Temperature sensitive powder for enhanced flavor delivery in smoking articles

Abstract

Improved delivery of additive materials to mainstream smoke produced by smoking articles is provided through the use of a temperature sensitive powder containing an additive material, such as a flavor component, in a smoking article such as a cigarette. The temperature sensitive powder is subjected to heat which causes the temperature sensitive powder to release at least a portion of the additive material into mainstream smoke. The temperature sensitive powder encapsulates the additive materials and other portions of the smoking articles, such as sorbents or filter materials, in order to reduce additive material migration during storage.

1 . A cigarette, comprising: 
 a tobacco rod including a powder containing an additive material for modifying characteristics of tobacco smoke during smoking of the cigarette, wherein the powder is temperature sensitive and releases at least a portion of the additive material when the powder is heated.    
     
     
         2 . The cigarette according to  claim 1 , wherein the powder is a multi-stage dried powder.  
     
     
         3 . The cigarette according to  claim 1 , wherein the powder comprises flavorant.  
     
     
         4 . The cigarette according to  claim 1 , wherein the powder comprises sorbitol, maltodextrin and/or starch.  
     
     
         5 . The cigarette according to  claim 1 , further comprising a film on the tobacco rod.  
     
     
         6 . The cigarette according to  claim 5 , wherein the film comprises guar gum, xylitol, hydroxypropylcellulose, agar, gum arabic, modified food starch, konjac gum, sodium alginate, sodium alginate propyl gallate, gellan gum, xanthum gum, pectin, whey, carrageenan, zien, carboxymethylcellulose, maltitol, mannitol, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol, or combinations thereof.  
     
     
         7 . The cigarette according to  claim 1 , wherein the cigarette is an electrically heated cigarette smoking system cigarette and the tobacco rod includes a tobacco mat forming a tubular portion of the tobacco rod.  
     
     
         8 . The cigarette according to  claim 7 , wherein the powder is in the tobacco mat.  
     
     
         9 . The cigarette according to  claim 1 , wherein the cigarette is a traditional lit end cigarette and further comprises a filter attached to the tobacco rod and a cigarette wrapping paper around the tobacco rod.  
     
     
         10 . The cigarette according to  claim 9 , further comprising a sorbent in the filter.  
     
     
         11 . The cigarette according to  claim 10 , wherein the sorbent comprises activated carbon.  
     
     
         12 . The cigarette according to  claim 10 , wherein the sorbent is separated from the tobacco rod by a plug of fibrous filter material.  
     
     
         13 . The cigarette according to  claim 1 , wherein the cigarette is an electrical smoking system cigarette comprising a tobacco mat forming a tubular portion of the tobacco rod, a filter attached to the tobacco rod and a cigarette paper wrapper surrounding the tobacco mat.  
     
     
         14 . The cigarette according to  claim 13 , further comprising a sorbent in the filter.  
     
     
         15 . The cigarette according to  claim 14 , wherein the sorbent comprises activated carbon.  
     
     
         16 . The cigarette according to  claim 14 , wherein the sorbent is separated from the tobacco rod by a plug of fibrous material.  
     
     
         17 . The cigarette according to  claim 2 , further comprising a filter with a cavity therein, wherein the multi-stage dried powder is located in the cavity.  
     
     
         18 . The cigarette according to  claim 2 , wherein the tobacco rod comprises reconstituted tobacco with multi-stage dried powder mixed therein.  
     
     
         19 . The cigarette according to  claim 2 , wherein the multi-stage dried powder is in cigarette wrapping paper of the tobacco rod.  
     
     
         20 . A method of making a cigarette, comprising: 
 incorporating a temperature sensitive powder containing an additive material in a cigarette filter and/or tobacco rod of the cigarette; and    forming a cigarette with the tobacco rod.    
     
     
         21 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein the temperature sensitive powder comprises multi-stage dried powder made by: 
 mixing liquid or viscous additive material with an emulsifier to form a first mixture;    mixing the first mixture with a spray dryable product to form a second mixture;    forming droplets of the second mixture;    heating the droplets to a first temperature to dry the droplets; and    heating the droplets to a second temperature to further dry the droplets and form the multi-stage dried powder, wherein the first temperature is different from the second temperature.    
     
     
         22 . The method according to  claim 20 , wherein the temperature sensitive powder comprises flavorant.  
     
     
         23 . The method according to  claim 21 , wherein the temperature sensitive powder comprising sorbitol, maltodextrin and/or starch.  
     
     
         24 . The method according to  claim 20 , further comprising forming a film on a paper wrapper or tobacco filler of the tobacco rod.  
     
     
         25 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the film comprises guar gum, xylitol, hydroxypropylcellulose, agar, gum arabic, modified food starch, konjac gum, sodium alginate, sodium alginate propyl gallate, gellan gum, xanthum gum, pectin, whey, carrageenan, zien, carboxymethylcellulose, maltitol, mannitol, hydroxypropylmethylcellulose, polyvinyl alcohol or combinations thereof.  
     
     
         26 . The method according to  claim 24 , wherein the film is formed by spraying the film in liquid form onto the tobacco rod and drying the film.  
     
     
         27 . The method according to  claim 20 , comprising: 
 incorporating the temperature sensitive powder into an adhesive; and    applying the temperature sensitive powder and the adhesive to the tobacco rod.    
     
     
         28 . The method according to  claim 20 , comprising: 
 applying the temperature sensitive powder to tobacco filler or reconstituted tobacco; and    forming the tobacco rod from the tobacco filler or the reconstituted tobacco with the temperature sensitive powder therein.    
     
     
         29 . The method according to  claim 20 , comprising: 
 applying the temperature sensitive powder slurry to a reconstituted tobacco material during processing of the reconstituted tobacco material; and    forming the tobacco rod from cut filler containing the reconstituted tobacco material with the temperature sensitive powder therein.    
     
     
         30 . The method according to  claim 20 , comprising: 
 applying the temperature sensitive powder to reconstituted tobacco during a drying process of the reconstituted tobacco material; and    forming the tobacco rod from cut filler containing the reconstituted tobacco material with the temperature sensitive powder therein.    
     
     
         31 . The method according to  claim 20 , comprising: 
 adding the temperature sensitive powder to cigarette paper; and    wrapping the cigarette paper around tobacco to form the tobacco rod.    
     
     
         32 . The method according to  claim 20 , comprising: 
 placing the temperature sensitive powder in a cavity of the cigarette filter.    
     
     
         33 . The method according to  claim 20 , comprising: 
 forming a base web;    applying a slurry including the temperature sensitive powder to the base web to form a tobacco mat for an electrically heated cigarette smoking system cigarette; and    forming the tobacco rod using the tobacco mat.    
     
     
         34 . The method according to  claim 33 , further comprising adding glycerin, pectin and/or tobacco dust to the slurry.  
     
     
         35 . The method according to  claim 33 , wherein the slurry is spread onto the base web to form a relatively uniform thickness.  
     
     
         36 . The method according to  claim 33 , wherein the slurry is formed by grinding tobacco, mixing the ground tobacco into a slurry and adding the temperature sensitive powder to the slurry.  
     
     
         37 . The method according to  claim 33 , comprising: 
 cutting the tobacco mat to a strip of predetermined width; and    forming the strip into the portion of the tobacco rod.    
     
     
         38 . The method according to  claim 33 , further comprising forming a film on the tobacco mat.  
     
     
         39 . The method according to  claim 38 , comprising: 
 spraying the film in liquid form onto the tobacco mat before forming the tobacco rod; and    drying the film on the tobacco mat before forming the tobacco rod.    
     
     
         40 . The method according to  claim 39 , wherein the spraying of the film and the drying of the film occurs between a first bobbin of tobacco mat without the film and a second bobbin with the film, wherein the distance between the first bobbin and the second bobbin is a distance effective for drying the film.  
     
     
         41 . A method of smoking a smoking article, comprising: 
 releasing additive properties from an additive material in a temperature sensitive powder in the smoking article.    
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the temperature sensitive powder is a multi-stage dried powder.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the smoking article comprises a cigarette and the releasing of the additive properties comprises heating the cigarette.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the heating comprises combusting one end of the cigarette.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the heating comprises electrically heating at least a portion of a circumferential area of the cigarette.  
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the heating melts the temperature sensitive powder to release the additive properties from the additive material.  
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the heating burns the temperature sensitive powder to release the additive properties from the additive material.  
     
     
         48 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the additive properties mix with smoke created by the smoking article to modify characteristics of the smoke during smoking of the smoking article.  
     
     
         49 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the additive material comprises a flavorant and the additive properties are flavors, where the flavors are released during smoking of the smoking article.  
     
     
         50 . A tobacco mat for an electrical smoking system cigarette, comprising: 
 a temperature sensitive powder containing an additive material; and    a sheet of reconstituted tobacco.    
     
     
         51 . The tobacco mat of  claim 50 , wherein the temperature sensitive powder is a multi-stage dried powder that releases at least a portion of the additive material when the cigarette is heated.  
     
     
         52 . The tobacco mat of  claim 50 , wherein the temperature sensitive powder comprises flavorant.  
     
     
         53 . The tobacco mat of  claim 50 , wherein the temperature sensitive powder comprises sorbitol, maltodextrin and/or modified food starch.  
     
     
         54 . The tobacco mat of  claim 50 , wherein the temperature sensitive powder is on at least one surface of the sheet.  
     
     
         55 . The tobacco mat of  claim 50 , wherein the temperature sensitive powder is distributed throughout the sheet.