Tobacco-derived components and materials

Abstract

The invention provides a tobacco composition for use in a smoking article or a smokeless tobacco composition that includes an additive derived from a flower of the Nicotiana species. The additive can be a flower isolate derived from a flower of the Nicotiana species. In certain embodiments, the flower isolate is in the form of an extract from a flower of the Nicotiana species or in the form of a chemically transformed flower isolate, the chemical transformation being selected from acid/base reaction, hydrolysis, thermal treatment, and enzymatic treatment, the chemical transformation releasing at least a portion of a glycosidically bound compound in the flower of the Nicotiana species. The invention also provides smoking articles and smokeless tobacco compositions that include the flower additives described herein, and methods for preparing an additive derived from a flower of the Nicotiana species for addition to a tobacco composition.

1 . A tobacco composition for use in a smoking article or a smokeless tobacco composition comprising a flower isolate derived from a flower of the  Nicotiana  species, wherein the flower isolate is in the form of a chemically transformed flower isolate, the chemical transformation being selected from acid/base reaction, hydrolysis, thermal treatment, enzymatic treatment, and combinations thereof, wherein the chemical transformation releases at least a portion of a glycosidically bound compound in the flower of the  Nicotiana  species. 
     
     
         2 . The tobacco composition of  claim 1 , wherein the tobacco composition comprises a flower isolate in the form of an extract of an enzymatically-treated flower of the  Nicotiana  species. 
     
     
         3 . The tobacco composition of  claim 2 , wherein the enzymatically-treated flower is a flower treated with a glycosidase or a glucocidase. 
     
     
         4 . The tobacco composition of  claim 1 , wherein the chemically transformed flower isolate is a flower isolate having been subjected to a reaction selected from esterification, transesterification, isomeric conversion, acetal formation, acetal decomposition, and invert sugar reactions. 
     
     
         5 . The tobacco composition of  claim 1 , wherein the flower isolate is admixed with one or more additional ingredients selected from flavorants, fillers, binders, pH adjusters, buffering agents, colorants, disintegration aids, antioxidants, humectants, and preservatives. 
     
     
         6 . The tobacco composition of  claim 1 , wherein the  Nicotiana  species is selected from the group consisting of  N. alata, N. arentsii, N. excelsior, N. forgetiana, N. glauca, N. glutinosa, N. gossei, N. kawakamii, N. knightiana, N. langsdorffi, N. otophora, N. setchelli, N. sylvestris, N. tomentosa, N. tomentosiformis, N. undulata , N. x sanderae.,  N. africana, N. amplexicaulis, N. benavidesii, N. bonariensis, N. debneyi, N. longiflora, N. maritina, N. megalosiphon, N. occidentalis, N. paniculata, N. plumbaginifolia, N. raimondii, N. rosulata, N. rustica, N. simulans, N. stocktonii, N. suaveolens, N. tabacum, N. umbratica, N. velutina, N, wigandioides, N. acaulis, N. acuminata, N. attenuata, N. benthamiana, N. cavicola, N. clevelandii, N. cordifolia, N. corymbosa, N. fragrans, N. goodspeedii, N. linearis, N. miersii, N. nudicaulis, N. obtusifolia, N. occidentalis  subsp.  Hersperis, N. pauciflora, N. petunioides, N. quadrivalvis, N. repanda, N. rotundifolia, N. solanifolia, and N. spegazzinii    
     
     
         7 . The tobacco composition of  claim 1 , wherein the tobacco composition comprises a flower isolate comprising one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of heptanol, methyloctanoate, 2-methylpropionic acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, 4-ketoisophorone, 4-methylpentanoic acid, hexanoic acid, benzyl alcohol, linalool, phenethyl alcohol, docecylacylate, nerolidol, octanoic acid, eugenol, methoxy eugenol, 5-acetoxymethyl-2-furfural, farnesal, farnesol, 1-hexadecane, 1-octadecene, phytol, acetovanillin, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol, hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, oleic acid, linolenic acid, methylbenzoate, salicylaldehyde, benzylsalicylate, cembrenediols, isophorone, oximes, solavetivone, thunbergol, vanillin, docecylacrylate, cembrenol, benzaldehyde, benzylbenzoate, scaral, acetophenone, caryophyllene, cyclohexene-butanone isomers, aristolone, 8-cineole, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, methylsalicylate, b-ionone, acetovanillone, b-damascone, b-damascenone, dihydroactinidiolide, vanillylacetone, sclareolide, sclareol, cis-abienol, cembrene isomers, cembratriene diol isomers, megastigmatrienones, norsolanadione, solanone, caryophyllene oxide, and ionol derivatives. 
     
     
         8 . The tobacco composition of  claim 1 , wherein the tobacco composition comprises a flower isolate in liquid, spray-dried, or freeze-dried form. 
     
     
         9 . The tobacco composition of  claim 1 , wherein the flower isolate is in the form of a casing formulation or a top dressing formulation applied to tobacco strip or in the form of an additive for a reconstituted tobacco material. 
     
     
         10 . The tobacco composition of  claim 1 , wherein the  Nicotiana  species is Virginia tobacco, burley tobacco, or  N. alata.    
     
     
         11 . The tobacco composition of  claim 1 , wherein the tobacco composition comprises a flower isolate comprising one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of terpenes, sesqui-terpenes, diterpenes, terpenoid esters, fatty acid esters, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, lactones, anhydrides, phenols quinones, ethers, nitriles, amines, amides, imides, nitroalkanes, nitrophenols, nitroarenes, nitrogen-containing heterocyclics, lactams, oxazoles, aza-arenes, sulfur-containing compounds, alkaloids, plastid pigments, lipids, and derivatives thereof. 
     
     
         12 . A tobacco product in the form of a smoking article or a smokeless tobacco product comprising a tobacco composition according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         13 . The tobacco product of  claim 12 , wherein the amount of flower isolate in the tobacco composition is between about 5 ppm and about 5 weight percent based on the total dry weight of the tobacco material in the smoking article or smokeless tobacco product. 
     
     
         14 . A method for preparing an additive derived from a flower of the  Nicotiana  species for addition to a tobacco composition, the method comprising:
 i) receiving a harvested flower or a portion thereof;   ii) processing the harvested flower or portion thereof by separating a flower isolate from the harvested flower, the separating step comprising treating the harvested flower or a portion thereof to release at least a portion of a glycosidically bound compound therein and form a treated flower material, and thereafter extracting the treated flower material with a solvent to produce a tobacco isolate; and   iii) adding the flower isolate produced in step ii) to a tobacco composition adapted for use in a smoking article or a smokeless tobacco composition.   
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the harvested flower, portion thereof, or flower isolate is chemically transformed by acid/base reaction, hydrolysis, thermal treatment, enzymatic treatment, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the separating step comprises subjecting the harvested flower or a portion thereof to enzymatic treatment to enhance release of flavorful or aromatic compounds from the harvested flower or portion thereof, and subjecting the enzymatically-treated flower material to solvent extraction to form the tobacco isolate. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 16 , wherein the enzymatic treatment comprises treatment of the harvested flower or a portion thereof with a glycosidase or a glucocidase. 
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the separating step comprises freezing a harvested flower or a portion thereof to form a frozen flower material, processing the frozen flower into a particulate form, subjecting the particulate flower material to an enzymatic treatment to chemically alter the particulate flower material, and extracting the particulate flower material with an organic solvent to produce the tobacco isolate. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the treatment to release at least a portion of a glycosidically bound compound is enzymatic treatment, acid hydrolysis, or base hydrolysis. 
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 14 , where the separating step further comprises molecular distillation of the flower isolate. 
     
     
         21 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the separating step comprises concentrating the glycosidically bound compounds in the harvested flower or portion thereof prior to the treating step. 
     
     
         22 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the  Nicotiana  species is selected from the group consisting of  N. alata, N. arentsii, N. excelsior, N. forgetiana, N. glauca, N. glutinosa, N. gossei, N. kawakamii, N. knightiana, N. langsdorffi, N. otophora, N. setchelli, N. sylvestris, N. tomentosa, N. tomentosiformis, N. undulata , N. x sanderae.,  N. africana, N. amplexicaulis, N. benavidesii, N. bonariensis, N. debneyi, N. longiflora, N. maritina, N. megalosiphon, N. occidentalis, N. paniculata, N. plumbaginifolia, N. raimondii, N. rosulata, N. rustica, N. simulans, N. stocktonii, N. suaveolens, N. tabacum, N. umbratica, N. velutina, N. wigandioides, N. acaulis, N. acuminata, N. attenuata, N. benthamiana, N. cavicola, N. clevelandii, N. cordifolia, N. corymbosa, N. fragrans, N. goodspeedii, N. linearis, N. miersii, N. nudicaulis, N. obtusifolia, N. occidentalis  subsp.  Hersperis, N. pauciflora, N. petunioides, N. quadrivalvis, N. repanda, N. rotundifolia, N. solanifolia, and N. spegazzinii.    
     
     
         23 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the flower isolate comprises one or more compounds selected from the group consisting of heptanol, methyloctanoate, 2-methylpropionic acid, 2-methylbutyric acid, 4-ketoisophorone, 4-methylpentanoic acid, hexanoic acid, benzyl alcohol, linalool, phenethyl alcohol, docecylacylate, nerolidol, octanoic acid, eugenol, methoxy eugenol, 5-acetoxymethyl-2-furfural, farnesol, farnesol, 1-hexadecane, 1-octadecene, phytol, acetovanillin, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamyl alcohol, hexadecanoic acid, octadecanoic acid, oleic acid, linolenic acid, methylbenzoate, salicylaldehyde, benzylsalicylate, cembrenediols, isophorone, oximes, solavetivone, thunbergol, vanillin, docecylacrylate, cembrenol, benzaldehyde, benzylbenzoate, scaral, acetophenone, caryophyllene, cyclohexene-butanone isomers, aristolone, 8-cineole, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, methylsalicylate, b-ionone, acetovanillone, b-damascone, b-damascenone, dihydroactinidiolide, vanillylacetone, sclareolide, sclareol, cis-abienol, cembrene isomers, cembratriene diol isomers, megastigmatrienones, norsolanadione, solanone, caryophyllene oxide, and ionol derivatives. 
     
     
         24 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the  Nicotiana  species is Virginia tobacco, burley tobacco, or  N. alata.    
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the flower isolate is admixed with one or more additional ingredients selected from flavorants, fillers, binders, pH adjusters, buffering agents, colorants, disintegration aids, antioxidants, humectants, and preservatives. 
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein the solvent is selected from the group consisting of polar solvents, organic solvents, and supercritical fluids.