Supported flavour material for an aerosol-generating article or nicotine containing product

Abstract

There is provided a flavour material ( 50 ) for use in an aerosol-generating article, wherein the flavourant is releasable from the flavour material upon heating the flavour material. The flavour material ( 50 ) comprises a polysaccharide matrix structure comprising gellan gum and emulsifier: a flavourant formulation dispersed within the polysaccharide matrix structure, wherein the flavourant formulation is at least partly trapped within the polysaccharide matrix structure and releasable from the polysaccharide matrix structure upon heating of the flavour material; and a carrier sheet material, wherein the polysaccharide matrix structure and the flavourant formulation are supported by the carrier sheet material. Also provided is an aerosol-generating article ( 10 ) comprising one such flavour material ( 50 ).

1 . A flavour material for use in an aerosol-generating article, wherein the flavourant is releasable from the flavour material upon heating the flavour material; the flavour material comprising:
 a polysaccharide matrix structure comprising gellan gum and emulsifier;   a flavourant formulation dispersed within the polysaccharide matrix structure, wherein the flavourant formulation is at least partly trapped within the polysaccharide matrix structure and releasable from the polysaccharide matrix structure upon heating of the flavour material; and   a carrier sheet material, wherein the polysaccharide matrix structure and the flavourant formulation are supported by the carrier sheet material.   
     
     
         2 . A flavour material according to  claim 1 , wherein the polysaccharide matrix structure comprises gellan gum as the sole polysaccharide or gellan gum in combination with at least a further polysaccharide selected from the group consisting of guar, tamarind gum, sodium alginate, xanthan gum, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose. 
     
     
         3 . A flavour material according to  claim 1 , wherein the gellan gum makes up from 5 percent by weight to 99.9 percent by weight of the flavour material on a dry weight basis. 
     
     
         4 . A flavour material according to  claim 1 , further comprising a polyol having the formula C n H 2n+2 O n , wherein the polyol is selected from the group consisting of glycerol, sorbitol, xylitol, mannitol, and erythritol. 
     
     
         5 . A flavour material according to  claim 1  further comprising fibres, wherein the fibres make up from 0.01 percent by weight to 10 percent by weight of the flavour material on a dry weight basis. 
     
     
         6 . A flavour material according to  claim 1 , wherein the carrier sheet material is a sheet of homogenised tobacco material or a sheet of plug paper wrapper material. 
     
     
         7 . A flavour material according to  claim 1 , wherein the carrier sheet material comprises greater than 0.1 weight percent carbon particles, the carbon particles having a volume mean particle size of greater than 10 micrometres. 
     
     
         8 . A flavour material according to  claim 1 , wherein the polysaccharide matrix structure and the flavourant formulation form a layer on the carrier sheet material, the layer having a thickness of at least 10 micrometres and less than 150 micrometres. 
     
     
         9 . A method of preparing a flavour material for use in an aerosol-generating article, the method comprising:
 heating water to a temperature of at least 50 degrees Celsius;   dispersing gellan gum into the heated water to form a gellan gum aqueous dispersion;   heating the gellan gum aqueous dispersion to a temperature of at least 80 degrees Celsius to dissolve the gellan gum and form a gellan gum aqueous solution;   cooling the gellan gum aqueous solution to a temperature from 65 degrees Celsius to 75 degrees Celsius;   adding to the cooled gellan gum aqueous solution a flavourant formulation and an emulsifier to form a precursor composition;   applying the precursor composition onto a carrier sheet material;   drying the carrier sheet material with the applied precursor composition to obtain a flavour material.   
     
     
         10 . A method according to  claim 9 , further comprising a step of adding to the cooled gellan gum aqueous solution a polysaccharide selected from the group consisting of guar, tamarind gum, sodium alginate, xanthan gum, sodium carboxymethyl cellulose, and hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose. 
     
     
         11 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein the step of applying the precursor composition onto the carrier sheet material comprises casting or spraying the precursor composition onto the carrier sheet material. 
     
     
         12 . A method according to  claim 9 , wherein the step of applying the precursor composition onto the carrier sheet material comprises forming a layer of the precursor composition over the carrier sheet material having a thickness of at least 10 micrometres. 
     
     
         13 . An aerosol-generating article comprising a flavour material, wherein the flavourant is releasable from the flavour material upon heating the aerosol-generating article; the flavour material comprising:
 a polysaccharide matrix structure comprising gellan gum and emulsifier;   a flavourant formulation dispersed within the polysaccharide matrix structure, wherein the flavourant formulation is at least partly trapped within the polysaccharide matrix structure and releasable from the polysaccharide matrix structure upon heating of the flavour material; and   a carrier sheet material, wherein the polysaccharide matrix structure and the flavourant formulation are supported by the carrier sheet material.   
     
     
         14 . An aerosol-generating article according to  claim 13  comprising: a rod of aerosol-generating substrate; a downstream section provided downstream of the rod of aerosol-generating substrate and extending to a mouth end of the aerosol-generating article; wherein the flavour material is provided in at least one of the rod of aerosol-generating substrate; and the downstream section. 
     
     
         15 . An aerosol-generating article according to  claim 13 , wherein the carrier sheet material is a sheet of homogenised tobacco material; wherein the aerosol-generating article comprises a rod of aerosol-generating substrate; a downstream section provided downstream of the rod of aerosol-generating substrate and extending to a mouth end of the aerosol-generating article; wherein the flavour material is provided in the rod of aerosol-generating substrate. 
     
     
         16 . A flavour material according to  claim 1 , further comprising a polyol having the formula C n H 2n+2 O n , wherein the polyol preferably makes up from 0.01 percent by weight to 20 percent by weight of the flavour material on a dry weight basis. 
     
     
         17 . A flavour material according to  claim 4 , wherein the polyol preferably makes up from 0.01 percent by weight to 20 percent by weight of the flavour material on a dry weight basis. 
     
     
         18 . An aerosol-generating article according to  claim 13  comprising: a rod of aerosol-generating substrate; a downstream section provided downstream of the rod of aerosol-generating substrate and extending to a mouth end of the aerosol-generating article; an upstream section provided downstream of the rod of aerosol-generating substrate and extending to a distal end of the aerosol-generating article; wherein the flavour material is provided in at least one of the rod of aerosol-generating substrate; the downstream section; and the upstream section. 
     
     
         19 . An aerosol-generating article according to  claim 13 , wherein the carrier sheet material is a sheet of homogenised tobacco material; wherein the aerosol-generating article comprises a rod of aerosol-generating substrate; a downstream section provided downstream of the rod of aerosol-generating substrate and extending to a mouth end of the aerosol-generating article; an upstream section provided downstream of the rod of aerosol-generating substrate and extending to a distal end of the aerosol-generating article; wherein the flavour material is provided in the rod of aerosol-generating substrate.