut tobacco) and then smoked, one after the other, by an independent expert in a glo™ heating system.

[0155] According to the independent expert, all the aerosols formed during the smoking of the tobacco sheet in accordance with the invention have very satisfactory organoleptic properties, in particular the aerosol is not very bitter, not very irritant, not very aggressive and has a good round and balanced taste which is superior to the aerosols formed during the smoking of the tobacco sheet not in accordance with the invention.