Abstract: Provided is a feature for a heated tobacco product having a tobacco rod formed by filling the inside of wrapping paper with a tobacco filler containing a tobacco raw material and an aerosol-source material, that prevents damage to an electric heater, such as bending or curving, during insertion into the tobacco rod, prevents the tobacco filler constituting the tobacco rod from being pressed toward the mouth end, and prevents the tobacco rod from deforming by buckling. This heated tobacco product has a tobacco rod formed by filling the inside of wrapping paper with a tobacco filler containing cut tobacco and an aerosol-source material, and is provided with a heater-insertion cavity that is open on the distal end surface side of the tobacco rod and extends in the axial direction of the tobacco rod, and into which a heater of a heating device is inserted.

Abstract: Provided is a feature that, during storage of a heated tobacco product having a tobacco rod formed by filling the inside of wrapping paper with a tobacco filler containing a tobacco raw material and an aerosol-source material, suppresses occlusion of a heater-insertion cavity open on the distal end surface side of the tobacco rod. This heated tobacco product has a tobacco rod formed by filling the inside of wrapping paper with a tobacco filler containing cut tobacco and an aerosol-source material, and is provided with: a heater-insertion cavity that is open on the distal end surface side of the tobacco rod and extends in the axial direction of the tobacco rod, and into which a heater of a heating device is inserted; and a coating layer that is formed on the lateral periphery of the heater-insertion cavity of the tobacco rod, and suppresses occlusion of the heater-insertion cavity.

Abstract: A tobacco material expansion method includes the steps of wetting and swelling a tobacco material by bringing the tobacco material into contact with a water vapor stream at 100 to 160° C., and drying the tobacco material by bringing the wetted swelled tobacco material into contact with a superheated water vapor stream at a temperature higher than that of the water vapor.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a flavor for expanded tobacco material has an extraction vessel (2) for bringing supercritical carbon dioxide into contact with tobacco material (A) to dissolve tobacco components in the carbon dioxide; a separation vessel (14) connected to the extraction vessel (2), for separating fat-soluble ingredients of the tobacco components from the tobacco components dissolved in the carbon dioxide to retrieve the fat-soluble ingredients; and a circulation path for circulating the supercritical carbon dioxide between the extraction vessel (2) and the absorption vessel (38) storing purified water while purifying the carbon dioxide by the purification layer (4) made of activated carbon, and absorbing water-soluble ingredients of the tobacco components in purified water; and a retrieval vessel (52) for retrieving the purified water, in which the water-soluble ingredients of the tobacco components are absorbed, from the absorption vessel (38) as absorption water.

Abstract: A tobacco material expansion method includes the steps of wetting and swelling a tobacco material by bringing the tobacco material into contact with a water vapor stream at 100 to 160° C., and drying the tobacco material by bringing the wetted swelled tobacco material into contact with a superheated water vapor stream at a temperature higher than that of the water vapor.

Abstract: An apparatus for producing a flavor for expanded tobacco material has an extraction vessel (2) for bringing supercritical carbon dioxide into contact with tobacco material (A) to dissolve tobacco components in the carbon dioxide; a separation vessel (14) connected to the extraction vessel (2), for separating fat-soluble ingredients of the tobacco components from the tobacco components dissolved in the carbon dioxide to retrieve the fat-soluble ingredients; and a circulation path for circulating the supercritical carbon dioxide between the extraction vessel (2) and the absorption vessel (38) storing purified water while purifying the carbon dioxide by the purification layer (4) made of activated carbon, and absorbing water-soluble ingredients of the tobacco components in purified water; and a retrieval vessel (52) for retrieving the purified water, in which the water-soluble ingredients of the tobacco components are absorbed, from the absorption vessel (38) as absorption water.

Abstract: A method of extracting a component from material includes the steps of alternately arranging the material (10) and absorbent (12) in layers along an inner channel (8c) of a container (8), supplying a high-pressure solvent into the inner channel (8c) of the container (8), extracting a predetermined component from the material (10) into the solvent, and absorbing the predetermined component in the solvent into the absorbent (12) to remove the component.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method of producing an expanded tobacco material. According to the method, a tobacco material (TM) is fed into a pressure vessel (11), followed by pressurizing the interior of the pressure vessel (11) with a carbon dioxide gas to a predetermined impregnation pressure. Then, a liquid carbon dioxide (21) is supplied from above the tobacco material (TM) into the pressure vessel through a sintered metal plate (13), etc., while maintaining the impregnation pressure, thereby saturating the interior of the pressure vessel (11) with a carbon dioxide gas generated by vaporization of the supplied liquid carbon dioxide, and cooling the tobacco material by the latent heat of vaporization of the liquid carbon dioxide, so as to impregnate the tobacco material with carbon dioxide. The tobacco material impregnated with carbon dioxide is brought into contact with a hot gaseous stream within a gaseous stream dryer so as to expand the tobacco material.

Abstract: Steam or high-temperature gas containing steam flows through a gas-flow drying pipe. Tobacco is fed from a feed port into the high-temperature gas flowing through the gas-flow drying pipe, and heated and expanded while it flows together with the gas. Steam or water is injected into the high-temperature gas flow from injection nozzles at the positions downstream from the feed port to change the gas temperature. Thereby, the heat quantity given to the tobacco from the high-temperature gas is controlled to prevent the tobacco quality from degrading.

Abstract: An expanding apparatus supplies an expanding agent to an impregnating vessel, and continuously supplies and discharges a material, e.g., a tobacco material to and from the impregnating vessel through a valve while pressure-increasing or pressure-decreasing the material, thereby continuously expanding the material. The expanding agent supplied to the impregnating vessel, the valve, and the like is recovered and, air, an impurity gas, or the like mixed in it is removed. Thereafter the expanding agent is pressure-increased to a high pressure and supplied to the impregnating vessel and the valve again.

Abstract: An expanding apparatus continuously expands a material, e.g., a tobacco material and supplies gaseous carbon dioxide as an expanding agent to an impregnating vessel by an expanding agent supply to maintain a predetermined impregnating pressure. The material is continuously supplied to the impregnating vessel by a material supply while increasing the pressure of the material. The material is continuously discharged from the impregnating vessel by a material discharge while decreasing the pressure of the material. The expanding agent supply has a heat exchanger to perform heat exchange between carbon dioxide to be supplied to the impregnating vessel and a coolant, thereby cooling carbon dioxide. The state of carbon dioxide to be supplied to the impregnating vessel is controlled in accordance with the temperature or the like of the tobacco material discharged from the impregnating vessel, so that carbon dioxide is effectively impregnated and no dry ice is formed in the material discharge or the like.

Abstract: An expanding apparatus of this invention includes a preparatory vessel that is supplied with material of agricultural origin, for example, tobacco material. The tobacco material in the preparatory vessel is supplied to an impregnation vessel through a convey pipe. Carbon dioxide having an impregnation pressure is supplied to the impregnation vessel so as to fill the same. A booster mechanism is associated with the convey pipe to increase the pressure of carbon dioxide around the tobacco material to a pressure substantially equal to the impregnation pressure in the impregnation vessel when the tobacco material is supplied from the preparatory vessel to the impregnation vessel. The tobacco material impregnated in the impregnation vessel is discharged to a blow pipe through a delivery pipe and is expanded by means of a heating medium generated in the blow pipe.