KR102892816B1 - Flavor enhancer for olfactory nerve stimulation - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a smoking article comprising a tobacco medium, a cooling unit, and a filter unit, wherein the smoking article comprises a flavoring agent and a flavor enhancing agent. In addition, a flavoring capsule, a filter for a smoking article, and/or a tobacco medium for a smoking article are provided, the smoking article comprising a flavoring agent and a flavor enhancing agent.

Description

Flavor enhancer for olfactory nerve stimulation

The present invention relates to a smoking article comprising a flavor enhancer for olfactory nerve stimulation.

Tobacco generally refers to a perennial herb of the Solanaceae family in the dicotyledonous order. However, more recently, it has also been used to refer to a product made for smoking, consisting of tobacco leaves wrapped in cigarette paper and a filter on one end. Thousands of varieties of this type of cigarette exist worldwide, available in a variety of shapes and forms.

Meanwhile, research is underway into technologies for adding flavor to aerosols produced from cigarettes. For example, a method is being utilized in which a capsule containing a flavoring solution is placed within the filter of a cigarette, allowing the aerosol to be flavored when the smoker crushes the capsule.

Capsules can contain a variety of flavoring agents, but these flavoring agents are primarily volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can quickly evaporate after a single release. Therefore, research is being conducted to improve the aerosol emitted from smoking devices by incorporating a larger amount of flavoring agents or improving the structure of the capsules that contain the flavoring agents to provide a consistently strong flavor.

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Patent Publication No. 10-2062207 (January 3, 2020)

Accordingly, in order to overcome the problems and/or limitations of the existing technology as described above, the present invention aims to provide a smoking article, a flavor-bearing capsule, a cigarette filter for a smoking article, and a tobacco medium for a smoking article, which includes a flavor-enhancing agent in a capsule or smoking article to maximize olfactory stimulation or to enable a smoker to perceive an increased flavor intensity for the same content of flavoring material.

However, the problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the relevant technical field from the description below.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a smoking article including a tobacco medium, a cooling unit and a filter unit,

A smoking article is provided, which comprises a flavoring substance and a flavor enhancing agent.

In addition, a smoking article is provided in which the above-mentioned flavoring substance and flavor enhancing agent are flavored in a tobacco medium or filter portion.

In addition, a smoking article is provided, which is included in a flavoring capsule containing the above-mentioned flavoring substance and flavor enhancing agent, and wherein the flavoring capsule is included in a filter portion.

In addition, the above-mentioned flavoring material provides a smoking article comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of rosemary, eucalyptol, licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweetener, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, mandarin oil, catechin, grapefruit, caraway, cognac, jasmine, cocoa butter, menthol, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, sage, spearmint, ginger, coriander, and coffee.

In addition, a smoking article is provided, wherein the flavor enhancer comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of NaCl and KCl.

In addition, the flavor enhancer provides a smoking article that releases Na ⁺ or K ⁺ ions and directly delivers the ions to olfactory receptors.

In addition, a smoking article is provided, wherein the filter part is a filter made of a cellulose acetate filter, a paper filter, or a polymer filter.

In addition, a smoking article is provided, wherein the filter portion is composed of a plurality of segments, and at least one of the plurality of segments includes the fragrance-bearing capsule.

According to one aspect, a flavoring capsule, a filter for a smoking article, and/or a tobacco medium for a smoking article are provided, the filter comprising a flavoring substance and a flavor enhancing agent.

When a flavor enhancer according to one aspect of the present invention is included in a capsule and/or smoking article, the same amount of flavoring agent can be used to maximize the olfactory effect for smokers, thereby maintaining flavor continuity. Alternatively, the same effect can be achieved by reducing the amount of flavoring agent and adding the flavor enhancer. This also reduces the manufacturing cost of the capsule and smoking article.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and should be understood to include all effects that can be inferred from the detailed description of the present invention or the composition of the invention described in the claims.

Figure 1 is a graph showing the perceived intensity according to aroma and NaCl content according to one embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a drawing showing a schematic configuration of a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments are described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. However, the embodiments may be modified in various ways, and the scope of the patent application is not limited or restricted by these embodiments. It should be understood that all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives to the embodiments are included within the scope of the patent application.

The terms used in the examples are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but should be understood to not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments pertain. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein.

In addition, when describing with reference to the attached drawings, identical components will be assigned the same reference numerals regardless of the drawing numbers, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. When describing embodiments, if a detailed description of a related known technology is judged to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the embodiment, the detailed description will be omitted.

Additionally, in describing components of an embodiment, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components are not limited by the terms.

Components included in one embodiment and components with common functions will be described using the same names in other embodiments. Unless otherwise stated, the descriptions given in one embodiment can be applied to other embodiments, and detailed descriptions will be omitted to the extent of overlap.

Throughout the specification, "smoking article" may refer to an article capable of generating an aerosol, such as a cigarette or cigar. The smoking article may include an aerosol-generating substance or an aerosol-forming substrate. Furthermore, the smoking article may include a solid material based on tobacco raw materials, such as tobacco leaf, tobacco ash, or reconstituted tobacco. The smoking material may include volatile compounds.

Additionally, throughout the specification, 'upstream' or 'upstream direction' means a direction away from the mouth of a user smoking the smoking article (100), and 'downstream' or 'downstream direction' means a direction toward the mouth of a user smoking the smoking article (100). For example, in the smoking article (100) illustrated in FIG. 2, the tobacco medium (120) is located upstream or in the upstream direction of the filter (110) for the smoking article.

Furthermore, in this specification, the smoking article (100) is described as an example of a combustion-type cigarette, but is not limited thereto, and the smoking article (100) may correspond to a heated cigarette used with an aerosol generating device (not shown) such as an electronic cigarette device.

The "aerosol generating system" in the present invention may refer to a device that generates an aerosol using an aerosol generating substrate to generate an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. The aerosol generating system is a non-combustion tobacco product that is indirectly heated with electric energy rather than directly burned. Non-combustion tobacco products include heated and non-heated tobacco products, and in the present invention, it is preferably used in a heated tobacco product. In the case of a heated tobacco product, it may be a product that generates an aerosol by drawing in surrounding air heated by electric energy, and allows smoking by having the aerosol inhaled and then released by the user. For example, it may include a hybrid aerosol generating device that utilizes both a liquid cartridge and a cigarette, and various types of aerosol generating devices may also be included, so the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples described above.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a smoking article is provided, which includes a tobacco medium, a cooling unit, and a filter unit, and which includes a flavoring substance and a flavor enhancer.

The above-mentioned flavoring substance plays a role in imparting taste or aroma to aerosols generated from tobacco substances, and the flavor enhancer directly transfers sodium ions (Na ⁺ ), potassium ions (K ⁺ ), etc. to olfactory receptors, thereby maximizing olfactory stimulation by transmitting the reaction of the olfactory receptors to the brain through the chain reaction of the Na-K pump.

Specific examples of the above-mentioned flavoring agent may include, but are not limited to, one or more selected from the group consisting of rosemary, eucalyptol, licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweetener, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, mandarin oil, catechin, grapefruit, caraway, cognac, jasmine, cocoa butter, menthol, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, sage, spearmint, ginger, coriander, and coffee.

Specific examples of the flavor enhancer include one or more selected from the group consisting of NaCl and KCl, and are not limited thereto as long as they correspond to salts capable of ionization, such as sodium ions (Na ⁺ ) and potassium ions (K ⁺ ), which are used in the chain stimulation response of nerve cells.

In this way, by adding a flavor enhancer to an existing flavoring agent, there is an advantage in that an increased flavor intensity can be perceived even when the same content of the flavoring agent is used.

The above flavoring substances and flavor enhancers may be included in various components of a smoking article, but generally, they may be included in a filter portion or a tobacco medium portion.

When the flavoring agent and flavor enhancer are included in the filter part for smoking articles, the flavoring agent and flavor enhancer may be flavored by the TJNS (Transfer Jet Nozzle System) method in which the flavoring agent and flavor enhancer are sprayed onto the tow during the filter manufacturing process, or may be included inside the filter in the form of a flavor-bearing capsule containing the flavoring agent and flavor enhancer.

As in the latter case, when included in a fragrance-containing capsule, the fragrance liquid substance and the flavor enhancer are included in the core part of the capsule, and the exterior (shell part) is wrapped with a membrane material such as a hydrogel polymer.

At this time, the core part of the flavor-bearing capsule may include not only the flavoring substances and flavor enhancers listed above, but also an aerosol-generating substance and/or a moisturizer, and the aerosol-generating substance typically includes a tobacco material containing nicotine, such as leaf tobacco, and may include, for example, tobacco leaf pieces, tobacco stems, tobacco dust generated during tobacco processing, leaf strips of tobacco leaves, and/or nicotine extracts. The tobacco leaves may be at least one selected from, but not limited to, yellow tobacco, Burley tobacco, Oriental tobacco, cigar leaf, and toast.

Meanwhile, the above-mentioned moisturizing agent may be at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol and oleyl alcohol, and by including the moisturizing agent, the quality of smoking can be indirectly controlled and flexibility of leaf tobacco, etc. can be provided.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method for manufacturing a fragrance-containing capsule may include a Rotary-die (Seam) Type having a capsule size of about 5 mm to 20 mm, a Seamless Type having a capsule size of about 0.3 mm to 10 mm, or a Microcapsule Type having a capsule size of 10 μm to 200 μm, and the manufacturing method may vary depending on the intended use and the preferred capsule shape of the consumer.

Furthermore, the flavor-containing capsule manufactured in this manner can be used to inhale the flavoring liquid substance and flavor enhancer by a smoker directly bursting the capsule with a finger or the like.

Meanwhile, when flavoring substances and flavor enhancing agents are included in the tobacco medium for smoking articles, they can be added to the tobacco medium through the flavoring step during the manufacturing process of the tobacco medium, thereby affecting the taste and flavor of the tobacco.

The filter portion included in a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention may be formed of a cellulose acetate filter, a paper filter, or a filter made of a polymer material, and may be formed of one segment or may be segmented into a plurality of segments, such as a first filter portion, a second filter portion, etc. In the case where the filter portion is segmented into a plurality of segments, a flavored filter or a filter including a flavor-containing capsule may be included in at least one of the plurality of segments (filter portions).

As an example, as shown in FIG. 2, a filter (filter portion; 110) for a smoking article may be divided into, for example, a first segment (112) and a second segment (114), and the filter portion may be positioned at the rear end of the tobacco medium portion. In this case, as shown in FIG. 2, the fragrance-bearing capsule may be included in the first segment.

The tobacco medium included in a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an aerosol generating material that releases volatile compounds when burned or heated, and typically includes a tobacco material containing nicotine, such as leaf tobacco, and may additionally include excipients such as a binder or other additives.

As an example, the tobacco medium included in the tobacco medium portion may be manufactured in the form of granules containing tobacco substances and excipients, and the excipients may include, but are not limited to, a pH adjuster, a binder, an aerosol forming agent, and other additives that may be included in the tobacco medium, excluding the tobacco substances.

In the present invention, the aerosol-generating material may be tobacco leaf fragments, tobacco stems, tobacco dust generated during tobacco processing, and/or tobacco leaf strips. The tobacco leaf may be at least one selected from, but not limited to, yellow tobacco, Burley tobacco, Oriental tobacco, cigar leaf, and toast tobacco.

Additionally, a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a cooling unit for cooling high-temperature aerosol or the like generated by heating the tobacco medium, wherein the cooling unit includes a cooling material. This allows the user to inhale the aerosol cooled to a temperature suitable for smoking.

The above cooling unit can be made of cellulose acetate or paper, and can form a tube-shaped structure including a hollow space inside.

Meanwhile, a smoking article according to one embodiment of the present invention may additionally include a wrapper for wrapping the tobacco medium, cooling unit, and filter unit, and the wrapper may be made of a general filter paper. In addition, the tipping wrapper that connects the tobacco medium and the filter may optionally have one or more perforations formed along the circumference to allow external air to flow in or internal gas to flow out, thereby having the effect of implementing the air dilution rate of the cigarette and controlling the amount of mainstream smoke components transferred.

Meanwhile, a smoking article including the fragrance-bearing capsule according to one embodiment of the present invention can be used not only as a conventional cigarette-type cigarette, but also as an electronic cigarette, such as an aerosol generating system.

- Example: Experiment to evaluate cognitive intensity according to flavor enhancer

In order to evaluate the perceived intensity according to the flavor enhancer according to one embodiment of the present invention, a sensory evaluation of the intensity of the sardine aroma was conducted on 60 male and female panelists of various age groups.

The panelists were asked to evaluate the fragrance intensity and acceptability for three concentrations of fragrance without NaCl (Aroma_0.25, Aroma_0.5, Aroma_1), three concentrations of fragrance with NaCl (NaCl_20+Aroma_0.25, NaCl_20+Aroma_0.5, NaCl_20+Aroma_1), water, NaCl_20, and NaCl_25.

As a result, the scent intensity was higher in the scent with salt (NaCl) than in the scent without salt (NaCl) (Fig. 1), and this shows that the flavor enhancer such as NaCl further maximizes the olfactory effect of the existing fragrance liquid.

Although the embodiments described above have been described with limited drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various technical modifications and variations can be applied based on the above. For example, appropriate results can still be achieved even if the described techniques are performed in a different order than described, and/or components of the described systems, structures, devices, circuits, etc. are combined or combined in a different manner than described, or are replaced or substituted with other components or equivalents.

Therefore, other implementations, other embodiments, and equivalents to the claims also fall within the scope of the claims described below.

100: Smoking items
110: Filter for smoking articles
112: 1st segment (filter section)
112a: 1st rapper
112C: Fragrance Capsule
114: Second segment (filter section)
114a: Second Rapper
116: Combination Wrapper
120: Tobacco Medium Department
120a: Tobacco Medium Rapper
130: Tipping Rapper

Claims (11)

In a smoking article including a tobacco medium, a cooling unit and a filter unit,
Contains flavoring substances and flavor enhancers,
The above-mentioned flavoring substance and flavor enhancer are included in the flavor-containing capsule,
The above fragrance-containing capsule is included in the filter unit,
A smoking article, wherein the flavor enhancer comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of NaCl and KCl, and releases Na ⁺ or K ⁺ ions, thereby directly transporting the ions to olfactory receptors.
In the first paragraph,
A smoking article in which the above-mentioned flavoring substance and flavor enhancing agent are flavored in a tobacco medium or filter portion.
delete In the first paragraph,
A smoking article, wherein the flavoring material comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of rosemary, eucalyptol, licorice, sucrose, fructose syrup, isosweetener, cocoa, lavender, cinnamon, cardamom, celery, fenugreek, cascarilla, sandalwood, bergamot, geranium, honey essence, rose oil, vanilla, lemon oil, orange oil, mint oil, mandarin oil, catechin, grapefruit, caraway, cognac, jasmine, cocoa butter, menthol, cinnamon, ylang-ylang, sage, spearmint, ginger, coriander, and coffee.
delete delete In the first paragraph,
A smoking article, wherein the filter part is a filter made of a cellulose acetate filter, a paper filter or a polymer filter.
In the first paragraph,
The above filter section is composed of multiple segments,
A smoking article, wherein at least one of said plurality of segments comprises said fragrance-bearing capsule.
Contains flavoring substances and flavor enhancers,
A fragrance-containing capsule, wherein the flavor enhancer comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of NaCl and KCl, and releases Na ⁺ or K ⁺ ions to directly deliver the ions to olfactory receptors.
A filter for a smoking article, comprising a fragrance-containing capsule as described in claim 9.

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