Tobacco – Tobacco or tobacco substitute product or component part thereof – Cigar or cigarette
Reexamination Certificate
2000-09-20
2003-05-06
Griffin, Steven P. (Department: 1731)
Tobacco
Tobacco or tobacco substitute product or component part thereof
Cigar or cigarette
C131S276000, C131S274000, C162S139000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06557561
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to cigarette paper having a flavorant which improves the sidestream smoke smell, and a cigarette.
Many kinds of flavorant or aroma substances are added to tobacco articles, such as cigarettes, to improve the flavor and taste of the tobacco smoke. In recent years, to improve the smell of the sidestream smoke released to the ambient or during smoking, it has been proposed to add, to cigarette paper, a flavorant which masks the unpleasant smell. However, almost all of the flavorants used in tobacco articles, such as those added to cigarette paper, are highly volatile at ordinary temperature, and are volatilized by vaporization or sublimation. Therefore, the flavor released from the flavorant in the process of producing the tobacco article is incorporated into the sites where the tobacco article is produced, so as to affect the properties of the tobacco article, such as the flavor and the taste, or to cause deterioration with time in the quality of the tobacco article during preservation. The flavorant added to the cigarette paper is transferred to the cut tobacco or the packaging material for the tobacco article to affect the tobacco flavor and taste.
Thus, flavorants or flavorant-releasing agents are proposed which are modified to suppress the volatilization of the flavorant during non-smoking, be stable and nonvolatile in the production and preservation of tobacco articles and release the flavor by thermal decomposition or desorption during smoking. For example, Jpn. Pat. Domestic Announcement No. 2-501075 or U.S. Pat. No. 4,804,002 disclose a flavorant composed of a glycoside of an aroma substance. Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 5-146285 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,144,964, and Jpn. Pat. Domestic Announcement No. 7-504080 or U.S. Pat. No. 5,479,949 disclose the techniques of including a flavoring material within cyclodextrin.
However, in the prior art mentioned above, there is a possibility that the carbohydrate glycoside or cyclodextrin, which is added to suppress the volatilization of the aroma substance or the flavoring material during non-smoking, produces a thermally decomposed product during smoking, and this product is incorporated into the tobacco smoke to deteriorate the tobacco flavor and taste. Also, it may increase the cost for production of the tobacco article.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a cigarette paper having a sidestream smoke smell-improving agent that does not substantially release any odor during non-smoking but can mask an unpleasant smell of the sidestream smoke during smoking so as to improve the smell of the sidestream smoke, though having a relatively simple structure, as well as a cigarette.
In order to accomplish this object, the present inventors have made many investigations on sidestream smell-improving agents which are to be carried on a cigarette paper. As a result, they have found that a lactone releases a sufficient amount of flavor during smoking even if used in a small amount, and in hardly releases any flavor and maintains its state of being stably carried by the cigarette paper even if it is in its free state.
On the basis of the aforementioned finding (the first finding), the present invention provides a cigarette paper which has a sidestream smoke smell-improving agent comprising a lactone in its free state.
In the present invention, the lactone preferably has a 5 or more ring members. Such a preferred lactone can be selected from the group consisting of &ggr;-butyrolactone, &ggr;-valerolactone, &ggr;-heptalactone, &ggr;-hexalactone, &ggr;-octalactone, &ggr;-nonalactone, &ggr;-decalactone, &ggr;-undecalactone, sautalone, abhexone, &dgr;-octalactone, &dgr;-nonalactone, &dgr;-decalactone, &dgr;-undecalactone, &ohgr;-pentadecalactone, and mixtures thereof. The lactone is especially preferably a &ggr;-lactone or a &dgr;-lactone.
In the present invention, the lactone may be applied to the cigarette paper as a solution in an aqueous solvent and may be in a dried state.
On the basis of the first finding, the present invention also provides a cigarette wrapped by a cigarette paper, the cigarette paper having a sidestream smoke smell-improving agent comprising the lactone.
In this case, the cigarette paper may be adhered by an aqueous adhesive, and the lactone may be carried by the cigarette paper by incorporating the lactone in the adhesive.
Incidentally, the inventors have further made investigations on the lactone noted above to find that a hydroxy acid salt, which can be obtained by adding a base to an aqueous solution of the lactone to open the lactone ring, is odorless without flavor by itself, and that in burning cigarette paper (in smoking) the salt is ring-closed to produce a corresponding lactone, thereby releasing the same flavor as in case of the corresponding lactone in its free state (second finding).
On the basis of the second finding, the present invention provides a cigarette paper having a sidestream smoke smell-improving agent comprising a salt of a hydroxy acid corresponding to a lactone.
In the present invention, the salt of the hydroxy acid is preferably an alkali metal salt or an alkaline earth metal salt.
Further, it is preferred that the salt of the hydroxy acid is a salt of a hydroxy acid corresponding to a lactone having a 5 or more ring members. Such a preferred salt of the hydroxy acid is a salt of hydroxy acid corresponding to a lactone selected from the group consisting of &ggr;-butyrolactone, &ggr;-valerolactone, &ggr;-heptalactone, &ggr;-hexalactone, &ggr;-octalactone, &ggr;-nonalactone, &ggr;-decalactone, &ggr;-undecalactone, sautalone, abhexone, &dgr;-octalactone, &dgr;-nonalactone, &dgr;-decalactone, &dgr;-undecalactone, &ohgr;-pentadecalactone, and mixtures thereof. The salt of the hydroxy acid is especially preferably a salt of a hydroxy acid corresponding to a &ggr;-lactone or a &dgr;-lactone.
In the present invention, the salt of the hydroxy acid may be applied to the cigarette paper as a solution in an aqueous solvent and may be dried.
Furthermore, on the basis of the second finding, the present invention provides a cigarette wrapped by a cigarette paper, the cigarette paper having a sidestream smoke smell-improving agent comprising a salt of a hydroxy acid corresponding to a lactone.
In this case, the cigarette paper may be adhered by an aqueous adhesive, and the salt of a hydroxy acid may be carried by the cigarette paper by incorporating the salt in the adhesive.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.
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Miyauchi Masato
Nagae Hideki
Nakano Hiroaki
Sakurai Toru
Tanabe Hiroshi
Griffin Steven P.
Japan Tobacco Inc.
Lopez Carlos
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