TOBACCO FILLER FOR HEAT-NOT-BURN TOBACCO PRODUCTS, HEAT-NOT-BURN TOBACCO PRODUCT, AND ELECTRICALLY HEATED TOBACCO PRODUCT

Abstract

 Provided is a tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products that is capable of efficiently delivering a flavor component contained in the tobacco filler to a user. Specifically, the tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products contains a tobacco material and an aerosol generation substrate, said tobacco filler containing a lipid-containing aerosol stabilizer. The proportion of saturated fatty acids having 16-18 carbon atoms in the lipids contained in the aerosol stabilizer is 50% by weight or more.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products, a heat-not-burn tobacco product, and an electrically heated tobacco product.

Background Art

[0002] In electrically heated tobacco products including a tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products, it is important to enhance the satisfaction level during the use. In particular, in an electrically heated tobacco product in which a smoke flavor component contained in a tobacco filler is volatilized together with an aerosol-source material to deliver the component into the oral cavity of a user, it is desirable to produce a smoke flavor close to conventional cigarettes. A technique of adding an acid to a filler in such a heat-not-burn smoking article has been reported (refer to, for example, Patent document 1).

Citation List

Patent document

[0003] Patent document 1: International Publication No. 2017/203686

Summary of Invention

Technical Problem

[0004] Patent document 1 discloses that an acid having a first acid dissociation constant and a boiling point within specific ranges is added to a tobacco filler to reduce the formation of a salt with a smoke flavor component contained in the tobacco filler and to reduce a chemical odor. The invention described in Patent document 1 utilizes an acid-base reaction.

[0005] In using an electrically heated tobacco product, when a smoke flavor component contained in a tobacco filler is volatilized together with an aerosol-source material, the smoke flavor component is taken into aerosol particles generated by condensation by cooling. It has been found that, accordingly, in order to stably deliver the smoke flavor component into the oral cavity of a user, it is important that the generated aerosol particles be stably present without volatilization until they are delivered into the oral cavity of the user. The component composition of the surfaces of aerosol particles greatly contributes to physical properties of the aerosol particles, and covering the surfaces of the aerosol particles with a low-volatile component is considered to be effective to stabilize the aerosol particles. It has been found that it is preferable to add, to a tobacco filler, a specific fatty acid that can be locally present on the surfaces of aerosol particles formed of a hydrophilic substance such as water or glycerin so that aerosol particles generated are stably present without volatilization until they are delivered into the oral cavity.

[0006] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products that is capable of efficiently delivering a smoke flavor component contained in the tobacco filler to a user, and the like.

Solution to Problem

[0007] As a result of extensive studies, the inventors of the present invention have found that in a tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products that contains a tobacco material and an aerosol-source material, when the tobacco filler contains an aerosol stabilizer containing a saturated fatty acid and the proportion of a saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in lipids contained in the aerosol stabilizer is 50% by weight or more, the above object can be achieved.

[0008] Specifically, the present invention is as follows.

[1] A tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products, including a tobacco material and an aerosol-source material, wherein an aerosol stabilizer containing lipids is added to the tobacco filler, and a proportion of a saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in the lipids contained in the aerosol stabilizer is 50% by weight or more.

[2] The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to [1], wherein an amount of the aerosol stabilizer added to the tobacco filler is 0.1% to 5.0% by weight relative to a dry weight of a total amount of the tobacco filler.

[3] The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to [1] or [2], wherein solubility of the saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in glycerin is 0.13 mg/g or less.

[4] The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms is at least one selected from palmitic acid, stearic acid, and a mixture thereof.

[5] The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the tobacco filler is a formed body of a tobacco material composed of tobacco shreds.

[6] The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the tobacco filler is a formed body of a tobacco material composed of a tobacco sheet.

[7] The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein the tobacco filler is composed of a granular tobacco material.

[8] The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to [5] or [6], wherein the aerosol stabilizer is added to a surface of the formed body of the tobacco material.

[9] The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to any one of [5] to [7], wherein the aerosol stabilizer is uniformly added to the tobacco material.

[10] A heat-not-burn tobacco product including a tobacco rod portion formed of the tobacco filler according to any one of [1] to [9] and a mouthpiece portion constituting an end portion opposite to the tobacco rod portion.

[11] The heat-not-burn tobacco product according to [10], wherein the mouthpiece portion includes a cooling portion.

[12] A heat-not-burn tobacco product including the tobacco filler according to [7] and a container in which the tobacco filler is contained.

[13] The heat-not-burn tobacco product according to [10] or [11], having, inside the tobacco rod portion, a susceptor that heats the tobacco filler.

[14] An electrically heated tobacco product including an electrically heating device including a heater member, a battery unit that serves as a power source for the heater member, and a control unit for controlling the heater member; and the heat-not-burn tobacco product according to any one of [10] to [12], the heat-not-burn tobacco product being configured to be inserted so as to be in contact with the heater member,
wherein the tobacco rod portion of the heat-not-burn tobacco product is heated to 250°C to 400°C.

[15] The electrically heated tobacco product according to [14], wherein the heater member has a cylindrical shape.

[16] An electrically heated tobacco product including an electrically heating device including an inductor, a battery unit that supplies the inductor with electric power, and a control unit that controls supply of electric power; and the heat-not-burn tobacco product according to [13], the heat-not-burn tobacco product being configured to be inserted so as to be close to the inductor,
wherein the tobacco rod portion of the heat-not-burn tobacco product is heated to 250°C to 400°C.

[17] A method for producing a tobacco filler including a step of adding, to a tobacco material before forming or after forming, an aerosol stabilizer which contains lipids and in which a proportion of a saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in the lipids is 50% by weight or more.

[18] The method for producing a tobacco filler according to [17], wherein the step of adding the aerosol stabilizer to the tobacco material before forming is a step of mixing the tobacco material and the aerosol stabilizer.

[19] The method for producing a tobacco filler according to [17], wherein the step of adding the aerosol stabilizer to the tobacco material after forming is a step of spraying or applying the aerosol stabilizer onto the tobacco material after forming.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0009] The present invention can provide a tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products that is capable of efficiently delivering a smoke flavor component contained in the tobacco filler to a user, and the like.

Brief Description of Drawings

[0010] 

[Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a schematic view illustrating one embodiment of a heat-not-burn tobacco product.

[Fig. 2] Fig. 2 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment in which an outer peripheral surface of a tobacco rod is heated, which is one embodiment of an electrically heated tobacco product.

[Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment in which the inside of a tobacco rod is heated, which is one embodiment of an electrically heated tobacco product.

[Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a schematic view illustrating an embodiment in which a tobacco rod is heated by IH, which is one embodiment of an electrically heated tobacco product.

[Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between solubility of each lipid in glycerin and a feeling of smoking.

[Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is a graph showing the relationship between the weight ratio of a C16 to C18 saturated fatty acid in each lipid and a feeling of smoking.

[Fig. 7] Fig. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of lipid (palmitic acid) added and a feeling of smoking.

Description of Embodiments

[0011] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to embodiments, illustrations, and the like. The present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, illustrations, and the like, and any modification can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0012] As used herein, the "heat-not-burn tobacco product" refers to a tobacco capable of delivering a smoke flavor component contained in a tobacco material into the oral cavity of a user by, unlike conventional cigarettes, heating without involving combustion.

[0013] As used herein, the "tobacco raw material" refers to a raw material that is not used as a tobacco filler as it is, such as a lamina, midrib, or stem of tobacco leaves. The "tobacco material" refers to a material constituting a tobacco filler and is an article, for example, a "tobacco sheet", "tobacco granule", "tobacco shred", or "tobacco fine powder" described later, produced by using the "tobacco raw material".

<Tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products>

[0014] A tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to an embodiment of the present invention contains a tobacco material and an aerosol-source material, in which an aerosol stabilizer containing lipids is added to the tobacco filler, and a proportion of a saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in the lipids contained in the aerosol stabilizer is 50% by weight or more. The object of the present invention can be achieved by incorporating a saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in this proportion.

[0015] The proportion of the saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in the lipids is preferably 80% by weight or more, more preferably 90% by weight or more, and particularly preferably 99% by weight or more. Lipids other than the saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms are not particularly limited. However, the content of the lipids other than saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms is preferably minimized.

[0016] The solubility of saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in water or glycerin that mainly forms an aerosol is extremely low and is considered to affect covering of aerosol particles. However, if lipids having high solubility are mixed in a predetermined amount or more, the original covering effect achieved by the saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms may not be sufficiently achieved. Therefore, the solubility of each lipid and the proportion of lipids having low solubility and lipids having high solubility in the case of a mixture of a plurality of lipids are important as indices for estimating the effect.

[0017] The "aerosol stabilizer" as used herein is a substance for maintaining stability in air of aerosol particles generated from heat-not-burn tobacco products and contains specific lipids as described above.

[0018] Although the aerosol stabilizer containing a saturated fatty acid may contain other components in addition to the lipids, the content of the lipids in the aerosol stabilizer is preferably 90% by weight or more, more preferably 95% by weight or more, and particularly preferably 99% by weight or more.

[0019] The solubility of a lipid in glycerin is 0.13 mg/g or less, preferably 0.12 mg/g or less, and more preferably 0.11 mg/g. On the other hand, the solubility may be 0.01 mg/g or more. Herein, the "solubility in glycerin" is determined as described below.

<Method for measuring solubility in glycerin>

[0020] The solubility in glycerin is most preferably measured by a method for quantitatively determining a fatty acid dissolved in 2 g of glycerin. Specifically, after an excessive amount of a fatty acid is added to glycerin, the mixture is separated into two layers, for example, by standing at ordinary temperature for 24 hours or more or by centrifugal separation, 100 mg aliquot of glycerin is taken, and transferred and dissolved into 2 mL of methanol, and the amount of fatty acid dissolved in glycerin is quantitatively determined by gas chromatograph-flame ionized detector (GC-FID) or gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer (GC-MS).

[0021] Examples of saturated fatty acids having 16 to 18 carbon atoms include palmitic acid, margaric acid, and stearic acid. Of these, palmitic acid, stearic acid, and a mixture thereof are preferred.

[0022] A mixture of saturated fatty acids having 16 to 18 carbon atoms may be used, or each of the saturated fatty acids may be used alone. For example, it is also preferable that palmitic acid and stearic acid be respectively used alone.

[0023] Lipids containing only saturated fatty acids having 16 to 18 carbon atoms, and an aerosol stabilizer containing only saturated fatty acids having 16 to 18 carbon atoms can be used.

[0024] The amount of the aerosol stabilizer added to the tobacco filler may be 0.1% by weight or more and 5.0% by weight or less and is more preferably 0.5% by weight or more and 2.0% by weight or less, more preferably 0.5% by weight or more and 1.5% by weight or less, and particularly preferably 0.75% by weight or more and 1.25% by weight or less relative to the dry weight of the total amount of the tobacco filler. In such an addition amount, an aerosol generated during use can be stably present and has aerosol physical properties with stability close to that of cigarettes, and thus a smoke flavor similar to that of cigarettes is obtained.

[0025] The amount of saturated fatty acids having 16 to 18 carbon atoms added to the tobacco filler is preferably 0.1% by weight or more and 2.0% by weight or less, more preferably 0.5% by weight or more and 1.5% by weight or less, and particularly preferably 0.75% by weight or more and 1.25% by weight or less relative to the dry weight of the total amount of the tobacco filler. The amount of the aerosol stabilizer added and the amount of saturated fatty acids having 16 to 18 carbon atoms added may be within the same range. This means that the aerosol stabilizer may be composed of lipids, and all the lipids may be saturated fatty acids having 16 to 18 carbon atoms.

<Specific embodiment of tobacco filler>

[0026] Specific embodiments of the tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to embodiments of the present invention include a formed body composed of a tobacco material including tobacco shreds (hereinafter, also referred to as a first tobacco filler), a formed body of a tobacco material composed of a tobacco sheet described below (hereinafter, also referred to as a second tobacco filler), and a tobacco filler composed of granules prepared by using a tobacco raw material (hereinafter, a third tobacco filler).

[0027] Each of these formed bodies may have a rod-like shape.

[0028] In the present invention, a longitudinal direction of a heat-not-burn tobacco product is the direction indicated by h in Fig. 1. When the heat-not-burn tobacco product has a rod-like shape, the longitudinal direction of the heat-not-burn tobacco product may be considered to be the same as the longitudinal direction of a tobacco rod. The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to the present invention preferably has a columnar shape that satisfies a shape having an aspect ratio of 1 or more, the aspect ratio being defined as follows.

w is the width of the bottom surface of a columnar body, h is the height of the columnar body, and preferably h ≥ w. However, in the present invention, the longitudinal direction is defined as the direction indicated by h, as described above. Accordingly, even when w ≥ h, the direction indicated by h is referred to as the longitudinal direction for the sake of convenience. The shape of the bottom surface is not limited and may be, for example, polygonal, rounded polygonal, circular, or elliptic. The width w is the diameter when the bottom surface is circular, the major axis when the bottom surface is elliptic, and the diameter of a circumscribed circle or the major axis of a circumscribed ellipse when the bottom surface is polygonal or rounded polygonal. For example, in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, since the bottom surface is circular, the diameter thereof can be determined. The diameter is the width w, and the length orthogonal to the width w is the height h. The height h of the tobacco filler constituting the tobacco rod is preferably about 12 mm or more and about 70 mm or less, and the width w thereof is preferably about 4 mm or more and about 9 mm or less.

[0029] First, the first filler will be described. The tobacco material constituting the first filler is not particularly limited, and a material obtained by subjecting a publicly known tobacco raw material such as a lamina or a midrib to a process such as shredding or crushing can be used. The material may be one obtained by crushing dried tobacco leaves to an average particle size of about 20 µm or more and about 200 µm or less to provide a uniformized product, processing the uniformized product into a sheet (hereinafter, also simply referred to as a uniformized sheet), and shredding the sheet. The width of the tobacco shreds is preferably about 0.5 mm or more and about 2.0 mm or less from the viewpoint of forming into a tobacco rod. In the case of a tobacco rod having a circumference of 22 mm and a length of 20 mm, the content of the tobacco filler in the formed tobacco rod may be 200 mg/rod or more and 800 mg/rod or less, and is preferably 250 mg/rod or more and 600 mg/rod or less. For the tobacco leaves used to prepare the tobacco shreds and the uniformized sheet, various types of tobacco can be used. Examples thereof include flue-cured tobacco, burley tobacco, oriental tobacco, domestic tobacco, and other leaves such as nicotiana tabacum tobacco and nicotiana rustica tobacco, and mixtures thereof. For the mixtures, the aforementioned various types of leaves may be appropriately blended so as to provide a desired taste. Details of the types of tobacco are disclosed in "Tabako-no-Jiten (Encyclopedia of Tobacco) by Tobacco Academic Studies Center, March 31, 2009". For a method for producing the uniformized sheet, that is, a method for crushing tobacco leaves and processing the crushed leaves into a uniformized sheet, there are a plurality of known methods. The first method is a method including making a sheet by using a papermaking process. The second method is a method including mixing an appropriate solvent such as water with crushed tobacco leaves so as to be uniform, subsequently casting the resulting uniform mixture thinly on a metal sheet or a metal sheet belt, and drying the uniform mixture to make a cast sheet (slurry sheet). The third method is a method including mixing an appropriate solvent such as water with crushed tobacco leaves to prepare a uniform mixture, and extruding the uniform mixture into a sheet to make a rolled sheet. Details of the types of the uniformized sheet are disclosed in "Tabako-no-Jiten (Encyclopedia of Tobacco) by Tobacco Academic Studies Center, March 31, 2009".

[0030] The moisture content of the tobacco filler may be 10% by weight or more and 15% by weight or less and is preferably 11% by weight or more and 13% by weight or less relative to the total amount of the tobacco filler. Such a moisture content reduces the occurrence of stains in the wrapping paper and achieves good machinability during the production of the tobacco rod.

[0031] The tobacco shreds contained in the first tobacco filler may have any size and may be prepared by any method. For example, dried tobacco leaves shredded to a width of 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less may be used.

[0032] In the case of using a crushed product of the uniformized sheet, the product used may be obtained by crushing dried tobacco leaves to an average particle size of about 20 µm or more and about 200 µm or less to provide a uniformized product, processing the uniformized product into a sheet, and shredding the sheet to a width of 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less.

[0033] The first tobacco filler contains an aerosol-source material that generates an aerosol. The type of the aerosol-source material is not particularly limited, and substances extracted from various natural products and/or components of the substances can be selected depending on the use. Examples of the aerosol-source material include glycerin, propylene glycol, triacetin, 1,3-butanediol, and mixtures thereof.

[0034] The content of the aerosol-source material in the first tobacco filler is not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of sufficiently generating an aerosol and imparting a good smoke flavor, the content is typically 5% by weight or more, preferably 10% by weight or more, and typically 50% by weight or less, preferably 15% by weight or more and 25% by weight or less relative to the total amount of the tobacco filler.

[0035] The first tobacco filler may contain a flavor. The type of the flavor is not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of imparting a good smoke flavor, examples of the flavor include acetanisole, acetophenone, acetylpyrazine, 2-acetylthiazole, alfalfa extract, amyl alcohol, amyl butyrate, trans-anethole, star anise oil, apple juice, Peru balsam oil, beeswax absolute, benzaldehyde, benzoin resinoid, benzyl alcohol, benzyl benzoate, benzyl phenylacetate, benzyl propionate, 2,3-butanedione, 2-butanol, butyl butyrate, butyric acid, caramel, cardamom oil, carob absolute, β-carotene, carrot juice, L-carvone, β-caryophyllene, cassia bark oil, cedarwood oil, celery seed oil, chamomile oil, cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic acid, cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamyl cinnamate, citronella oil, DL-citronellol, clary sage extract, cocoa, coffee, cognac oil, coriander oil, cuminaldehyde, davana oil, δ-decalactone, γ-decalactone, decanoic acid, dill herb oil, 3,4-dimethyl-1,2-cyclopentanedione, 4,5-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-2,5-dihydrofuran-2-one, 3,7-dimethyl-6-octenoic acid, 2,3-dimethylpyrazine, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl hexanoate, ethyl isovalerate, ethyl lactate, ethyl laurate, ethyl levulinate, ethyl maltol, ethyl octanoate, ethyl oleate, ethyl palmitate, ethyl phenylacetate, ethyl propionate, ethyl stearate, ethyl valerate, ethyl vanillin, ethyl vanillin glucoside, 2-ethyl-3,(5 or 6)-dimethylpyrazine, 5-ethyl-3-hydroxy-4-methyl-2(5H)-furanone, 2-ethyl-3-methylpyrazine, eucalyptol, fenugreek absolute, genet absolute, gentian root infusion, geraniol, geranyl acetate, grape juice, guaiacol, guava extract, γ-heptalactone, γ-hexalactone, hexanoic acid, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, hexyl acetate, hexyl alcohol, hexyl phenylacetate, honey, 4-hydroxy-3-pentenoic acid lactone, 4-hydroxy-4-(3-hydroxy-1-butenyl)-3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one, 4-(para-hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone, sodium 4-hydroxyundecanoate, immortelle absolute, β-ionone, isoamyl acetate, isoamyl butyrate, isoamyl phenylacetate, isobutyl acetate, isobutyl phenylacetate, jasmine absolute, kola nut tincture, labdanum oil, terpeneless lemon oil, glycyrrhiza extract, linalool, linalyl acetate, lovage root oil, maltol, maple syrup, menthol, menthone, L-menthyl acetate, para-methoxybenzaldehyde, methyl-2-pyrrolyl ketone, methyl anthranilate, methyl phenylacetate, methyl salicylate, 4'-methylacetophenone, methylcyclopentenolone, 3-methylvaleric acid, mimosa absolute, molasses, myristic acid, nerol, nerolidol, γ-nonalactone, nutmeg oil, δ-octalactone, octanal, octanoic acid, orange flower oil, orange oil, orris root oil, palmitin acid, ω-pentadecalactone, peppermint oil, petitgrain Paraguay oil, phenethyl alcohol, phenethyl phenylacetate, phenylacetic acid, piperonal, plum extract, propenyl guaethol, propyl acetate, 3-propylidene phthalide, prune juice, pyruvic acid, raisin extract, rose oil, rum, sage oil, sandalwood oil, spearmint oil, styrax absolute, marigold oil, tea distillate, α-terpineol, terpinyl acetate, 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroquinoxaline, 1,5,5,9-tetramethyl-13-oxacyclo(8.3.0.0(4.9))tridecane, 2,3,5,6-tetramethylpyrazine, thyme oil, tomato extract, 2-tridecanone, triethyl citrate, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexenyl)2-buten-4-one, 2,6,6-trimethyl-2-cyclohexene-1,4-dione, 4-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1,3-cyclohexadienyl)2-buten-4-one, 2,3,5-trimethylpyrazine, γ-undecalactone, γ-valerolactone, vanilla extract, vanillin, veratraldehyde, violet leaf absolute, N-ethyl-p-menthane-3-carboxamide (WS-3), and ethyl-2-(p-menthane-3-carboxamide) acetate (WS-5). Menthol is particularly preferred. These flavors may be used alone or in combination of two or more thereof.

[0036] The content of the flavor in the first tobacco filler is not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of imparting a good smoke flavor, the content is typically 10,000 ppm or more, preferably 20,000 ppm or more, more preferably 25,000 ppm or more, and typically 50,000 ppm or less, preferably 40,000 ppm or less, and more preferably 33,000 ppm or less.

[0037] The filling density in the first tobacco filler is not particularly limited. From the viewpoints of ensuring the performance of the heat-not-burn tobacco product and imparting a good smoke flavor, the filling density is typically 250 mg/cm³ or more, preferably 320 mg/cm³ or more, and typically 800 mg/cm³ or less, preferably 600 mg/cm³ or less.

[0038] The first tobacco filler described above is wrapped with the wrapping paper so as to be disposed inside, thus forming a tobacco rod. For the tobacco filler, the tobacco material that constitutes the tobacco filler may be arranged at random, or the tobacco material may be arranged in the longitudinal direction of the tobacco rod, that is, in the form of a strand.

[0039] The second tobacco filler is composed of at least one tobacco sheet. If the second tobacco filler is formed of two or more tobacco sheets, the tobacco sheets are concentrically arranged. In the present invention, being concentrically arranged means that all the tobacco sheets are arranged such that the centers thereof are located at substantially the same position. The sheet in the present invention refers to a shape having a pair of substantially parallel principal surfaces and side surfaces. The sheet is preferably produced by a papermaking process. Examples of the second filler include one constituting a formed body obtained by winding a single tobacco sheet in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the heat-not-burn tobacco product, and one constituting a formed body obtained by concentrically winding a plurality of tobacco sheets. Furthermore, the second filler may be the so-called gathered sheet that forms a filler obtained as a result of folding one or more tobacco sheets a plurality of times parallel to the longitudinal direction of the heat-not-burn tobacco product.

[0040] Examples of a sheet base material include tobacco materials such as tobacco powders. In the present invention, the sheet base material is preferably a tobacco material. The tobacco sheet is preferably obtained by carrying, on a base material sheet composed of a tobacco material, a component that can generate a flavor as needed. The tobacco sheet generates an aerosol upon heating. An aerosol source such as a polyol, e.g., glycerin, propylene glycol, or 1,3-butanediol is added as an aerosol-source material. The amount of the aerosol-source material added is preferably 5% by weight or more and 50% by weight or less, more preferably 15% by weight or more and 25% by weight or less relative to the dry weight of the tobacco sheet.

[0041] A tobacco sheet serving as a material before being constituted as a formed body will be described.

[0042] The tobacco sheet can be appropriately produced by a publicly known method such as papermaking, slurrying, or rolling. The uniformized sheet that has been described in the first tobacco filler can also be used.

[0043] In the case of papermaking, the tobacco sheet can be produced by a method including the following steps. 1) Dried tobacco leaves are coarsely crushed and extracted with water to separate the leaves into a water extract and a residue. 2) The water extract is concentrated by drying under reduced pressure. 3) Pulp is added to the residue, and the mixture is processed into fibers with a refiner and then formed into a sheet. 4) A concentrate of the water extract is added to the formed sheet and dried to provide a tobacco sheet. In this case, a step of removing some components such as nitrosamines may be performed (refer to Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Translation of PCT Application) No. 2004-510422).

[0044] In the case of a slurry method, the tobacco sheet can be produced by a method including the following steps. 1) Water, pulp, and a binder are mixed with crushed tobacco leaves. 2) The mixture is spread out (cast) in a thin layer and dried. In this case, a step of removing removing some components such as nitrosamines by irradiating the slurry prepared by mixing water, pulp, and a binder with crushed tobacco leaves with ultraviolet rays or X-rays may be performed.

[0045] Alternatively, as described in International Publication No. 2014/104078, a nonwoven fabric-like tobacco sheet produced by a method including the following steps may be used. 1) Powdery or granular tobacco leaves are mixed with a binder. 2) The mixture is sandwiched between nonwoven fabrics. 3) The resulting laminate is formed into a predetermined shape by thermal fusion bonding to obtain a nonwoven fabric-like tobacco sheet.

[0046] The type of raw-material tobacco leaves used in the methods described above may be the same as that described for the first filler.

[0047] The composition of the tobacco sheet is not particularly limited, and, for example, the content of the tobacco raw materials (tobacco leaves) is preferably 50% by weight or more and 95% by weight or less relative to the total weight of the tobacco sheet. The tobacco sheet may contain a binder, and examples of such a binder include guar gum, xanthan gum, CMC (carboxymethylcellulose), and CMC-Na (sodium salt of carboxymethylcellulose). The amount of binder is preferably 1% by weight or more and 20% by weight or less relative to the total weight of the tobacco sheet. The tobacco sheet may further contain other additives. Examples of the additives include fillers such as pulp. A plurality of tobacco sheets are used in the present invention. All the tobacco sheets may have the same composition or physical properties, or some or all of the tobacco sheets may have different compositions or physical properties.

[0048] When the second tobacco filler is formed of a single tobacco sheet, the second tobacco filler can be produced by inserting the tobacco sheet into a winding tube, and forming the tobacco sheet by winding in an overlapping manner. When the second tobacco filler is formed of a plurality of tobacco sheets, the second tobacco filler can be produced by providing a plurality of tobacco sheets having different widths, preparing a laminate of the tobacco sheets such that the width thereof is reduced from the bottom to the top, inserting the laminate into a winding tube, and forming the laminate by winding. With this production method, one or a plurality of tobacco sheets extend in the longitudinal direction and are concentrically arranged around the longitudinal axis.

[0049] In addition, a through-opening extending as the opening in the longitudinal direction is formed between the longitudinal axis and the innermost tobacco sheet.

[0050] In this production method, the preparation is preferably performed such that a non-contact portion is formed between adjacent tobacco sheets after forming by winding.

[0051] In each of the case where a formed body is formed by winding a single tobacco sheet in an overlapping manner and the case where a formed body is composed of a plurality of tobacco sheets, if a non-contact portion (gap) is present between tobacco sheets, where the tobacco sheets are not in contact with each other, a flavor passage can be ensured to increase the delivery efficiency of a flavor component. At the same time, since heat from a heater can be transferred to outer tobacco sheets through a contact portion between the tobacco sheets, high heat transfer efficiency can be ensured.

[0052] To provide the non-contact portion between tobacco sheets, where the tobacco sheets are not in contact with each other, for example, embossed tobacco sheets may be used, or in the case of using a plurality of tobacco sheets, the laminate (formed body) may be prepared by performing lamination without bonding the entire surfaces of adjacent tobacco sheets together, performing lamination with adjacent tobacco sheets partially bonded together, or performing lamination with adjacent tobacco sheets entirely or partially bonded together lightly such that they are separated after being formed by winding.

[0053] In the preparation of a tobacco rod including wrapping paper, the wrapping paper may be disposed at the bottom of the laminate (formed body).

[0054] Alternatively, an opening can be formed by forming the second tobacco filler with a cylindrical dummy, such as a mandrel, placed at the top of the laminate (formed body) and then removing the dummy.

[0055] The thickness of each tobacco sheet is not particularly limited, and in terms of the balance between heat transfer efficiency and strength, the thickness is preferably 200 µm or more and 600 µm or less. The thicknesses of the tobacco sheets may be the same or different.

[0056] The number of tobacco sheets constituting the second tobacco filler is not particularly limited as long as the number is one or more, and may be, for example, one, two, three, four, five, or six.

[0057] The third tobacco filler is composed of tobacco granules.

[0058] Raw materials of the third tobacco filler are not particularly limited but may be (a) a tobacco material, (b) moisture, (c) at least one pH adjuster selected from the group consisting of potassium carbonate and sodium hydrogen carbonate, (d) at least one binder selected from the group consisting of pullulan and hydroxypropylcellulose, and (e) an aerosol-source material.

[0059] The tobacco material (component (a)) contained in the third tobacco filler includes crushed tobacco leaves, crushed tobacco sheets, and the like. The types of tobacco include burley tobacco, flue-cured tobacco, and oriental tobacco. The tobacco material is preferably crushed to a size of 200 µm and 300 µm or less.

[0060] A raw material mixture of the third tobacco filler contains the tobacco material typically in an amount of 20% by weight or more and 80% by weight or less.

[0061] The moisture (component (b)) contained in the third tobacco filler is a component for maintaining the integrity of tobacco granules.

[0062] The raw material mixture of the third tobacco filler contains the moisture typically in an amount of 3% by weight or more and 13% by weight or less. The third tobacco filler may contain the moisture typically in such an amount that the weight loss on drying will be 5% by weight or more and 17% by weight or less. The weight loss on drying refers to a change in weight before and after drying of a sample, the drying being performed in such a manner that a portion of the sample is collected for measurement, and the sample is completely dried (for example, dried at a constant temperature (105°C) for 15 minutes) by evaporating all the moisture in the collected sample. Specifically, the weight loss on drying refers to the proportion (% by weight) of the sum of the amount of moisture contained in a sample and the amount of volatile component volatilized under the above drying conditions to the weight of the sample. That is, the weight loss on drying (% by weight) can be expressed by the following equation.

[0063] The pH adjuster (component (c)) contained in the third tobacco filler is composed of potassium carbonate, sodium hydrogen carbonate, or a mixture thereof. The pH adjuster adjusts the pH of the third tobacco filler to the alkaline side to facilitate the release of the smoke flavor component contained in the third tobacco filler from the tobacco granules, thus providing a smoke flavor that may be satisfactory to the user.

[0064] The raw material mixture of the third tobacco filler may contain the pH adjuster typically in an amount of 5% by weight or more and 20% by weight or less.

[0065] The binder (component (d)) contained in the third tobacco filler is a component that binds tobacco granule components together to maintain the integrity of the tobacco granules. The binder is composed of pullulan, hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC), or a mixture thereof.

[0066] The raw material mixture of the third tobacco filler may contain the binder typically in an amount of 0.5% by weight or more and 15% by weight or less.

[0067] The aerosol-source material (component (e)) contained in the third tobacco filler is a component that generates an aerosol. The aerosol-source material is composed of a polyhydric alcohol, and examples of the polyhydric alcohol may include glycerin, propylene glycol, sorbitol, xylitol, and erythritol. These polyhydric alcohols may be used alone or in combination of two or more thereof.

[0068] The content of the aerosol-source material in the raw material mixture of the third tobacco filler may be 5% by weight or more and 15% by weight or less.

[0069] Examples of additional components include (f) a flavoring material (solid or liquid) other than smoke flavor components. Examples of such flavoring materials include sugar (such as sucrose and fructose), a cocoa powder, a carob powder, a coriander powder, a licorice powder, an orange peel powder, a rose hip powder, a chamomile flower powder, a lemon verbena powder, a peppermint powder, a leaf powder, a spearmint powder, a black tea powder, and menthol.

[0070] The raw material mixture of the third tobacco filler may contain the flavoring material typically in an amount of 0.5% by weight or more and 30% by weight or less. The flavoring material may be added to the components (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e) by being directly kneaded with these components, or may be added to these components by causing the flavoring material to be accommodated in a publicly known clathrate host compound such as cyclodextrin to prepare a clathrate compound, and then kneading the clathrate compound with the above components.

[0071] When the third tobacco filler is composed of the components (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e), the raw material mixture of the third tobacco filler may contain the component (a) typically in an amount of about 33% by weight or more (and about 90% by weight or less).

[0072] The third tobacco filler is obtained by mixing the components (a), (c), (d), and (e) and optionally the component (f), adding the component (b) to the resulting mixture and kneading the mixture, granulating the resulting kneaded product with a wet extrusion granulator (into a long columnar shape), and then sizing the granules into a short columnar shape or a spherical shape. The average particle size (D50) of the resulting tobacco granules is typically 0.2 mm or more and 1.2 mm or less, preferably 0.2 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.2 mm or more and 0.8 mm or less.

[0073] In the extrusion granulation, the kneaded product is preferably extruded at a pressure of 2 kN or more at an ambient temperature. As a result of this extrusion at high pressure, the temperature of the kneaded product at the outlet of the extrusion granulator rises rapidly in an instantaneously manner from the ambient temperature to, for example, 90°C or higher and 100°C or lower, and moisture and volatile components evaporate by 2% by weight or more and 4% by weight or less. Accordingly, the water blended for making the kneaded product can be used in an amount larger than the desired amount of moisture in tobacco granules, which are the final product, by the amount of evaporation.

[0074] The tobacco granules obtained by extrusion granulation may be further dried, as needed, for moisture adjustment. For example, if the weight loss on drying of the tobacco granules obtained by extrusion granulation is measured and the weight loss is higher than a desired weight loss on drying (e.g., 5% by weight or more and 17% by weight or less), the tobacco granules may be further dried to achieve the desired weight loss on drying. The drying conditions (temperature and time) for achieving the desired weight loss on drying can be set on the basis of predetermined drying conditions (temperature and time) that are required to reduce the weight loss on drying by a predetermined value.

[0075] The third tobacco filler may be composed only of the tobacco granules described above but may further contain an additional tobacco material. The additional tobacco material is typically composed of shreds or a fine powder of tobacco leaves. The additional tobacco material can be used as a mixture with the tobacco granules according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Method for producing tobacco filler>

[0076] A method for producing a tobacco filler according to an embodiment of the present invention relates to a method for producing any of the first to third tobacco fillers described above.

[0077] The method for producing a tobacco filler according to an embodiment of the present invention includes, in each of the cases of the first to third tobacco fillers, a step of adding, to a tobacco material before forming or after forming, an aerosol stabilizer which contains lipids and in which a proportion of a saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in the lipids is 50% by weight or more.

[0078] When the aerosol stabilizer is added to a tobacco material before forming, the aerosol stabilizer can be uniformly added to the tobacco material depending on the form of the addition.

[0079] In the case of the first and third tobacco fillers, the aerosol stabilizer can be uniformly added to the tobacco material before forming by mixing the aerosol stabilizer with another material such as crushed tobacco leaves, shreds, or a crushed product of a sheet tobacco in the preparation of the tobacco filler.

[0080] In the case of the second tobacco filler, the aerosol stabilizer can be added to the tobacco material by mixing the aerosol stabilizer with a tobacco material (such as crushed tobacco leaves) serving as a raw material in the preparation of the tobacco sheet. Specifically, in the case of papermaking described above, the aerosol stabilizer can be added to the tobacco material before forming by mixing the aerosol stabilizer with the concentrate of the water extract in step 4), and adding the mixture to the formed sheet.

[0081] In the case of preparation by the slurry method described above, in addition to water, pulp, a binder, and crushed tobacco leaves, the aerosol stabilizer can be uniformly added to the tobacco material before forming in step 1).

[0082] In the case of obtaining the nonwoven fabric-like tobacco sheet described above, the aerosol stabilizer can be uniformly added to the tobacco material before forming by further mixing the aerosol stabilizer when powdery or granular tobacco leaves are mixed with a binder in step 1).

[0083] Uniformly adding the aerosol stabilizer to the tobacco material before forming is preferred because the smoke flavor is stabilized.

[0084] When the aerosol stabilizer is added to a tobacco material after forming, the aerosol stabilizer can be added to the surface of the tobacco material. An example of the method includes spraying or applying the aerosol stabilizer onto the surface of a formed body of a tobacco material by appropriate means. Addition of the aerosol stabilizer to the surface of the tobacco material is preferred because the aerosol stabilizer can be transferred into an aerosol without considering internal diffusion in the tobacco material, and the transfer ratio increases.

[0085] In the case of the first tobacco filler, the aerosol stabilizer can be added to the surface of the tobacco material formed into a rod shape (granules in the case of the third tobacco filler) by the method described above.

[0086] In the case of the second tobacco filler, the aerosol stabilizer can be added, by the method described above, to the surface of a rod-like tobacco material formed by winding one or more tobacco sheets.

[0087] A tobacco filler in the form of (1) or (2) below can be prepared through the steps described above.

(1) Added to the surface of a formed body of the tobacco material

(2) Uniformly added to the tobacco material

[0088] Each of the tobacco fillers in the form of (1) or (2) above can be used in a heat-not-burn tobacco product by further winding a formed body thereof with wrapping paper.

[0089] Subsequently, the formed tobacco filler is wrapped with wrapping paper to prepare a tobacco rod provided for a heat-not-burn tobacco product. A publicly known wrapping device can be used for the wrapping.

[0090] The structure of the wrapping paper is not particularly limited, and typical wrapping paper can be used. For example, base paper used for the wrapping paper may be cellulose fiber paper, and more specifically, may be hemp, wood, or a mixture thereof. Note that the "wrapping paper" as used herein is used to wrap a tobacco filler.

[0091] The wrapping paper may contain a filler, and the type of the filler is not limited. Examples thereof include metal carbonates such as calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, metal oxides such as titanium oxide and aluminum oxide, metal sulfates such as barium sulfate and calcium sulfate, metal sulfides such as zinc sulfide, quartz, kaolin, talc, diatomaceous earth, and gypsum. In particular, calcium carbonate is preferably contained from the viewpoints of improving whiteness and opacity and increasing the heating rate.

[0092] The blending proportion of the filler in the wrapping paper is not particularly limited and is typically 1% by weight or more and 50% by weight or less, preferably 5% by weight or more and 45% by weight or less, more preferably 10% by weight or more and 42% by weight or less, and particularly preferably 20% by weight or more and 40% by weight or less. For example, the content of calcium carbonate can be determined by ash measurement or by, after extraction, quantitatively determining the amount of calcium ions.

[0093] If the proportion is lower than the lower limit of the range, the wrapping paper is likely to burn. If the proportion is higher than the upper limit, the strength of the wrapping paper significantly decreases, which may result in degradation of the wrapping performance.

[0094] Various auxiliary agents other than the base paper and the filler may be added to the wrapping paper, and, for example, a water resistance improver can be added to improve water resistance. Examples of water resistance improvers include wet paper-strengthening agents (WS agents) and sizing agents. Examples of wet paper-strengthening agents include urea formaldehyde resins, melamine formaldehyde resins, and polyamide epichlorohydrin (PAE). Examples of sizing agents include rosin soap, alkyl ketene dimers (AKD), alkenyl succinic anhydrides (ASA), and highly saponified polyvinyl alcohols having a degree of saponification of 90% or more.

[0095] A paper-strengthening agent may be added as the auxiliary agent, and examples thereof include polyacrylamide, cationic starch, oxidized starch, CMC, polyamide epichlorohydrin resins, and polyvinyl alcohols. In particular, oxidized starch is known to improve air permeability when used in a very small amount (Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2017-218699).

[0096] The wrapping paper may be subjected to coating as appropriate.

[0097] A coating agent may be added to at least one of two surfaces, namely, a front surface and a back surface, of the wrapping paper. The coating agent is not particularly limited but is preferably a coating agent that can form a film on a surface of paper to reduce liquid permeability. Examples thereof include alginic acid and salts thereof (e.g., sodium salts); polysaccharides such as pectin; cellulose derivatives such as ethylcellulose, methylcellulose, carboxymethylcellulose, and nitrocellulose; and starch and derivatives thereof (e.g., ether derivatives such as carboxymethyl starch, hydroxyalkyl starch, and cationic starch, and ester derivatives such as starch acetate, starch phosphate, and starch octenyl succinate).

[0098] The basis weight of the wrapping paper is typically 20 g/m² or more and 45 g/m² or less, and preferably 20 g/m² or more and 45 g/m² or less. Within this range, suitable strength and wrapping performance can be maintained.

[0099] The air permeability of the wrapping paper is typically 0 Coresta units or more and 120 Coresta units or less, and preferably 5 Coresta units or more and 100 Coresta units or less, and more preferably 10 Coresta units or more and 80 Coresta units or less. Within this range, suitable strength and smoke flavor can be maintained.

<Heat-not-burn tobacco product>

[0100] One embodiment of a heat-not-burn tobacco product according to an embodiment of the present invention has, for example, a configuration illustrated in Fig. 1.

[0101] A heat-not-burn tobacco product 1 illustrated in Fig. 1 includes a tobacco rod formed of a tobacco filler 10 and wrapping paper (not illustrated) that wraps around the tobacco filler 10, and a mouthpiece portion 11 constituting an end portion opposite to the tobacco rod. The tobacco rod and the mouthpiece portion are connected together with wrapping paper 12 (tipping paper in Fig. 1) that is the same as or different from the wrapping paper that wraps around the tobacco filler.

[0102] The embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1 is one in which the first tobacco filler described above is used as the tobacco filler. Shreds (obtained by shredding tobacco leaves or by shredding a uniformized sheet: for example, 0.5 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less in width) contained in the first tobacco filler often have a length of about 1.0 mm or more and 4.0 mm or less, and these shreds are often randomly oriented in the tobacco filler. Alternatively, the shreds may be processed into substantially the same length as the length of the tobacco rod and may be arranged in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the tobacco rod, thus filling the tobacco rod.

[0103] As illustrated in Fig. 1, the mouthpiece portion 11 may include an aerosol cooling portion (also simply referred to as a cooling portion) 13 and a filter portion 14. Tipping paper 12 is provided as wrapping paper for connecting these portions. Although the mouthpiece portion 11 is composed of two segments in Fig. 1, the mouthpiece portion 11 may be composed of a single segment, three segments, or four or more segments. The segments constituting the mouthpiece portion may be configured to include both the cooling portion and the filter portion as illustrated in Fig. 1, or may be configured to include only one of them.

[0104] Although not illustrated in Fig. 1, a support portion may be disposed immediately downstream of the tobacco rod and between the tobacco rod and the cooling portion 13. When the support portion is provided, the support portion is disposed in contact with the rear end of the tobacco rod. The support portion may be, for example, a hollow cellulose acetate tube. In other words, the support portion may be a circular columnar cellulose acetate fiber bundle through which a center hole is formed at the center of the cross section thereof. The support portion may be a metallic mesh with a mesh opening of, for example, 5 mesh or more and 35 mesh or less. When a heater member of an electrically heating device of an embodiment illustrated in Fig. 3 described below is stuck into the tobacco rod, the support portion functions as an element for preventing the tobacco filler in the heat-not-burn tobacco product from being pushed to the downstream side toward the cooling portion 13. The support portion 13 preferably has a low airflow resistance and a low aerosol filtration performance in addition to the function of preventing the tobacco filler from being pushed to the downstream side. The support portion also functions as a spacer for spacing the cooling portion 13 of the heat-not-burn tobacco product apart from the tobacco rod.

[0105] As a vapor generated by heating the tobacco rod and containing the aerosol-source material and the tobacco flavor component passes through the cooling portion 13, the vapor comes in contact with air in the cooling portion 13 and is cooled and liquefied to generate an aerosol.

[0106] In Fig. 1, the heat-not-burn tobacco product 1 may have, in part of the cooling portion 13 and the wrapping paper 12 (tipping paper) that wraps around the cooling portion 13, a perforation (not illustrated) for taking in air from the outside. The presence of such a perforation allows air to flow from the outside to the inside of the cooling portion 13 during use, and consequently, the vapor generated by heating the tobacco rod and containing the aerosol-source material and the tobacco flavor component comes in contact with air from the outside and is liquefied by a decrease in temperature to more reliably generate an aerosol. The perforation preferably has a diameter of 100 µm or more and 1,000 µm or less. The perforation is preferably substantially circular or substantially elliptical in shape. When the perforation is substantially elliptical, the diameter described above represents the length of the major axis. The number of perforations may be one or two or more. When a plurality of perforations are provided, the perforations are preferably arranged in a row on the circumference of the wrapping paper 12 (tipping paper).

[0107] The cooling portion 13 may be, for example, a member obtained by processing thick paper into a cylindrical shape. In this case, the cylinder has a hollow space therein, and the vapor containing the aerosol-source material and the tobacco flavor component comes in contact with air in the hollow space and is cooled. When the perforation is provided, the vapor in the hollow space also comes in contact with outside air to further enhance the cooling effect. The inside of the cylinder may be filled with a gathered sheet-like member formed of paper, a polymer film, metal foil, or the like. In this case, the vapor can be cooled by using the specific heat of the member.

[0108] The filter portion 14 may be obtained by, for example, using a cellulose acetate tow as a material. The single yarn fineness and the total fineness of the cellulose acetate tow are not particularly limited. In the case of the filter portion with a circumference of 22 mm, the single yarn fineness is preferably 5 g/9000 m or more and 12 g/9000 m or less, and the total fineness is preferably 12000 g/9000 m or more and 30000 g/9000 m or less. The fibers of the cellulose acetate tow may have a Y-shaped cross section or an R-shaped cross section. In the case of a filter filled with cellulose acetate tows, triacetin may be added in an amount of 5% by weight or more and 10% by weigh or less relative to the weight of the cellulose acetate tow to improve filter hardness.

[0109] Alternatively, the filter portion 14 may be formed of the so-called paper filter produced from pulp.

[0110] Although the filter portion 14 is composed of a single segment in Fig. 1, the filter portion 14 may be composed of a plurality of segments. When the filter portion 14 is composed of a plurality of segments, for example, an embodiment of the filter portion 14 may include a hollow segment on the upstream side and a segment having an inhalation cross section filled with cellulose acetate tows on the downstream side (i.e., at an inhalation end for the user). This embodiment prevents unnecessary loss of the generated aerosol and provides a good appearance of the heat-not-burn tobacco product.

[0111] In the production of the filter, the adjustment of the airflow resistance and the addition of additives (such as publicly known absorbents, flavors, and flavor retaining materials) can be designed as appropriate.

[0112] The material of the wrapping paper 12 (tipping paper) is not particularly limited and, for example, paper formed of typical vegetable fibers (pulp), a sheet using polymer-based (such as polypropylene, polyethylene, or nylon) chemical fibers, a polymer-based sheet, or metal foil such as aluminum foil can be used.

[0113] The thickness of the wrapping paper 12 is not particularly limited but is typically 30 µm or more, and more preferably 35 µm or more from the viewpoints of the amount of aerosol delivered and the production suitability. On the other hand, the thickness is typically 150 µm or less, and preferably 140 µm or less.

[0114] The basis weight of the wrapping paper 12 is not particularly limited but is typically 30 g/m² or more, and preferably 35 g/m² or more from the viewpoints of the amount of aerosol delivered and the production suitability. On the other hand, the basis weight is typically 150 g/m² or less, and preferably 140 g/m² or less.

[0115] The air permeability of the wrapping paper is not particularly limited but is preferably 10 Coresta units or less from the viewpoints of the amount of aerosol delivered and the production suitability.

[0116] In an embodiment, the wrapping paper may be fixed with, for example, a vinyl acetate-based adhesive after being wrapped around the tobacco rod, the cooling portion 13, the filter portion 14, and the support portion, as needed.

[0117] In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, the length of the heat-not-burn tobacco product 1 in the longitudinal direction is preferably 40 mm or more and 100 mm or less, more preferably 40 mm or more and 80 mm or less, and still more preferably 45 mm or more and 60 mm or less. The circumference of the heat-not-burn tobacco product is preferably 15 mm or more and 25 mm or less, more preferably 17 mm or more and 24 mm or less, and still more preferably 21 mm or more and 23 mm or less. In the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, the tobacco rod may have a length of about 12 mm, the cooling portion may have a length of about 20 mm, the support portion may have a length of about 8 mm, and the filter portion may have a length of about 7 mm. The lengths of these segments may be appropriately changed depending on, for example, the production suitability and the level of quality required.

[0118] A heat-not-burn tobacco product according to a second embodiment of the present invention may include a bowl-shaped container having a through-hole in the bottom surface thereof, the tobacco filler that fills the container, and a lid covering the upper surface of the container and having a hole-forming part that forms a through-hole in use and a heater. The shape of the container is not particularly limited but is preferably a shape that can be inserted in a recess formed in a housing of an electrically heated tobacco product described later. For example, in an embodiment, the container may have a tapered shape in which the side surface is inclined toward the bottom surface.

[0119] The through-hole formed in the bottom surface has such a diameter that the tobacco filler does not leak to the outside. In the heat-not-burn tobacco product according to the second embodiment of the present invention, for example, the container may be filled with the first tobacco filler or second tobacco filler described above.

<Electrically heated tobacco product>

<First embodiment>

[0120] An electrically heated tobacco product according to a first embodiment includes an electrically heating device including a heater member, a battery unit that serves as a power source for the heater member, and a control unit for controlling the heater member; and the heat-not-burn tobacco product according to the first embodiment, the heat-not-burn tobacco product being configured to be inserted so as to be in contact with the heater member.

[0121] The embodiment of the electrically heated tobacco product may be an embodiment in which an outer peripheral surface of a heat-not-burn tobacco product is heated, as illustrated in Fig. 2, or an embodiment in which heating is performed from the inside of a tobacco rod portion of a heat-not-burn tobacco product, as illustrated in Fig. 3. Air introduction holes are provided in electrically heating devices 2 illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3 but are not illustrated here. Hereinafter, an electrically heated tobacco product will be described with reference to Fig. 2.

[0122] An electrically heated tobacco product 3 is used in such a manner that the heat-not-burn tobacco product 1 described above is inserted so as to be in contact with a heater member 23 disposed inside an electrically heating device 2.

[0123] The electrically heating device 2 has a battery unit 20 and a control unit 21 inside a frame 22 made of, for example, a resin.

[0124] When the heat-not-burn tobacco product 1 is inserted into the electrically heating device 2, the outer peripheral surface of the tobacco rod portion comes in contact with the heater member 23 of the electrically heating device 2, and the entire outer peripheral surface of the tobacco rod portion and part of the outer peripheral surface of a wrapped portion are then come in contact with the heater member.

[0125] The heater member 23 of the electrically heating device 2 generates heat under the control of the control unit 20. The heat is transferred to the tobacco rod portion of the heat-not-burn tobacco product, and consequently, the aerosol-source material, the flavor component, and the like contained in the tobacco filler of the tobacco rod portion volatilize.

[0126] The heater member may be, for example, a sheet-like heater, a plate-like heater, or a tubular heater. The sheet-like heater is a flexible sheet-shaped heater, and an example thereof is a heater including a film (about 20 to 225 µm in thickness) of a heat-resistant polymer such as polyimide. The plate-like heater is a rigid plate-shaped heater (about 200 to 500 µm in thickness), and an example thereof is a heater that includes a plate substrate having a resistance circuit thereon and uses this portion as a heat generating portion. The tubular heater is a hollow or solid tube-shaped heater (about 200 to 500 µm in thickness), and an example thereof is a heater that includes a tube made of a metal or the like and having a resistance circuit on the outer peripheral surface thereof and uses this portion as a heat generating portion. Another example of the heater member may be a rod-like heater or conical heater that is made of a metal or the like, has a resistance circuit therein, and uses this portion as a heat generating portion. The cross-sectional shape of the tubular heater may be, for example, circular, elliptic, polygonal, or rounded polygonal.

[0127] In the case of an embodiment in which the outer peripheral surface of the heat-not-burn tobacco product is heated as illustrated in Fig. 2, the above-described sheet-like heater, plate-like heater, or cylindrical heater can be used. On the other hand, in the case of an embodiment in which heating is performed from the inside of the tobacco rod portion of the heat-not-burn tobacco product as illustrated in Fig. 3, the above-described plate-like heater, columnar heater, or conical heater can be used.

[0128] The length of the heater member in the long axis direction may be within the range of L ± 5.0 mm, where L represents the length (mm) of the tobacco rod portion in the long axis direction. The length of the heater member in the long axis direction is preferably L mm or more from the viewpoint of sufficiently transferring heat to the tobacco rod portion to sufficiently volatilize the aerosol-source material, the flavor component, and the like contained in the tobacco filler, that is, from the viewpoint of aerosol delivery, and preferably L + 0.5 mm or less, L + 1.0 mm or less, L + 1.5 mm or less, L + 2.0 mm or less, L + 2.5 mm or less, L + 3.0 mm or less, L + 3.5 mm or less, L + 4.0 mm or less, L + 4.5 mm or less, or L + 5.0 mm or less from the viewpoint of reducing the generation of a component having an undesired effect on the smoke flavor and the like.

[0129] The heating strength of the heater member, such as the time and temperature of heating the heat-not-burn tobacco product, can be set in advance for each electrically heated tobacco product. For example, the heating strength can be set in advance such that after the heat-not-burn tobacco product is inserted into the electrically heating device, preheating is performed for a certain period of time until the temperature of the outer peripheral surface of a portion of the heat-not-burn tobacco product, the portion being inserted into the device, reaches X (°C) and the temperature is then kept at a constant temperature of X (°C) or lower.

[0130] From the viewpoint of the amount of aerosol delivery, X (°C) is preferably 80°C or higher and 400°C or lower. Specifically, X (°C) may be 80°C, 90°C, 100°C, 110°C, 120°C, 130°C, 140°C, 150°C, 160°C, 170°C, 180°C, 190°C, 200°C, 210°C, 220°C, 230°C, 240°C, 250°C, 260°C, 270°C, 280°C, 290°C, 300°C, 310°C, 320°C, 330°C, 340°C, 350°C, 360°C, 370°C, 380°C, 390°C, or 400°C.

[0131] The temperature of the heater member may be in the above ranges, but the heat-not-burn tobacco product according to an embodiment of the present invention inserted into the heater member of the electrically heated tobacco product is preferably heated to about 250°C to 400°C. Heating the heat-not-burn tobacco product according to an embodiment of the present invention in this temperature range contributes to satisfactorily keeping the stability of the aerosol in use.

[0132] A vapor generated from the tobacco rod portion by heating with the heater member and containing an aerosol-source material, a flavor component, and the like reaches the oral cavity of the user through the mouthpiece portion including the cooling portion, the filter portion, and the like.

<Electrically heated tobacco product of second embodiment>

[0133] An electrically heated tobacco product according to a second embodiment uses the heat-not-burn tobacco product of the second embodiment and includes a power supply, a control unit, and a housing that accommodates these components, and the housing has a recess for accommodating the heat-not-burn tobacco product of the second embodiment and a ventilation hole. The electrically heated tobacco product according to the second embodiment includes a detachable mouthpiece for inhaling an aerosol and a smoke flavor component generated from the heat-not-burn tobacco product accommodated in the recess.

[0134] The mouthpiece has an electric contact that is electrically connected to the lid of the container of the heat-not-burn tobacco product, and upon being attached to the housing, the mouthpiece is electrically connected to the heater provided on the lid of the container. In addition, this connection also establishes electrically connection to the control unit accommodated in the housing.

[0135] A user places the second heat-not-burn tobacco product in the recess of the housing of the electrically heated tobacco product and attaches the mouthpiece to the housing of the electrically heated tobacco product. When the mouthpiece is attached to the housing of the electrically heated tobacco product, the hole-forming part of the lid of the container is open, and an inhalation port of the mouthpiece communicates with a flow path of the container. The user presses a switch provided on the electrically heated tobacco product to supply electric power from the power supply to the heater through the control unit, and the container included in the heat-not-burn tobacco product is heated by the heater that is generating heat. When the container is heated, the aerosol-source material and the smoke flavor component volatilize from the tobacco filler in the container to generate an aerosol. Through an inhalation operation by the user, air flows in from the ventilation hole in the housing of the electrically heated tobacco product, and the air also flows into the container through the through-hole provided in the bottom surface of the container of the heat-not-burn tobacco product. Both the air and the generated aerosol containing the smoke flavor component are inhaled by the user through the mouthpiece.

<Electrically heated tobacco product of third embodiment>

[0136] An electrically heated tobacco product configured to heat a heat-not-burn tobacco product by induction heating will be described.

[0137] An electrically heated tobacco product 4 configured to heat a heat-not-burn tobacco product by induction heating includes an inductor 33 instead of the heater member 23 of the electrically heated tobacco product according to the first embodiment illustrated in Fig. 2, a battery unit 30 that supplies the inductor with electric power to operate the inductor, and a control unit 31 that controls supply of electric power (Fig. 4). The operation may be manually performed or may automatically occur in response to the insertion by a user in the heat-not-burn tobacco product inserted into an electrically heating device 5.

[0138] The battery unit 30 supplies a DC current. The control unit 31 includes a DC/AC inverter for supplying the inductor with a high-frequency AC current.

[0139] Upon operation of the device, the high-frequency alternating current passes through a dielectric coil that forms part of the inductor 33. As a result, the inductor 33 generates a fluctuating electromagnetic field.

[0140] The frequency of the electromagnetic field preferably fluctuates by 1 MHz or more and 30 MHz or less, preferably 2 MHz or more and 10 MHz or less, and, for example, 5 MHz or more and 7 MHz or less.

[0141] A heat-not-burn tobacco product 1' is designed to operate in synchronization with the use of the electrically heating device 5 that electrically operates, and has, inside a rod portion formed of a tobacco filler, a susceptor 35 that heats the tobacco filler. Examples of the material of the susceptor 35 include aluminum, iron, iron alloys, stainless steel, nickel, and nickel alloys.

[0142] The inductor 33 is located to be adjacent to an inner wall of a reception chamber 34 for receiving the heat-not-burn tobacco product.

[0143] In using, the user inserts the heat-not-burn tobacco product 1' into the electrically heating device 5 such that the part having the susceptor 35 is located at a position close to the inductor 33.

[0144] When the heat-not-burn tobacco product 1' is correctly placed in the reception chamber 34 of the electrically heating device 5, the susceptor 35 included in the heat-not-burn tobacco product 1' is located in a fluctuating electromagnetic field.

[0145] The fluctuating electromagnetic field generates an eddy current in the susceptor 35, and as a result, this susceptor 35 is heated. Further heating is provided by magnetic hysteresis loss in the susceptor 35.

[0146] The heated susceptor 35 heats the tobacco rod portion of the heat-not-burn tobacco product 1' to a temperature sufficient to form an aerosol. With regard to the heating temperature at this time, the tobacco rod portion may be heated to 250°C or higher and 400°C or lower in an embodiment.

[0147] The aerosol generated by heating passes inside the heat-not-burn tobacco product and is inhaled by the user.

EXAMPLES

[0148] The present invention will be more specifically described by way of examples. The present invention is not limited by the description of the following examples without departing from the gist of the present invention.

<Experimental Example 1> Examination of type of additives having different physical properties <Preparation of tobacco rod>

[0149] A tobacco filler (a sheet obtained by a papermaking process) was prepared in advance by mixing an aerosol-source material (glycerin) 15/100 g with shreds of a sheet tobacco. The tobacco shreds used were a mixture of burley tobacco, flue-cured tobacco, and oriental tobacco = 4:4:2 (weight ratio). The fatty acid or the lipid shown in Table 1 was used as an aerosol stabilizer. The aerosol stabilizer shown in Table 1 was dissolved in ethanol in a ratio of 0.1% to 1% by weight, and the resulting solution was added to the sheet obtained by the papermaking process and cut in advance to 115 mm × 115 mm by uniformly spraying the solution on a surface of the sheet with a glass atomizer (Brown 30 mL, Type number: 4) so as to achieve the weight addition ratio in Table 1. As wrapping paper, typical cigarette wrapping paper including 100% virgin pulp (70% by weight) and calcium carbonate (PCX850 manufactured by Shiraishi Kogyo Kaisha, Ltd., 30% by weight) serving as a filler was prepared. Subsequently, 920 mg of shreds of the sheet obtained by the papermaking process were wound into a roll having a circumference of 22 mm and a length of 55 mm using an injection machine for hand rolling (MUS20, Daughers & Ryan Inc.). The resulting products were provided as tobacco rods of Experimental Example 1.

<Preparation of heat-not-burn tobacco product>

[0150] The tobacco rods of Experimental Example 1 prepared by the method described above were cut to a length of 12 mm. With the wrapping paper, the tobacco rods were each manually connected to an 8-mm support member (8.0Y40000) having a center hole, a 20-mm-long cooling portion formed of a paper tube having dilution air holes (ventilation rate: 20%) in the outer circumference thereof, and a 7-mm-long filter portion filled with cellulose acetate fibers (5.0Y35000) to prepare heat-not-burn tobacco products.

[Table 1]

List of substance added to tobacco material
Classification	Substance name	Number of carbons	Weight addition ratio (%)	Addition ratio of C16-18 saturated fatty acid (%)	From
Comparative Example 1	Additive free	-	-	0	-
Comparative Example 2	Octanoic acid	C8	1	0	Liquid
Comparative Example 3	Decanoic acid	C10	1.2	0	Solid
Comparative Example 4	Myristic acid	C14	1	0	Solid
Example 1	Palmitic acid	C16	1.1	100	Solid
Example 2	Stearic acid	C18	1	100	Solid
Comparative Example 5	Nonadecanoic acid	C19	1	0	Solid
Comparative Example 6	Linolenic acid	C18	1	0	Liquid
Comparative Example 7	Linoleic acid	C18	0.9	0	Liquid
Comparative Example 8	Oleic acid	C18	1	0	Liquid
Example 3	Palmitic acid:Oleic acid = 50:50 (w:w)	C18	2	50	Solid + Liquid
Example 4	Palmitic acid:Oleic acid = 70:30 (w:w)	C18	1.4	70	Solid + Liquid
Example 5	Palmitic acid:Oleic acid = 90:10 (w:w)	C18	1.1	90	Solid + Liquid
Comparative Example 9	Palm oil (palmitic acid:40.8 wt% + stearic acid:4.3 wt% + others)	Many	2.1	45.1	Solid + Liquid
Comparative Example 10	Candelilla wax (hydrocarbon 50 wt% + palmitic acid:1.5 wt% + stearic acid:0.2 wt% + others)	Many	5.1	1.7	Solid

<Sensory evaluation test>

[0151] The heat-not-burn tobacco products prepared in Experimental Example 1 were each subjected to a use test. An electrically heated tobacco product having the configuration described above was used in the use test. The heater temperature at the time of insertion of the tobacco rod of the heat-not-burn tobacco product was set at 320°C (cylindrical heater φ 3.2 mm), and the use test was conducted. A sensory evaluation was conducted by 10 in-house panelists. The evaluation was conducted by a visual analog scale method (VAS method) on eight scales, namely, "not felt", "very weak", "weak", "slightly weak, "neither weak nor strong", "slightly strong", "strong", and "very strong" with respect to a feeling of smoking (cigarette-like). The feeling of smoking (cigarette-like) was evaluated as a "somatic sensation including a flavor and a feeling of stimulation similar to a cigarette". The maximum number of products evaluated per day was 5, and an additive-free lot was also evaluated on each evaluation day. In the evaluation, smoking was started after 30 seconds from the start of heating, smoking was then performed at an interval of 30 seconds, and smoking was allowed for up to five minutes. In order to conduct a stable evaluation, a period of two minutes from the start of heating was excluded from the evaluation target. The panelists certainly had a 5-minute recess during the period from the finish of evaluation to the start of evaluation of the next lot. The feeling of smoking (cigarette-like) was represented by a value determined by subtracting the sensory evaluation result of the additive-free lot from the sensory evaluation result of each lot to which the substance shown in Table 1 was added.

<Measurement of solubility>

[0152] In the measurement of solubility, a fatty acid was added to 2 g of glycerin in such an excessive amount that an undissolved part was generated, and the amount of fatty acid dissolved in glycerin was measured. If the amount of fatty acid excessively added is large, the separation into two layers becomes difficult, and thus it is necessary to add the fatty acid in a slightly excessive amount. After the addition of the fatty acid, the mixture was allowed to stand for 48 hours and separated into two layers, 100 mg of glycerin was then taken, and transferred and dissolved into 2 mL of methanol, and the amount of fatty acid was quantitatively determined by GC-FID (model 7890A, Agilent Technologies, Inc.).

<Measurement of count median diameter of residue in dilution>

[0153] As an index indicating that generated aerosol particles are stably present without volatilization until being delivered into the oral cavity of a user, a count median diameter that can be measured with a DMS (differential mobility spectrometer, Cambustion) was used in this Experimental Example. Since the DMS measures an aerosol under reduced pressure (0.25 bar) and a high dilution condition, an aerosol with high volatility is easily vanished and gasified. In the case of an aerosol with relatively low volatility, a particle diameter distribution is obtained in terms of residual aerosol, although the aerosol is reduced by volatilization. In this case, if the diameters of generated aerosol particles are the same, the particle diameter distribution of the residual aerosol varies depending of the level of volatility. In this Example, a peak particle diameter based on the number is considered to indicate the stability under reduced pressure and a high dilution condition and thus is used as the index. A larger count median diameter means that an aerosol is more stably present, and a smaller count median diameter means that an aerosol is more unstable. Under the conditions of this experiment, the primary dilution was performed at 25 L/min, and the secondary dilution was set to 200-fold and performed. Note that a mass peak particle diameter immediately after the generation before dilution and pressure reduction were involved was also separately measured with Spraytec (Model STP5321, Mulvern), and, in the types of additives and the range of the amounts of additives added in this Example, there was no difference, and the count median diameters were present at about 200 nm.

<Test results>

[0154] Table 2 shows the test results. In addition, Fig. 5 shows solubility in glycerin and the effect of the feeling of smoking in each single fatty acid, and Fig. 6 shows the feeling of smoking obtained when palmitic acid, which is a C16 saturated fatty acid, and oleic acid serving as a mixing component were added and shows the effect of the feeling of smoking obtained when palm oil or candelilla wax, which is typically often added as a lipid, was used. As is apparent from Fig. 5, the results showed that the highest feeling of smoking was obtained when palmitic acid, which is a C16 saturated fatty acid, and stearic acid, which is a C18 saturated fatty acid, were used, and other single fatty acids had a low effect. It was also clarified that since unsaturated fatty acids had relatively high solubility in glycerin, even in C18 unsaturated fatty acids, their effects were lower than those of saturated fatty acids. Although the effect was also confirmed in a C19 saturated fatty acid, C19 naturally occurs in a very small amount, and thus there is a problem in the production when such a fatty acid is used. Therefore, it is considered that a high feeling of smoking can be obtained by adding a saturated fatty acid corresponding to C16 to C18.

[0155] The results showed that, in contrast, when oleic acid, which is an unsaturated fatty acid, was added to palmitic acid, which is a C16 saturated fatty acid, the feeling of smoking decreased with the addition, and the effect was not sufficiently exhibited under the condition of a palmitic acid proportion of less than 50% by weight. A similar tendency is also confirmed in palm oil, which is a lipid containing palmitic acid and stearic acid in a total amount of 48% by weight, and the effect is not sufficient probably because the weight proportion of palmitic acid is insufficient. The measurement results of DMS showed a relation with the value of the feeling of smoking, and as the count median diameter of DMS increased, the value of the feeling of smoking increased. In particular, palmitic acid, which is a C16 saturated fatty acid, and stearic acid, which is a C18 saturated fatty acid, were found to have large count median diameters and to be effective to stabilize an aerosol.

[Table 2]

List of measurement results of substance added to tobacco material
Classification	Substance name	Number of carbons	Feeling of smoking (cigarette-like) Difference between additive-containing lot and additive-free lot	Solubility in glycerin mg/g	Count median diameter nm
Comparative Example 1	Additive free	-	-	-	40.3
Comparative Example 2	Octanoic acid	C8	-30.9	9.07	38.7
Comparative Example 3	Decanoic acid	C10	-24.4	1.21	50.5
Comparative Example 4	Myristic acid	C14	-1.7	0.14	51.6
Example 1	Palmitic acid	C16	8.5	0.11	67.8
Example 2	Stearic acid	C18	9.9	0.08	75.3
Comparative Example 5	Nonadecanoic acid	C19	5.4	0.09	74.6
Comparative Example 6	Linolenic acid	C18	-10.3	0.32	56.5
Comparative Example 7	Linoleic acid	C18	-8.1	0.14	61.9
Comparative Example 8	Oleic acid	C18	-25.7	1.82	55.1
Example 3	Palmitic acid:Oleic acid = 50:50 (w:w)	C18	3.4	-	54.1
Example 4	Palmitic acid:Oleic acid = 70:30 (w:w)	C18	3	-	53.4
Example 5	Palmitic acid:Oleic acid = 90:10 (w:w)	C18	7.1	-	64.5
Comparative Example 9	Palm oil (palmitic acid:40.79 wt% + stearic acid:4.32 wt% + others)	Many	-6	-	39.8
Comparative Example 10	Candelilla wax (hydrocarbon 50 wt% + palmitic acid: 1.48 wt% + stearic acid:0.19 wt% + others)	Many	-3.4	-	69.8

<Experimental Example 2> Effect obtained when amount of C16 palmitic acid added was changed

[0156] In tobacco rods used in Experimental Example 2, palmitic acid, which is C16, was used as an aerosol stabilizer. Tobacco rods having the same dimensions as those in Experimental Example 1 were prepared by wrapping a tobacco filler as in Experimental Example 1 except that the amount of palmitic acid added was changed, and the sensory evaluation and the measurements similar to those in Experimental Example 1 were performed.

<Test results>

[0157] The test level and the results are shown in Table 3 and Fig. 7. In test samples to which only palmitic acid was added as a lipid in an amount of 0.1% to 1.9% by weight, the feeling of smoking (cigarette-like) was increased with respect to an additive-free test sample. The effect cannot be expected under the condition of an excessively small amount of the lipid added. In contrast, when the lipid is added in a large amount, probably, aerosol physical properties are excessively stabilized, and the taste/flavor and somatic sensation that can be originally felt cannot be felt. Therefore, the feeling of smoking (cigarette-like) tended to decrease. On the basis of the results of Examples and Comparative Examples, the most preferred range of the amount of lipid containing a C16 to 18 saturated fatty acid is assumed to be about 0.1% to about 1.9% by weight.

[Table 3]

List of substance added to tobacco shreds
Classification	Substance name	Number of carbons	Weight addition ratio (%)	Feeling of smoking (cigarette-like) Difference between additive-containing lot and additive-free lot	Solubility in glycerin mg/g	Count median diameter nm
Comparative Example 11	Palmitic acid	C16	0	0	-	40.3
Example 6			0.1	0.9	0.11	43.9
Example 1			1.1	8.5		67.8
Example 7			1.9	1.5		69.6
Comparative Example 12			5.7	-6		77.8

Reference Signs List

[0158] 

1,1'

heat-not-burn tobacco product

10

tobacco rod portion

11

mouthpiece portion

12

tipping paper

13

cooling portion

14

filter portion

2, 5

electrically heating device

20, 30

battery unit

21, 31

control unit

22, 32

frame

23

heater member

33

inductor

34

reception chamber

35

susceptor

3, 4

electrically heated tobacco product

Claims

1. A tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products, comprising a tobacco material and an aerosol-source material, wherein an aerosol stabilizer containing lipids is added to the tobacco filler, and a proportion of a saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in the lipids contained in the aerosol stabilizer is 50% by weight or more.

2. The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to claim 1, wherein an amount of the aerosol stabilizer added to the tobacco filler is 0.1% to 5.0% by weight relative to a dry weight of a total amount of the tobacco filler.

3. The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to claim 1 or 2, wherein solubility of the saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in glycerin is 0.13 mg/g or less.

4. The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms is at least one selected from palmitic acid, stearic acid, and a mixture thereof.

5. The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tobacco filler is a formed body of a tobacco material composed of tobacco shreds.

6. The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tobacco filler is a formed body of a tobacco material composed of a tobacco sheet.

7. The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the tobacco filler is composed of a granular tobacco material.

8. The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the aerosol stabilizer is added to a surface of the formed body of the tobacco material.

9. The tobacco filler for heat-not-burn tobacco products according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the aerosol stabilizer is uniformly added to the tobacco material.

10. A heat-not-burn tobacco product comprising a tobacco rod portion formed of the tobacco filler according to any one of claims 1 to 9 and a mouthpiece portion constituting an end portion opposite to the tobacco rod portion.

11. The heat-not-burn tobacco product according to claim 10, wherein the mouthpiece portion includes a cooling portion.

12. A heat-not-burn tobacco product comprising the tobacco filler according to claim 7 and a container in which the tobacco filler is contained.

13.  The heat-not-burn tobacco product according to claim 10 or 11, comprising, inside the tobacco rod portion, a susceptor that heats the tobacco filler.

14. An electrically heated tobacco product comprising an electrically heating device including a heater member, a battery unit that serves as a power source for the heater member, and a control unit for controlling the heater member; and the heat-not-burn tobacco product according to any one of claims 10 to 12, the heat-not-burn tobacco product being configured to be inserted so as to be in contact with the heater member,
wherein the tobacco rod portion of the heat-not-burn tobacco product is heated to 250°C to 400°C.

15. The electrically heated tobacco product according to claim 14, wherein the heater member has a cylindrical shape.

16. An electrically heated tobacco product comprising an electrically heating device including an inductor, a battery unit that supplies the inductor with electric power, and a control unit that controls supply of electric power; and the heat-not-burn tobacco product according to claim 13, the heat-not-burn tobacco product being configured to be inserted so as to be close to the inductor,
wherein the tobacco rod portion of the heat-not-burn tobacco product is heated to 250°C to 400°C.

17. A method for producing a tobacco filler comprising a step of adding, to a tobacco material before forming or after forming, an aerosol stabilizer which contains lipids and in which a proportion of a saturated fatty acid having 16 to 18 carbon atoms in the lipids is 50% by weight or more.

18. The method for producing a tobacco filler according to claim 17, wherein the step of adding the aerosol stabilizer to the tobacco material before forming is a step of mixing the tobacco material and the aerosol stabilizer.

19. The method for producing a tobacco filler according to claim 17, wherein the step of adding the aerosol stabilizer to the tobacco material after forming is a step of spraying or applying the aerosol stabilizer onto the tobacco material after forming.

Drawing