Smokeless tobacco product comprising effervescent composition

Abstract

The invention provides an smokeless tobacco composition adapted for oral use, the composition including a tobacco material and an effervescent material. The effervescent material includes an acid component and a base component, wherein the acid component includes a triprotic acid such as citric acid and at least one additional acid. The invention also provides a method for making a smokeless tobacco composition that involves first forming a granulation mixture, granulating the granulation mixture, and then blending the resulting granules with further blending components. Thereafter, the material can be formed into a predetermined shape, such as by compression or extrusion. The acid component of the effervescent material is divided into two portions, the first portion added to the granulation mixture and the remaining portion added during the blending step.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A method of making a multi-layer smokeless tobacco composition, comprising:
 (i) providing a core material having a substantially spherical shape;   (ii) applying a first powder coating material and a binder solution to the core material to form a first coating layer; and   (iii) applying a second powder coating material and a binder solution to the first coating layer to form a second coating layer, wherein one of the first and second coating layers is non-effervescent and comprises a tobacco material and the other of the first and second coating layers comprises an effervescent material.   
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the core material comprises a compressible powder material and has a diameter of about 600 microns to about 3,000 microns. 
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , wherein the compressible powder material is microcrystalline cellulose, sugar, or salt. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein one or both of the first and second coating layers include an additive selected from the group consisting of salts, flavorants, sweeteners, fillers, binders, buffering agents, colorants, humectants, oral care additives, preservatives, syrups, disintegration aids, antioxidants, additives derived from an herbal or botanical source, flow aids, compressibility aids, and combinations thereof. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the particle size of both the first and second powder coating materials is in the range of about 10 to about 100 microns. 
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the binder solution is an aqueous or alcohol-based solution comprising povidone or hydroxypropylcellulose. 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein one or more additional effervescent coating layers and one or more additional non-effervescent layers are applied. 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the coating layer comprising the effervescent material comprises a carbonate material, a bicarbonate material, an acid component, one or more fillers, and optionally, a tobacco material. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the non-effervescent coating layer comprises a tobacco material, one or more fillers, and at least one flavorant or sweetener. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the effervescent material comprises an acid component and a base component, wherein the acid component comprises a triprotic acid and at least one additional acid. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the triprotic acid is a tricarboxylic acid. 
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the tricarboxylic acid is citric acid. 
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the at least one additional acid is a dicarboxylic acid. 
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the dicarboxylic acid is tartaric acid. 
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the acid component comprises a combination of a tricarboxylic acid and a dicarboxylic acid in a weight ratio of about 2:1 to about 1:2. 
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 40 , wherein the base component is a carbonate material, a bicarbonate material, or a mixture thereof. 
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 31 , wherein the tobacco material is in the form of an extract. 
     
     
         48 . A method of making a multi-layer composition, comprising:
 (i) providing a core material having a substantially spherical shape;   (ii) applying a first powder coating material and a binder solution to the core material to form a first coating layer; and   (iii) applying a second powder coating material and a binder solution to the first coating layer to form a second coating layer, wherein one of the first and second coating layers is non-effervescent and comprises a tobacco extract and the other of the first and second coating layers comprises an effervescent material.