A POUCHED PRODUCT FOR ORAL USE COMPRISING A LIQUID PERMEABLE COVER MATERIAL AND A FILLING MATERIAL

Abstract

A pouched product (1) for oral use comprising a liquid permeable cover material (2) enclosing a filling material (3), the filling material comprising a particulate material consisting of water insoluble particles and one or more water-soluble components in addition to the particulate material. The particles (4) of the particulate material have a particle density and a bulk density, the particle density being in the range of from 0.9 g/cm3 to 2.0 g/cm3 and being at least 1.4 times greater than the bulk density of the particulate material. The filling material has a pre-use moisture content of from 1% by weight of the filling material to 35% by weight of the filling material (3) and is free from tobacco material or comprises tobacco material in an amount within the range of from 0.05 wt % to 10 wt % based on the total weight of the filling material.

Claims

1. A pouched product for oral use comprising a liquid permeable cover material and a filling material comprising a particulate material consisting of water insoluble particles, and one or more water-soluble components in addition to the particulate material, the filling material being enclosed by the liquid permeable cover material, the particles of the particulate material having a particle density and a bulk density, characterized in that the particles of the particulate material have a particle density in the range of from 0.9 g/cm.sup.3 to 2.0 g/cm.sup.3, the particle density being at least 1.4 times greater than the bulk density of the particulate material, the filling material having a pre-use moisture content of from 1% by weight of the filling material to 35% by weight of the filling material, and the filling material being free from tobacco material or the filling material comprises tobacco material in an amount within the range of from 0.05 wt % to 10 wt % based on the total weight of the filling material.

2. A pouched product according to claim 1, wherein the particle density is 1.4 to 5 times greater than the bulk density of the particulate material.

3. A pouched product according to claim 1, wherein the particles of the particulate material comprises water insoluble hydrophilic particles.

4. A pouched product according to claim 1, wherein the particles of the particulate material constitute 75% by dry weight to 99% by dry weight of the filling material.

5. A pouched product according to claim 1, wherein the particles of the particulate material have an average particle size within the range of from 0.3 mm to 3.0 mm.

6. A pouched product according to claim 1, wherein the particulate material contains less than 0.5% of particles which are small enough to pass through a sieve having a mesh size of 250 m.

7. A pouched product according to claim 1, wherein the filling material comprises nicotine, the nicotine being added in the filling material in the form of a nicotine compound.

8. A pouched product according to claim 1, wherein the filling material comprises an additive selected from the group consisting of a flavouring agent, a sweetener, a humectant, and any mixture thereof.

9. A pouched product according to claim 10, wherein the additive comprises a flavouring agent.

10. A pouched product according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more water-soluble components is present on a surface of at least some of the particles of the particulate material.

11. A pouched product according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more water-soluble components is present in interstices between the particles of the particulate material.

12. A pouched product according to claim 1, wherein the liquid permeable cover material is a nonwoven material.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0058] The present invention will be further explained hereinafter by means of non-limiting examples and with reference to the appended drawings wherein:

[0059] FIG. 1 shows a pouched product for oral use;

[0060] FIG. 2 shows a cross-section along the line II-II through the pouched product of FIG. 1;

[0061] FIG. 3 shows generally spherical particles suitable for use in the oral pouched products as disclosed herein; and

[0062] FIGS. 4a-4d show some alternative particle shapes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0063] It is to be understood that the drawings are schematic and that individual components are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0064] The pouched product 1 for oral use which is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprises a liquid permeable cover material 2 and a portion sized amount of a filling material 3 comprising a water insoluble particulate material which is constituted by a plurality of particles 4 enclosed by the liquid permeable cover material 2. The cover material 2 may be any suitable type of cover material as disclosed herein and is formed into a generally rectangular pouch into which the filling material 3 has been inserted. The particulate material is constituted by water insoluble particles.

[0065] A common way of making a pouched product having a generally rectangular pillow-like shape, such as the pouched product 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, is either to provide the cover material as a seamless and endless tube or to form a flat web of cover material into an endless tube which is provided with a continuous seal in the longitudinal direction of the endless tube. The endless tube is subsequently intermittently sealed in the transverse direction of the endless tube while filling the endless tube with filling material into pockets which are created between the transverse seals. Individual pouched products are severed from the filled and sealed tube of cover material and are usually packed in user containers. Sealing of the cover material may be made with any suitable method or combination of methods, such as by means of adhesive, heat sealing, ultrasonic welding, needling, etc. Heat sealing and ultrasonic welding require the cover material to contain at least a functional amount of thermoplastic material, such as thermoplastic fibres or thermoplastic binders.

[0066] The longitudinal seal created during manufacturing appears as a longitudinal seal 6 extending along the length l of the pouched product 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. No such seal will be present if the cover material is provided in the form of an endless seam-less tube. The transverse seals form end seals 7 which define the width w of the pouched product 1. The pouched product 1 has a first main surface 8 and a second main surface 9 and a thickness t being defined as the greatest perpendicular distance between the first main surface 8 and the second main surface 9.

[0067] The particles 4 of the particulate material may constitute a very high proportion of the total dry weight of the filling material 3, such as 75% by dry weight to 99% by dry weight of the filling material, as set out herein.

[0068] The filling material 3 further comprises one or more water-soluble components 11, such as flavours, sweeteners, active ingredients such as nicotine, etc. as disclosed herein.

[0069] A part of a filling material 3 for an oral pouched product as disclosed herein is shown in FIG. 3, the filling material 3 comprising a plurality of generally spherical, water insoluble particles 4.

[0070] The particles 4 of the filling material may have a relatively large average particle size within the range of from 0.3 mm to 3.0 mm. By using large water insoluble particles for the particles 4 of the particulate material in the filling material 3, a major part of the water-soluble components 11, i.e., components which are soluble in water and saliva, may to a large extent be present in the filling material 3 on surfaces of the particles 4 which are facing interstices 12 between the particles 4. In this manner, any water-soluble components 12 may be substantially concealed within the mass of the filling material 3 where they do not add, or do not substantially add to the volume of the filling material 3.

[0071] FIG. 3 shows only a very small number of particles 4. In a full portion of filling material 3 for an oral pouched product 1, the number of particles 4 in the particulate material is considerably higher, such as in the order of 150 particles or more which means that a large majority of the particle surfaces will be located in the interior of the filling material 3.

[0072] As disclosed herein, the particles 4 of the particulate material may be dense, non-porous particles having a particle density in the range of from 0.9 g/cm.sup.3 to 2.0 g/cm.sup.3, such as from 1.0 g/cm.sup.3 to 1.5 g/cm.sup.3, such as from such as from 1.0 g/cm.sup.3 to 1.7 g/cm.sup.3, or from 1.1 g/cm.sup.3 to 1.4 g/cm.sup.3. In such dense non-porous particles, no, or substantially no water-soluble components 11 are present within the particles 4 themselves.

[0073] FIGS. 4a, 4b, 4c and 4d illustrate some alternative shapes for the particles 4 of the filling materials 3 as disclosed herein.

[0074] The particles 4 which are shown in FIG. 4a have a substantially cubic shape, the particles 4 which are shown in FIG. 4b are grain-shaped, the particles 4 which are shown in FIG. 4c have a substantially cylindrical shape and the particles 4 which are shown in FIG. 4d have an irregular shape. The particles 4 in FIG. 4a, has an aspect ratio A.sub.R=w/l which is approximately 1, while the particles 4 shown in FIGS. 4b-4d have a smaller aspect ratio.

[0075] Method for Determining Moisture Content, Loss on Drying, LOD

[0076] The moisture content as referred to herein may be determined by using a method based on literature references Federal Register/vol. 74, no. 4/712-719/Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009/Notices Total moisture determination and AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemics), Official Methods of Analysis 966.02: Moisture in Tobacco (1990), Fifth Edition, K. Helrich (ed). In this method, the moisture content is determined gravimetrically by taking 2.50.25 g sample and weighing the sample at ambient conditions, herein defined as being at a temperature of 22 C. and a relative humidity of 60%, before evaporation of moisture and after completion of dehydration. Mettler Toledo's Moisture Analyzer HB43, a balance with halogen heating technology, is used (instead of an oven and a balance as in the mentioned literature references) in the experiments described herein. The sample is heated to 105 C. (instead of 99.50.5 C. as in the mentioned literature references). The measurement is stopped when the weight change is less than 1 mg during a 90 second time frame. The moisture content as weight percent of the sample is then calculated automatically by the Moisture Analyzer HB43.