Cooked flavors for smoking products

Abstract

Reducing sugars are reacted with ammonium hydroxide or ammonium salts in the presence of a trace amount of certain amino acids to produce reaction flavors for use in smoking compositions and particularly those having a high content of tobacco stems.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A process for preparing a reaction flavor product which comprises the following steps: (a) Preparing a mixture of a reducing sugar .[.and.]. ammonium hydroxide .Iadd.and a trace amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of an amino acid and a monoamide thereof, .Iaddend.wherein the weight ratio of reducing sugar to ammonium hydroxide (.Iadd.30%) .Iaddend.is in the range of 5-15:1 .Iadd.and the ratio of reducing sugar to said compound is in the range of 200-300:1.Iaddend.;   .[.(b) adding a trace amount of a compound selected from the group consisting an amino acid and a monoamide thereof to said mixture of step (a), wherein the ratio of reducing sugar to said compound is in the range of 200-300:1;.].   .[.(c).]. (.Iadd.b) .Iaddend.heating said mixture to a temperature in the range of 90° to 105° C.; and thereafter   .[.(d).]. (.Iadd.c) .Iaddend.cooling said mixture to room temperature.   
     
     
       2. The process of claim 1 wherein the said compound thereof is selected from the group consisting of aspartic acid, glutamic acid, asparagine and glutamine and their monoamides. 
     
     
       3. The process of claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of sugar to concentrated ammonium hydroxide (30%) is 6-8:1. 
     
     
       4. The process of claim 1 wherein the reducing sugar is selected from the group consisting of fructose, glucose, mannose, galactose and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       5. The process of claim 1 wherein the weight ratio of sugar to said compound is 235-245:1. 
     
     
       6. The process of claim 1 wherein the reaction flavor product is cooled by diluting with water, said water being added in an amount sufficient to effect a 1-5:1 dilution of the reaction flavor product. 
     
     
       7. The process of claim 1 wherein heating is continued for 5 to 15 minutes after the temperature reaches 90° to 105° C. 
     
     
       8. A reaction flavor product prepared by the process of claim 1. 
     
     
       9. A smoking composition comprising a filter material selected from tobacco, reconstituted tobacco, non-tobacco smoking substitute and mixtures thereof, and the reaction flavor product of claim 8. 
     
     
       10. The smoking composition of claim 9 comprising a filler of blended tobaccos having incorporated therein between about 0.5 to 10% by weight of the filler of the reaction flavor product. 
     
     
       11. The smoking composition of claim 9 comprising a filler of tobacco, reconstituted tobacco and tobacco stems wherein tobacco stems comprise up to 50% by weight of the filler and said stems have incorporated therein up to 5% by weight of the stems of the reaction flavor product. 
     
     
       12. The smoking composition of claim 9 comprising a filler of a non-tobacco smoking substitute having incorporated therein between about 0.5 and 10% by weight of the smoking substitute of the reaction flavor product.