Heated aerosol-generating articles comprising improved rods

Abstract

A heated aerosol-generating article is provided, including an aerosol-generating substrate including a rod, the rod including a gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material circumscribed by a wrapper. The gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material includes one or more plasticisers and at least about 5 percent by weight triethyl citrate on a dry weight basis. The one or more plasticisers may be selected from the group consisting of propylene glycol, sugars, and polyhydric alcohols. The sheet of homogenised tobacco material may be crimped or otherwise textured.

Claims

1. A heated aerosol-generating article, comprising: an aerosol-generating substrate, wherein the aerosol-generating substrate comprises a rod comprising a gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material circumscribed by a wrapper, wherein the gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material extends along substantially an entire length of the rod and across substantially an entire cross-sectional area of the rod, and wherein the gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material comprises at least about 5 percent by weight of a plasticiser on a dry weight basis and at least about 5 percent by weight triethyl citrate on a dry weight basis, wherein the plasticiser is glycerine, and wherein the sheet includes less than or equal to 25% by weight of the plasticiser and less than or equal to 25% by weight of the triethyl citrate.

2. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein total amount of plasticiser and triethyl citrate in the gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material is less than or equal to about 30 percent by weight on a dry weight basis.

3. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein a ratio of percent by weight on a dry weight basis of plasticiser to triethyl citrate in the gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material is between about 1:1 and about 2:1.

4. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material has a fracture force per unit width in a cross direction of at least about 160 N/m.

5. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, wherein the gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material is crimped.

6. The heated aerosol-generating article according to claim 1, further comprising a combustible heat source.

7. A rod, comprising a gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material circumscribed by a wrapper, wherein the gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material extends along substantially an entire length of the rod and across substantially an entire cross-sectional area of the rod, and wherein the gathered sheet of homogenised tobacco material comprises a plasticiser that is glycerine and at least about 5 percent by weight triethyl citrate on a dry weight basis, configured as an aerosol-generating substrate in a heated aerosol-generating article.

Description

EXAMPLE 1

(1) First rods for use in the invention comprising a gathered crimped sheet of homogenised tobacco material circumscribed by a paper wrapper were produced using apparatus of the type shown in FIG. 1. Continuous sheets of homogenised tobacco material comprising 12.5 percent by weight glycerine and 12.5 percent by weight triethyl citrate on a dry weight basis produced by a casting process were used to form the rods.

(2) For the purpose of comparison, continuous sheets of homogenised tobacco material comprising 25 percent by weight glycerine on a dry weight basis were used to form second rods in an identical manner.

(3) Heated aerosol-generating articles according to the invention comprising the first rods and heated aerosol-generating articles not according to the invention comprising the second rods were prepared. The sensory properties of the heated aerosol-generating articles were evaluated by a consumer panel.

(4) Attributes including persistency, impact, harshness, tingling in the mouth and bitterness were rated higher by the panel for the heated aerosol-generating articles according to the invention comprising the first rods than for the heated aerosol-generating articles not according to the invention comprising the second rods. As a result, the global flavor perception of the heated aerosol-generating articles according to the invention comprising the first rods was evaluated as being more similar to the global flavor perception of conventional lit-end cigarettes than the heated aerosol-generating articles not according to the invention comprising the second rods.

EXAMPLE 2

(5) Third rods for use in the invention comprising a gathered crimped sheet of homogenised tobacco material circumscribed by a paper wrapper were produced using apparatus of the type shown in FIG. 1. Continuous sheets of homogenised tobacco material comprising 9.4 percent by weight sorbitol, 3.1 percent by weight invert sugar and 7.5 percent by weight triethyl citrate on a dry weight basis produced by a casting process were used to form the rods.

(6) The specific embodiments described above are intended to illustrate the invention. However, other embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims, and it is to be understood that the specific embodiments described above are not intended to be limiting.