Smokeless products containing non-tobacco plant materials

Abstract

This document relates to smokeless products containing one or more non-tobacco plant materials. Certain embodiments described in this document relate to smokeless products containing one or more tobacco-alternative plant materials and having properties similar to tobacco-containing oral products.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of manufacturing a non-tobacco smokeless product comprising:
 applying an extraction process to one or more tobacco-alternative plant materials to produce a flavor-neutral base; and   applying a heat treatment process to the flavor-neutral base to sterilize the flavor-neutral base.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the heat treatment process includes a steam treatment process. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 applying a drying process to the flavor-neutral base.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 adding nicotine to the flavor-neutral base.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 adding a humectant to the flavor-neutral base.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 adding a plasticizer to the flavor-neutral base.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 adjusting a pH of the flavor-neutral base to be within a pH range of 5.0 and 8.5.   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the flavor-neutral base has an oven volatiles content of at least 60%. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the flavor-neutral base has an oven volatiles content of at least 10%. 
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the flavor-neutral base has an oven volatiles content of 50% to 60%. 
     
     
         11 . A method of manufacturing a non-tobacco smokeless product comprising:
 applying a curing process to one or more tobacco-alternative plant materials to form a base material; and   applying a heat treatment process to sterilize the base material,   wherein the one or more tobacco-alternative plant materials includes at least 50 weight percent leaves in the  Camellia  genus family.   
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the heat treatment process includes a steam treatment process. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 adding nicotine to the base material.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 adding a humectant to the base material.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 adding a plasticizer to the base material.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 11 , further comprising:
 adjusting a pH of the base material to be within a pH range of 5.0 and 8.5.   
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the base material has an oven volatiles content of at least 60%. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the base material has an oven volatiles content of at least 10%. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 11 , wherein the base material has an oven volatiles content of 50% to 60%.