阅读说明：本技术 吸烟物品用填充物 (Filler for smoking article ) 是由 永井梨保 井上康信 永江英树 牧野多成 于 2018-10-15 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明的目的在于,提供吸烟物品用填充物、包含吸烟物品用填充物的吸烟物品及吸烟物品用填充物的制造方法。在一个方式中,本发明的吸烟物品用填充物的特征在于,包含含有凝胶化剂和一种或多种凝胶化促进剂的凝胶,该吸烟物品用填充物的振实密度为0.05g/cm<Sup>3</Sup>以下、且压缩填充适合度大于60。在一个方式中,本发明的吸烟物品用填充物的特征在于,包含含有酯化度为12％以下的果胶和一种或多种凝胶化促进剂的凝胶。(The present invention aims to provide a filler for a smoking article, a smoking article including the filler for a smoking article, and a method for manufacturing the filler for a smoking article. In one aspect, the filler for smoking articles of the present invention is characterized by containing a gel containing a gelling agent and one or more gelling agents, and by having a tap density of 0.05g/cm 3 Below, and a compression fill conformity greater than 60. In one aspect, the filler for a smoking article of the present invention is characterized by comprising a gel containing a pectin having a degree of esterification of 12% or less and one or more gelation enhancers.)

1. A filling for a smoking article comprising a gel comprising a gelling agent and one or more gelation enhancers,

the filler for smoking article has a tap density of 0.05g/cm³Below, and a compression fill conformity greater than 60.

2. The filler for smoking articles according to claim 1,

the gelling agent is a polysaccharide having a carboxyl group.

3. The filler for smoking articles according to claim 1 or 2,

the gelling agent is selected from pectin, gellan gum or sodium alginate, gum arabic, xanthan gum or tragacanth gum.

4. The filler for smoking articles according to any one of claims 1 to 3,

at least one of the gelation accelerators is a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2.

5. The filler for smoking articles according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

at least one of the gelation accelerators is a compound containing calcium ions.

6. The filler for smoking articles according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

the gel is dried by freeze drying, supercritical drying or reduced pressure drying.

7. The filler for smoking articles according to any one of claims 1 to 6,

the gelling agent is pectin having an esterification degree of 12% or less.

8. A filler for a smoking article according to any one of claims 1 to 7 containing more than 0% and 35% by weight or less of tobacco.

9. A filling for a smoking article comprising a gel comprising a pectin having a degree of esterification of 12% or less and one or more gelation-promoting agents.

10. The filler for smoking articles according to claim 9,

at least one of the gelation accelerators is a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2.

11. The filler for smoking articles according to claim 1 or 9,

the gelling agent is a polysaccharide having a carboxyl group, at least one of the gelling accelerators is a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2, and the molar ratio of the carboxyl group-containing monomer to the cation-containing compound in the polysaccharide is in the range of 20:1 to 1: 10.

12. The filler for smoking articles according to any one of claims 9 to 11,

at least one of the gelation accelerators is a compound containing calcium ions.

13. A filler for a smoking article according to any one of claims 9-12 containing more than 0% and 35% by weight or less of tobacco.

14. A smoking article comprising the filler for a smoking article of any one of claims 1-13.

15. A smoking article according to claim 14 comprising 10-30% by weight of the filler for a smoking article according to any one of claims 1-13 in the tobacco rod.

16. A method of manufacturing a filler for a smoking article comprising a gel comprising a gelling agent and one or more gelling agents, the method comprising:

and drying the gel containing the gelling agent and the one or more gelling accelerators by freeze drying, supercritical drying or reduced-pressure drying.

17. The method of manufacturing of claim 16, comprising:

a gelation step of dissolving a gelling agent and a gelation accelerator in a solvent,

wherein at least one of the gelation accelerators is a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2,

wherein the ratio of the gelling agent to the compound containing a cation having a valence of 2 relative to the solvent is 3% or less.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a filler for a smoking article, a smoking article including the filler for a smoking article, and a method for producing the filler for a smoking article.

Background

Filler material for smoking articles

Japanese patent publication (Kokai) No. 2015-515857 describes "a smoking article comprising a tobacco base material containing tobacco and having a thickness of about 150mg/cm³The following tobacco density and hardness of 60% or more "(claim 1). In addition, Japanese patent laid-open No. 2015-515857 describes "a method comprising: combining tobacco with a gelling agent and a solvent to form a tobacco gel; and removing the solvent from the tobacco gel to form a tobacco substrate having about 150mg/cm³The following tobacco density and hardness of 60% or more "(claim 11). The smoking article described in this document is described to have air flow characteristics, stiffness and hardness that are independent of the amount of tobacco in the tobacco substrate.

Japanese Kokai publication Hei-3-180166 describes a cigarette comprising a smokable supplement material comprising an intimate mixture of a coherent matrix supplement having inorganic and organic components and a tobacco agent.

Japanese Kokai publication Hei-8-332068 describes an extruded tobacco composition containing tobacco and cereal flour as main ingredients.

Japanese patent laid-open publication No. 2016-523556 describes a smoking material which is contained in a smoking article and contains particles or tablets containing acacia gum.

Problems with existing smoking articles

When the existing smoking article is a lightweight article, it may be easily deformed if a load is applied. When a smoking article is industrially manufactured, a filler for a smoking article contained in the smoking article may be deformed, which may cause a problem such as dropping and failure to hold the shape of the smoking article.

In addition, products using aerogels have poor recovery properties and are easily deformed when a load is applied. Therefore, the manufacturing suitability such as the shape of the smoking article cannot be maintained, and the smoking article cannot be compressed, which causes a problem of poor transportation efficiency.

Further, the conventional smoking article is not highly resistant to environmental changes, and specifically, for example, is deformed at a temperature of about 70 ℃. In addition, in the conventional smoking article, the side-stream smoke odor and the main-stream smoke odor may be caused by components generated by heating the filler for the smoking article.

Development of a filler for smoking articles which is more excellent in terms of manufacturing suitability, durability, low odor, and the like is desired.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

The present inventors have found that a filler for smoking articles having a mesh structure which is lightweight, resilient, and low in density can be obtained by drying a moist material containing a gel obtained by bonding a gelling agent and a gelling agent to form a crosslinked structure, and have arrived at the present invention.

Further, by using a filler for a smoking article comprising a gel containing pectin having an esterification degree of 12% or less obtained by acid treatment of a gelling agent, the sidestream smoke odor is greatly reduced as compared with other gelled fillers.

Means for solving the problems

The present invention includes the following embodiments, but is not limited to these embodiments.

[ means 1]

A filling for a smoking article comprising a gel comprising a gelling agent and one or more gelation enhancers,

the filler for smoking article has a tap density of 0.05g/cm³Below, and a compression fill conformity greater than 60.

[ means 2]

The filler for a smoking article according to mode 1, wherein the gelling agent is a polysaccharide having a carboxyl group.

[ means 3]

The filler for smoking articles according to mode 1 or 2, wherein the gelling agent is selected from pectin, gellan gum, sodium alginate, gum arabic, xanthan gum, and tragacanth gum.

[ means 4]

The filler for a smoking article according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein at least one of the gelation promoters is a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2.

[ means 5]

The filler for a smoking article according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein at least one of the gelation promoters is a compound containing calcium ions.

[ means 6]

The filler for a smoking article according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the gel is dried by freeze drying, supercritical drying or reduced-pressure drying.

[ means 7]

The filler for a smoking article according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the gelling agent is pectin having a degree of esterification of 12% or less.

[ means 8]

The filler for a smoking article according to any one of modes 1 to 7, which contains more than 0% by weight and 35% by weight or less of tobacco.

[ means 9]

A filling for a smoking article comprising a gel comprising a pectin having a degree of esterification of 12% or less and one or more gelation-promoting agents.

[ means 10]

The filler for a smoking article according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the gelation promoters is a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2.

[ means 11]

The filler for smoking articles according to aspect 1 or 9, wherein the gelling agent is a polysaccharide having a carboxyl group, at least one of the gelling accelerators is a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2, and the molar ratio of the carboxyl group-containing monomer to the cation-containing compound in the polysaccharide is in the range of 20:1 to 1: 10.

[ means 12]

The filler for a smoking article according to any one of aspects 9 to 11, wherein at least one of the gelation promoters is a compound containing calcium ions.

[ means 13]

The filler for a smoking article according to any one of modes 9 to 12, which contains more than 0% by weight and 35% by weight or less of tobacco.

[ means 14]

A smoking article comprising a filler for a smoking article according to any one of modes 1 to 13.

[ means 15]

The smoking article according to mode 14, wherein the filler for a smoking article according to any one of modes 1 to 13 is contained in the tobacco rod in an amount of 10 to 30 wt%.

[ means 16]

A method of manufacturing a filler for a smoking article comprising a gel comprising a gelling agent and one or more gelling agents, the method comprising:

and drying the gel containing the gelling agent and the one or more gelling accelerators by freeze drying, supercritical drying or reduced-pressure drying.

[ means 17]

The manufacturing method according to mode 16, comprising:

a gelation step of dissolving a gelling agent and a gelation accelerator in a solvent,

wherein at least one of the gelation accelerators is a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2,

wherein the ratio of the gelling agent to the compound containing a cation having a valence of 2 relative to the solvent is 3% or less.

Drawings

Fig. 1 shows results of examining the composition, tap density (after measurement of compressed density), compressed density, and degree of suitability for compression filling of the filler for smoking articles of the present invention described in example 1 and the filler for smoking articles of comparative example 1.

Fig. 2 is a graph obtained by histogram of the compression packing suitability of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a graph of tap density (after compressed density measurement) of fig. 1 in a bar chart.

Fig. 4 shows results of examining the composition, tap density (after measurement of compressed density), compressed density, and degree of suitability for compression filling of the filler for smoking articles of the present invention described in example 2 and the filler for smoking articles of comparative example 2.

Fig. 5 is a graph in which the compression packing suitability of fig. 4 is plotted on the vertical axis and the tobacco fine powder content (%) is plotted on the horizontal axis.

Fig. 6 shows the results of examining the composition of the filler for smoking articles of comparative example 3, and the tap density (after measurement of the compressed density), the compressed density, and the degree of suitability for compression filling.

Fig. 7 is a graph showing the compression filling suitability of example 1 and comparative example 3 by a bar graph.

Fig. 8 shows results of examining the composition, tap density (after measurement of compressed density), compressed density, and degree of suitability for compression filling of the filler for smoking articles of the present invention described in example 4 and the filler for smoking articles of comparative example 4.

Fig. 9 is a graph obtained by plotting the solid-liquid ratio of fig. 8 on the horizontal axis and the compression filling suitability on the vertical axis.

Fig. 10 is a graph obtained by plotting the solid-liquid ratio of fig. 8 on the horizontal axis and the tap density on the vertical axis.

Fig. 11 shows the results of examining the composition of the filler for smoking articles of the present invention described in example 5, and the tap density (after the measurement of the compressed density), the compressed density, the degree of suitability for compression and filling properties.

FIG. 12 is CaCO of FIG. 11₃The mixing ratio is plotted on the horizontal axis and the compression filling suitability is plotted on the vertical axis.

FIG. 13 is the CaCO of FIG. 11₃The mixing ratio is plotted on the horizontal axis and the tap density is plotted on the vertical axis.

FIG. 14 shows examples 1-1, examples 5-1 to 5-4 and comparative example 5-1 in which the mixing ratio (weight ratio) of calcium carbonate was decreased in the order of decreasing the horizontal axis and the filling property (cm)³The results are shown in the graph on the vertical axis.

Fig. 15 shows the results of examining the composition of the filler for smoking articles of the present invention described in example 6-1, and the tap density (after the measurement of the compressed density), the compressed density, the degree of suitability for compression and the filling property.

Fig. 16 shows the composition of the cigarette of the present invention of example 7 and the cigarette of the comparative example, and the selection rate of the cigarette with high odor.

Fig. 17 is a bar chart showing the selection rate of the cigarette with high odor of fig. 16.

Detailed Description

The present invention relates to a filler for smoking articles, its use and a method of manufacturing the same.

1. Filler A for smoking article

The present invention relates to a filler for a smoking article.

The filler for smoking articles of the present invention comprises a gel comprising a gelling agent and one or more gelation accelerators, and has a tap density (after measurement of compressed density) of 0.05g/cm³Below, and a compression fill conformity greater than 60.

(1) Gelling agent

"gelling agents" are chemical substances that gel a liquid to solidify. Known gelling agents include polysaccharides such as pectin, gellan gum, sodium alginate, gum arabic, xanthan gum, tragacanth gum, guar gum, and carrageenan.

In the present invention, the gelling agent is preferably a polysaccharide. More preferably a polysaccharide having a carboxyl group. Polysaccharides having carboxyl groups are particularly susceptible to gelation in the presence of cations having a valence of 2, and a gel is formed by forming a junction region (junctionalzone) from the carboxyl group and the cation. If there is a connecting region in the gel, the filler for a smoking article comprising the gel becomes a mesh structure. Further, the filler for smoking articles has a soft and loose hand. In the present invention, the gelling agent is preferably pectin, gellan gum, sodium alginate, gum arabic, xanthan gum or tragacanth gum.

"pectin" is a polysaccharide having galacturonic acid and methyl galacturonate as structural units, which are α 1, 4-linked. It is known that some kinds of sugars are contained in addition to galacturonic acid. Generally, pectins are classified into LM-pectins with a degree of esterification of less than 50%, and HM-pectins with a degree of esterification of more than 50%.

In particular, pectin is gelled in the presence of a 2-valent cation such as calcium ions, and a linking region is formed between the carboxyl group of galacturonic acid in pectin and the cation, thereby forming a gel. Pectin having a large number of connecting regions, i.e., a low degree of esterification, has a higher gelling property.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the gelling agent is LM-pectin. In one embodiment of the present invention, the gelling agent is pectin having a degree of esterification of 12% or less.

"gellan gum" is known as a water-soluble polysaccharide synthesized by 1 species of Pseudomonas elodea (Pseudomonas elodea) among eubacteria. When cations are added to the aqueous solution, the cations are electrically neutralized, and the water solubility of the gellan gum is lowered to gel. Gellan gum is a polymer compound in which repeating units consisting of 2D-glucose residues, 1L-rhamnose residue, and 1D-glucuronic acid 4 sugar are linked in a straight chain. The repeat structure of the 4-saccharide is as follows.

[D-Glc(β1→4)D-GlcA(β1→4)D-Glc(β1→4)L-Rha(α1→3)]n

"sodium alginate" is one of the polysaccharides mainly contained in brown algae. alpha-L-guluronic acid and beta-D-mannuronic acid are pyranose-type and have a structure in which 1, 4-glycosidic bonds are bonded (CAS 9005-38-3). Has the property of gelling upon addition of cations.

The "gum arabic" is also called "gum arabic" or "gum arabic resin", and is obtained by drying a secretion from a wound of a bark of a tree of Acacia (Acacia senegal) or a related plant of the same genus of Acacia subfamily of leguminosae. The main component is polysaccharide (polyuronic acid), and is a mixture of arabinogalactan (75-94%), arabinogalactan-protein (5-20%), and glycoprotein (1-5%). The polysaccharide has a structure having galactose in the main chain and galactose, arabinose, rhamnose, and glucuronic acid in the side chain. It is different from hemicellulose constituting cell walls in that carboxyl groups are free, and is generally a calcium salt.

"xanthan gum" is1 species of polysaccharide, and is generally produced by fermenting starch of corn sugar with bacteria. It has a repeating structure comprising glucose 2 molecule, mannose 2 molecule and glucuronic acid molecule as units (CAS 11138-66-2).

"tragacanth gum" is a thickening polysaccharide obtained by drying the secretion of tragacanth gum of leguminous plants, and is a complex polysaccharide mixture containing arabinose, xylose, fucose, galactose, galacturonic acid, and the like. The main component is 2 acidic and neutral polysaccharides, including starch, cellulose, inorganic substance, etc.

(2) Gelation accelerator

The gel contained in the filler for smoking articles of the present invention contains one or more gelation accelerators. The gelation promoter is a chemical substance having an action of promoting the gelation of the gelling agent. The gelation accelerator is used, for example: a halide salt (chloride, etc.) of calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, lithium, silver, zinc, copper, gold, aluminum, etc., a solution of citric acid, carbonate, sulfate, phosphate, etc., a solution of a cationic polymer, etc. For example, the following may be used: calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, calcium lactate, ammonium chloride, potassium chloride, sodium chloride, potassium citrate, sodium citrate, magnesium sulfate, potassium phosphate, and the like.

In one embodiment of the present invention, at least one of the gelation accelerators is a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2. The cation having a valence of 2 includes, for example, calcium ion and magnesium ion. Preferably, at least one of the gelation enhancers is a compound containing calcium ions (e.g., calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, calcium lactate, calcium citrate, calcium acetate). In the present specification, "gelation promoter" may sometimes refer to only a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2.

In one embodiment of the present invention, examples of the gelation promoter used in combination with the compound containing a 2-valent cation include food additives as sour seasonings, such as citric acid, acetic acid, succinic acid, gluconic acid, adipic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, fumaric acid, and phosphoric acid. In one embodiment of the present invention, the gelation promoter is a combination of a compound containing calcium ions (e.g., calcium carbonate) and citric acid.

In the filler for smoking articles of the present invention, the polysaccharide constituting the gelling agent is easily gelled in the presence of a cation having a valence of 2, and a linking region is formed by a carboxyl group and a cation to form a gel. When the gel is present in the connecting region, the filler for smoking articles containing the gel has a mesh structure. In order to efficiently gel the carboxyl group and the compound containing a cation having a valence of 2 as a gelation promoter to obtain a filler for smoking articles, it is desirable that both are present in a number ratio of 2: 1. This corresponds to the case where the molar ratio of the carboxyl group-containing monomer to the cation in the polysaccharide is 2: 1. The molar ratio of the carboxyl group-containing monomer to the cation in the polysaccharide is preferably within the range of 20:1 to 1:10, 10:1 to 1:5, 5:1 to 1:2.5, 3:1 to 1:1.5, 2.5:1 to 1:1.25, and 2.2:1 to 1:1.1, though not limited thereto.

Thus, in one embodiment of the present invention, the filler for smoking articles is a polysaccharide having a carboxyl group, at least one of the gelation promoters is a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2, and the molar ratio of the carboxyl group-containing monomer to the cation-containing compound in the polysaccharide is in the range of 20:1 to 1: 10.

It was confirmed that example 5-1 to example 5-4 of the present application satisfy the following requirements: the weight ratio of the gelling agent (pectin) to the gelling accelerator (calcium carbonate) is 1: 0.12-1: 2.3, and the tap density is 0.05g/cm³And a compression fill conformity of greater than 60. This is in combination with the carboxyl group-containing monomers and gels of pectinThe molar ratio of the 2-valent cations in the accelerator is preferably 1:0.25 to 1:5 (4.9).

In one embodiment of the present invention, the filler for smoking articles of the present invention preferably has a weight ratio to calcium carbonate as a compound containing a 2-valent cation of pectin in a range of 1:0.01 to 1:5, a range of 1:0.05 to 1:3, a range of 1:0.10 to 1:2.5, and a range of 1:0.12 to 1: 1.5. That is, the molar ratio of the carboxyl group-containing monomer to the 2-valent cation of the gelation accelerator in the pectin is preferably in the range of 1:0.02 to 1:11, 1:0.1 to 1:6.3, 1:0.2 to 1:5.3, and 1:0.25 to 1: 3.2.

(3) The tap density is 0.05g/cm³The following

The filler for smoking articles of the present invention has a tap density (after measurement of compressed density) of 0.05g/cm³The following. Preferably, the tap density is 0.04g/cm³0.03g/cm or less³0.02g/cm or less³Below, or 0.01g/cm³The following. More preferably, the tap density is 0.02g/cm³Below, or 0.01g/cm³The following.

The bulk density is a density measured by filling the powder in a container and considering a gap in the container as a volume. The "tap density" is a bulk density measured by tapping and filling a powder sample in a container. After the initial volume is measured, the measuring cylinder or container is mechanically tapped until almost no change in volume is observed, and the volume is read.

The tap density of the filler for smoking articles of the present invention can be measured as described below, for example, by using "method for measuring bulk density of fine ceramic powder" (JIS1628-1997) of japanese industrial standards as a reference.

Adding 3.0g of filler for smoking article into 250cm³The measuring cylinder was set to TapDenser with a tap height of 10mm and a tap speed of 100 times/min, tap was performed 600 times, and the height to the sample surface was measured. Further, the height to the sample surface was measured by adding tap 100 times. In this case, it was confirmed that the difference in height from the previously measured height to the sample surface was within 1 mm. In the case of more than 1mm, each time is heavyAnd performing repeated compaction for 100 times until the difference between the previous time and the previous time is within 1 mm.

It is desirable to perform a plurality of measurements and take the arithmetic mean of the measurements as the measurement result. In the examples of the present specification, 3 measurements were carried out, and the arithmetic mean thereof was taken as the measurement result (g/cm)³)。

It is important to tap until a change in volume is hardly observed, and calculate the density from the finally measured volume and mass. The tapping speed, the number of taps, the amount of filler for smoking articles used, the size of the measuring cylinder, and the like can be appropriately changed.

In the examples of the present specification, tap density is measured after the measurement of compression density. In the present specification, unless otherwise explicitly stated, the term "tap density" refers to a tap density after measurement of a compressed density, that is, after a load such as compression is applied to a filler for a smoking article.

(4) Compression fill conformity greater than 60

The filler for a smoking article of the present invention has a compression fill suitability of greater than 60. The filler for smoking articles is preferably 65 or more, more preferably 70 or more.

Density of compression

The compressed density refers to the density of a substance after a certain pressure load is applied to the substance. The compressive density can be measured using, for example, a filling property measuring apparatus (e.g., Densimeter DD60A, manufactured by Borgwaldt KC). The compressed density may be measured by weighing an arbitrary weight of the filler for smoking articles, placing the filler in a container having a constant cross-sectional area and cross-sectional shape, applying a constant load to the vertical upper surface of the container, and calculating the volume of the sample from the height of the obtained sample.

In the examples of the present specification, a tobacco container having a diameter of 60mm was filled with a filler for smoking articles, the weight of which was 3.0g, and the height of a sample obtained when a load of 2kg was applied thereto was read by a filler measuring apparatus and converted into a volume as a compressed density (g/cm)³). In order to obtain a compressed density for calculating the compression filling suitability, the compressed density can be obtained by applying the same compression load even under the conditions which are not exactly the same as those of the examples of the present invention.

It is desirable to perform the measurement a plurality of times and to take the arithmetic average thereof as the measurement result. In the examples of the present specification, 3 measurements were performed, and the arithmetic mean thereof was used as the measurement result.

Compression fill conformity

The compression fill suitability is defined and calculated as follows.

Compression filling suitability (compressed density-tap density after compression measurement)/compressed density × 100

The tap density used for calculating the compression filling suitability is the tap density after compression measurement, that is, the tap density of the filling material once applied with a load.

The more easily the filling is broken, the lower the value of the compressive filling suitability. This is because the filler shows a value close to the compression density (high density) when it is broken by a load in the compression density measurement (crushing, pulverization, etc.) and then measured by tap density. In addition, the more difficult the filler is to compress, the lower the compression filling suitability. This is because the filler is difficult to compress, and therefore the compressed density and the tap density after that are close to each other. In contrast, for a filling that is easily compressed but then recovers, the value of the compression filling suitability is high.

The load used for measuring the compressed density of the filler for a smoking article in the examples of the present specification is a load applied when the filler property is measured in the tobacco field. The load is a value close to the lift pressure at which the tobacco rod is lifted. Therefore, the filler for smoking articles which is broken by the load is broken when lifted, which causes the filler to fall off, and is not preferable in terms of shape retention of the tobacco rod. On the other hand, the packing which is difficult to be compressed is poor in transportation efficiency when transporting the packing itself. Generally, the shredded tobacco is compressed to such an extent that the shredded tobacco is not broken when it is transported, and transported. Similarly, the filler for smoking articles is also compressed to such an extent that it is not broken and transported, but if the compression during transportation is not sufficiently performed, the transportation efficiency is deteriorated. The difficulty in compression means that deformation is difficult, and there is a risk that the roll paper is broken or deformed into a rod shape by a lifting pressure.

The filler for smoking articles preferably has a higher degree of suitability for compression filling when compressed under a certain load (degree of load applied during filling property measurement).

Filling property

The filling property is a value obtained by obtaining the volume of 1g of the filler for smoking articles when the filler for smoking articles is compressed for a certain time at a certain pressure. That is, when the filling property of the filler for smoking articles is high, a large number of smoking articles can be produced per unit weight. In addition, the amount of smoking articles that can be manufactured from a certain amount of raw material can be estimated by measuring the filling property. Therefore, the method is useful for manufacturing planning, and further, in developing varieties and designing tobacco composition, raw materials with low manufacturing cost can be selected and used. Therefore, the filling property of the filler for smoking articles is an important factor from the viewpoint of the raw material cost and the product design.

In the examples of the present specification, the filler for smoking articles of the present invention showed 10cm³High filling property of/g or more.

(5) Method for drying gel

The gel contained in the filler for smoking articles of the present invention is preferably dried by freeze drying, supercritical drying, or reduced-pressure drying.

The term "freeze-drying" refers to a technique of quickly freezing a substance containing water, reducing the pressure, and sublimating the water in a vacuum state to dry the substance. It has the characteristics that drying is completed without raising the temperature and without deterioration of the components. Lyophilization (freeze dry) is also known as freeze drying.

"supercritical drying" refers to a drying technique using a supercritical fluid. A supercritical fluid is a state of matter at a temperature/pressure above the critical point. Supercritical fluids have high diffusivity, solubility, and no surface tension. By utilizing these characteristics, even a fine substance which is accompanied by large shrinkage and structural destruction by another drying method can be dried while maintaining the structure.

"drying under reduced pressure" is a method of drying under reduced pressure. When the air pressure is lowered, the vapor pressure of water in the air is lowered, and drying can be performed at a relatively low temperature, so that the deterioration of the components can be suppressed, the boiling point of water is lowered, the evaporation rate is accelerated, and drying of the object can be accelerated.

The invention meets the requirement that the tap density is 0.05g/cm³A filler for a smoking article having a compression packing suitability of more than 60. The filler for smoking articles of the present invention can be obtained by appropriately selecting the type or amount of the gelling agent or gelling accelerator, and/or the method of drying the gel. The filler for a smoking article of the present invention has a soft, loose, light, and/or unbreakable requirement that is preferable as a filler for a smoking article.

The drying step for obtaining the filler for smoking articles of the present invention may be "tray drying" in which a gel containing a gelling agent and a gelling agent is relatively slowly frozen at a temperature higher than the freezing temperature at the time of freeze drying to obtain a gel solid, followed by vacuum drying.

(6) Tobacco

The filler for a smoking article of the present invention may contain tobacco. The tobacco contained in the filler for smoking articles is preferably in the form of tobacco fine powder or cut tobacco. They may be added when forming the gel contained in the filler for a smoking article.

The amount of tobacco contained in the filler for smoking articles is preferably more than 0% by weight and 35% by weight or less of the filler for smoking articles. More preferably 20 wt% or less of the filler for smoking articles. When the amount of filler for smoking articles added is large, the compression filling suitability is reduced.

2. Filler B for smoking article

The present invention relates to a filler for a smoking article.

The filler for a smoking article of the present invention comprises a gel comprising a pectin having a degree of esterification of 12% or less and one or more gelation enhancers.

"pectin" and "gelling agent" are as described for filler a for smoking articles. The filler B for smoking articles contains, in particular, pectin having a degree of esterification of 12% or less as a gelling agent. By using pectin having a low degree of esterification, a smoking article having less tobacco odor can be provided.

The phrase "the odor of tobacco is lower" means that, for example, when the odor of a standard sample is compared with the odor of an evaluation sample, the selection ratio of the sample in which a stronger odor is sensed is small, and the selection ratio is preferably 1/2 or less, more preferably 1/2.4 or less. Examples of the standard sample include commercially available Mobius (registered trademark). SUPER LIGHT (manufactured by Nippon tobacco Co., Ltd.), 3R4F standard cigarette, and the like.

In one embodiment, at least one of the gelation promoters is a compound containing a cation having a valence of 2. In the filler for a smoking article of the present invention, at least one of the gelation promoters is a compound containing calcium ions. The "compound containing a cation having a valence of 2" and the "compound containing a calcium ion" are as described with respect to the filler a for a smoking article.

The filler for a smoking article of the present invention may contain tobacco. The "tobacco" contained in the filler for smoking articles is as described with respect to the filler a for smoking articles. The amount of tobacco contained in the filler for smoking articles is preferably more than 0% by weight and 35% by weight or less of the filler for smoking articles.

The gel contained in the filler for smoking articles of the present invention is preferably dried by freeze drying, supercritical drying, or reduced-pressure drying. "freeze-drying", "supercritical drying", "drying under reduced pressure", "tray drying" are as described for filler a for a smoking article.

The filler B for smoking articles is the same as the filler a for smoking articles, except for the items not specifically described.

3. Smoking article

The present invention relates to a smoking article comprising the filler for smoking article of the present invention (filler a for smoking article or filler B for smoking article).

The kind of the "smoking article" is not particularly limited. The present invention includes any of combustion-type smoking articles (cigarettes, etc.) and non-combustion-type smoking articles. For example, a mixed tobacco shred in which the filler for a smoking article of the present invention is mixed with a tobacco shred may be applied to a tobacco rod of a cigarette.

The amount of the filler for smoking article contained in the smoking article is not particularly limited. In one aspect of the present invention, a smoking article comprises 10 wt% to 30 wt% of the filler for a smoking article of the present invention in a tobacco rod.

4. Method for producing filler for smoking article

The present invention relates to a method for producing a filler for smoking articles, and more particularly, to a method for producing a filler for smoking articles, which comprises a gel containing a gelling agent and one or more gelling accelerators.

The manufacturing method of the present invention includes: and drying the gel containing the gelling agent and the one or more gelling accelerators by freeze drying, supercritical drying or reduced-pressure drying.

"gelling agent" and "gelling agent" are as described for filler a for smoking articles. In one embodiment, the gelation promoter is pectin. "pectin" is as described for filler a for a smoking article and filler B for a smoking article.

"freeze-drying", "supercritical drying", "drying under reduced pressure" are as described for filler a for a smoking article.

The production method of the present invention includes a step of mixing a gelling agent with one or more gelling agents to form a gel. The step up to gel formation is not particularly limited.

In one embodiment, a manufacturing method of the present invention includes: the gelling agent and the gelling accelerator are dissolved in a solvent, preferably a solvent such as water, to gel. The ratio (solid-to-liquid ratio (%)) of the total of the gelling agent and the gelling agent (compound containing a cation having a valence of 2) to the solvent is preferably 3% or less, though not limited thereto.

When the gelling agent is mixed with one or more gelling accelerators, tobacco fine powder or tobacco shreds may be added.

The filler for smoking articles produced by the production method of the present invention preferably has a tap density of 0.05g/cm³The following, and a compression filling suitability of greater than 60. Or has a property of causing less odor of tobacco by using pectin having a low degree of esterification.