TOBACCO MATERIAL INCLUDING FLAVOR MATERIAL AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE TOBACCO MATERIAL

Abstract

An embodiment of the present disclosure discloses tobacco material including: a center portion including a flavor material; and an outer portion including a tobacco mixture, wherein the outer portion surrounds the center portion.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a tobacco material including a flavor material and a method of manufacturing the tobacco material.

BACKGROUND ART

Recently, the demand for substitutes for traditional cigarettes has increased. For example, there is an increasing demand for a device for generating an aerosol by heating an aerosol generating material in aerosol generating articles (e.g., cigarettes) without combustion.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

In order to improve the tobacco taste provided by the aerosol generating articles, flavor materials may be added to the aerosol generating articles. However, in the case of a flavor material that is highly volatile, a considerable amount of flavor material is volatilized at an early stage of smoking, and thus the flavor material may not be uniformly provided throughout the entire smoking time.

The objective to be achieved by the present disclosure is to provide a tobacco material including a flavor material and a method of manufacturing the tobacco material.

The technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other objectives may be derived from the embodiments described hereinafter.

Technical Solution

According to an embodiment, a tobacco material includes: a center portion including a flavor material; and an outer portion including a tobacco mixture, wherein the outer portion is formed to surround the center portion.

According to an embodiment, a method of manufacturing a tobacco material includes: forming a center portion by growing a first composition; and forming an outer portion to surround the center portion.

The means for solving the problems is not limited thereto and may include all configurations which may be derived throughout the specification by one of ordinary skill in the art.

Advantageous Effects

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a tobacco material may effectively contain flavors and may uniformly provide the flavors during smoking by a user.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the efficiency of a process of manufacturing a tobacco material may be improved, and a yield rate may be increased through this process.

The effects of the present disclosure are not limited thereto and may include all effects which may be derived from the configurations described below.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a view of a tobacco material according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2A is a view of a tobacco material according to another embodiment.

FIG. 2B is a view of a tobacco material according to another embodiment.

FIG. 3A is a view of a smoking article according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3B is a view of a smoking article according to another embodiment.

FIG. 3C is a view of a smoking article according to another embodiment.

FIG. 3D is a view of a smoking article according to another embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a tobacco material, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a first operation of a method of manufacturing a tobacco material, according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 5C-5E illustrate a second operation of a method of manufacturing a tobacco material, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a graph of the amount of emitted menthol of a tobacco material according to a series of puffs, according to an embodiment.

BEST MODE

With respect to the terms used to describe in the various embodiments, the general terms which are currently and widely used are selected in consideration of functions of structural elements in the various embodiments of the present disclosure. However, meanings of the terms can be changed according to intention, a judicial precedence, the appearance of a new technology, and the like. In addition, in certain cases, a term which is not commonly used can be selected. In such a case, the meaning of the term will be described in detail at the corresponding portion in the description of the present disclosure. Therefore, the terms used in the various embodiments of the present disclosure should be defined based on the meanings of the terms and the descriptions provided herein.

In addition, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word “comprise” and variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” will be understood to imply the inclusion of stated elements but not the exclusion of any other elements. In addition, the terms “-er”, “-or”, and “module” described in the specification mean units for processing at least one function and operation and can be implemented by hardware components or software components and combinations thereof.

Throughout the specification, a “tobacco material” may denote any types of materials including a component that originated from a tobacco plant.

Throughout the specification, a “tobacco particle” may denote a particle of a material derived from a tobacco plant. For example, the tobacco particle may include a grain of tobacco or tobacco powder.

Throughout the specification, a “smoking article” may denote an article used by a user to smoke. For example, the smoking article may include a combustible cigarette or an aerosol generating article that is not combusted and is heated by an aerosol generating device.

Throughout the specification, a “surface roughness” may denote a degree of roughness of a surface of an object. For example, the surface roughness may be represented by a center line average roughness (Ra) based on the KS B 0161 standards.

The terms including ordinal numbers such as “first,” “second,” etc., used in this specification, may be used to describe various components, but the components shall not be limited by these terms. The terms are only used to distinguish one element from another.

As used herein, expressions such as “at least one of,” when preceding a list of elements, modify the entire list of elements and do not modify the individual elements of the list. For example, the expression, “at least one of a, b, and c,” should be understood as including only a, only b, only c, both a and b, both a and c, both b and c, or all of a, b, and c.

Hereinafter, the present disclosure will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown such that one of ordinary skill in the art may easily work the present disclosure. The disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a view of a tobacco material according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, a tobacco material 100 may include a center portion 110 including a flavor material and an outer portion 120 including a tobacco mixture. In detail, the tobacco material 100 may be formed to have a core-shell structure in which the outer portion 120 surrounds the center portion 110. The tobacco material 100 may have a spherical shape as a whole.

According to an embodiment, the center portion 110 may include the flavor material. In detail, the center portion 110 may include the flavor material that is highly volatile. For example, the flavor material may include menthol. The center portion 110 may be formed to include at least one of a menthol solution and menthol crystals.

However, the flavor material is not limited to menthol and may be variously modified according to designs of a manufacturer.

For example, the flavor material may include vegetable spices, such as cinnamon, sage, herb, chamomile, winter hay, sweet tea, lavender, bergamot, lemon, orange, jasmine, ginger, vanilla, spearmint, peppermint, acacia, coffee, celery, sandalwood, cocoa, etc.

The flavor material may include animal spices, such as musk, ambergris, civet, castroreum, etc.

The flavor material may include an alcohol-based compound, such as geraniol, linalol, anethole, eugenol, etc. The flavor material may include an aldehyde-based compound, such as vanillin, benzaldehyde, anisaldehyde, etc. The flavor material may include an ester-based compound, such as isoamyl acetate, linalyl acetate, isoamyl propionate, linalyl butyrate, etc.

According to an embodiment, the center portion 110 may include the flavor material and tobacco particles. The tobacco particles may include various types of tobacco powder. For example, the tobacco particles may include at least one type of tobacco powder from among a xanthoma-type tobacco, burley tobacco, fire-cured tobacco, sun-cured tobacco, and air-cured tobacco.

According to an embodiment where the center portion 110 includes the flavor material and the tobacco particles, the flavor material may be layered on a seed formed of the tobacco particles. For example, after the tobacco particles are formed into a seed having a predetermined size through a series of processes, a menthol solution may be layered on the formed seed of the tobacco particles and then may be dried.

According to an embodiment, at least 95 weight percent (wt %) of the flavor material may be included in the center portion 110, based on the total weight (100 wt %) of the center portion 110. As such, the flavor material may be uniformly inhaled by a user during the smoking time. However, the weight ratio of the flavor material is not limited thereto and may be variously modified according to designs of a manufacturer.

According to an embodiment, the center portion 110 may include tobacco dough including a flavor material. For example, the center portion 110 may be formed of dough including a flavor material, tobacco particles, and a solvent (e.g., H₂O). The viscosity of the center portion 110 may depend on the amount of the solvent in the dough. Thereafter, even if the solvent is removed, the center portion 110 may substantially include an appropriate amount of water. A detailed process of manufacturing the center portion 110 is to be described below with reference to FIGS. 5A through 5E.

According to an embodiment, the outer portion 120 may include the tobacco mixture. The tobacco mixture may include tobacco particles including various types of tobacco powder. For example, the tobacco particles may include at least one type of tobacco powder from among xanthoma-type tobacco, burley tobacco, fire-cured tobacco, sun-cured tobacco, and air-cured tobacco.

According to an embodiment, the outer portion 120 may include tobacco dough including tobacco particles. For example, the outer portion 120 may include dough including tobacco particles and a solvent. The viscosity of the outer portion 120 may depend on the amount of the solvent in the dough. Thereafter, even if the solvent is removed, the outer portion 120 may substantially include an appropriate amount of water. A detailed process of manufacturing the outer portion 120 is to be described below with reference to FIGS. 5A through 5E.

According to an embodiment, the center portion 110 may have a diameter of D1. For example, D1 may be about 0.01 mm to about 0.3 mm. In detail, D1 may be about 0.01 m to about 0.15 mm. However, the diameter of the center portion 110 is not limited thereto. According to an embodiment, the outer portion 120 may have a diameter of D2. For example, D2 may be about 0.5 mm to about 1.99 mm. In detail, D2 may be about 0.65 mm to about 1.99 mm. However, the diameter of the outer portion 120 is not limited thereto.

According to an embodiment, the amount of released flavor material of the tobacco material 100 and a releasing period of the flavor material of the tobacco material 100 may vary depending on the diameter of the outer portion 120. For example, when the diameter of the outer portion 120 is equal to or greater than about 2 mm, the releasing period of the flavor material may be delayed, and thus the amount of released flavor material may not be uniform during smoking. When the diameter of the outer portion 120 is less than about 0.5 mm, the releasing period of the flavor material may begin early, and thus the flavor material may not be uniformly released during smoking. When the diameter of the outer portion 120 is about 0.5 mm to about 1.99 mm, the releasing period of the flavor material of the center portion 110 may become appropriate for the uniform release of the flavor material.

According to an embodiment, the tobacco material 100 may include about 5.0 wt % to about 8.0 wt % of water. When the tobacco material 100 includes water in the described numerical range, at least one of the rigidity, a flavor-holding property, and a flavor-emission property of the tobacco material 100 may be improved. If the tobacco material 100 includes less than about 5.0 wt % of water, the flavor-emission property of the tobacco material 100 may decrease. On the other hand, if the tobacco material 100 includes more than about 8.0 wt % of water, the tobacco material 100 may have low rigidity.

The center portion 110 may have about 8.0 wt % to about 15.0 wt % of water. When the center portion 110 includes water in the described numerical range, at least one of a flavor-holding property and a flavor-emission property of the center portion 110 may be improved. Also, when the water content of the center portion 110 is higher than the water content of the outer portion 120, the tobacco material 100 may have high rigidity and an excellent flavor-holding property and flavor-emission property.

According to an embodiment, the tobacco material 100 may have a viscosity of about 5 cp to about 200 cp. When the tobacco material 100 has viscosity in the described numerical range, at least one of the rigidity, a flavor-holding property, and a flavor-emission property of the tobacco material 100 may be improved. The viscosity of the tobacco material 100 may be adjusted by the amount of water.

According to an embodiment, the tobacco material 100 may have a rigidity that is 90% or higher. In detail, the tobacco material 100 may have a rigidity of about 95% to about 99.9%. The “rigidity of the tobacco material” is a property related to elasticity and resilience and may denote a degree of resistance with respect to pressure vertically applied to the tobacco material 100. The “rigidity of the tobacco material” may be measured by using a rigidity measuring device and calculated according to the calculation formula below.

Rigidity (%)=[D−a]*100/D

(D: a diameter of a tobacco material, a: a distance (mm) by which the tobacco material is pressed by a 300 g weight)

According to an embodiment, the tobacco material 100 may have a density of about 0.60 g/cc to about 0.90 g/cc. In detail, the tobacco material 100 may have a density of about 0.62 g/cc to about 0.75 g/cc. According to an embodiment, the center portion 110 of the tobacco material 100 may have a density of about 0.50 g/cc to about 0.70 g/cc.

According to an embodiment, the tobacco material 100 may have a surface roughness Ra of about 0.1 to about 10.0. A detailed aspect with respect to the surface roughness Ra of the tobacco material 100 is to be described below with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B.

FIG. 2A is a view of a tobacco material according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2A, a tobacco material 200 may include a center portion 210 including a flavor material and an outer portion 220 including a tobacco mixture. In detail, the tobacco material 200 may be formed to have a shape in which the outer portion 220 surrounds the center portion 210. Aspects with respect to the center portion 210 and the outer portion 220 are described above with reference to FIG. 1, so the same description will be omitted here.

According to an embodiment, the tobacco material 200 may have a spherical shape as a whole. According to an embodiment, when the center portion 210 of the tobacco material 200 has a spherical shape, the outer portion 220 formed to surround the center portion 210 may also have a spherical shape.

According to an embodiment, the outer portion 220 of the tobacco material 200 may have a predetermined surface roughness Ra.

For example, the outer portion 220 may have a surface roughness Ra of about 0.1 to about 5.0, which forms a substantially smooth surface. When the outer portion 220 has the substantially smooth surface, the amount of tobacco materials 200 that can be included in a smoking article (not shown) may increase. Also, by adjusting a porosity of a surface of the outer portion 220, a flavor-emission property of the tobacco material 200 may be adjusted.

As another example, the outer portion 220 may have a surface roughness Ra of about 5.0 to about 10.0. When the outer portion 220 has the surface roughness Ra in the numerical range described above, a substantially rough surface may be formed. As the surface roughness Ra of the surface of the outer portion 220 increases, the flavor-emission property may improve. When the plurality of tobacco materials 200 including the outer portion 220 having the substantially rough surface are included in a smoking article (not shown), the plurality of tobacco materials 200 may be stably held by the smoking article due to an increased frictional force, and the amount of released nicotine may be increased due to an increased surface area of the tobacco material 200.

FIG. 2B is a view of a tobacco material according to another embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2B, a tobacco material 300 may include a center portion 310 including a flavor material and an outer portion 320 including a tobacco mixture. In detail, the tobacco material 300 may be formed to have a shape in which the outer portion 320 surrounds the center portion 310. Aspects with respect to the center portion 310 and the outer portion 320 are described above with reference to FIG. 1, so the same description will be omitted.

According to an embodiment, the tobacco material 300 may have a distorted spherical shape. For example, in a manufacturing process of the tobacco material 300, when the shape of the center portion 310 is not substantially spherical, the shape of the outer portion 320 grown to surround the center portion 310 may not be substantially spherical, either. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, the tobacco material 300 may have an amorphous shape.

For example, the outer portion 320 may have a surface roughness Ra of about 0.1 to about 5.0. When the outer portion 320 has the surface roughness Ra in the numerical range described above, a substantially smooth surface may be formed. When the outer portion 320 has the substantially smooth surface, the amount of tobacco materials 300 that can be included in a smoking article (not shown) may increase. Also, by adjusting a porosity of a surface of the outer portion 320, a flavor-emission property of the tobacco material 300 may be adjusted.

As another example, the outer portion 320 may have a surface roughness Ra of about 5.0 to about 10.0. When the outer portion 320 has the surface roughness Ra in the numerical range described above, a substantially rough surface may be formed. As the surface roughness Ra of the surface of the outer portion 220 increases, the flavor-emission property may improve. When the plurality of tobacco materials 300 including the outer portion 320 having the substantially rough surface are included in a smoking article (not shown), the plurality of tobacco materials 300 may be stably held by the smoking article due to an increased frictional force, and the amount of inhaled nicotine may be increased due to an increased surface area of the tobacco material 300.

FIG. 3A is a view of a smoking article according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3A, a smoking article 400 may include a first portion 410 and a second portion 420. The first portion 410 may be a smoking rod, and the second portion 420 may be a filter segment. For example, the smoking article 400 may be a combustible cigarette.

According to an embodiment, the first portion 410 may include a plurality of tobacco materials 411. The tobacco materials 411 may correspond to the tobacco materials 100, 200, and 300 of FIGS. 1 through 2B. According to an embodiment, the first portion 410 may be ignited and combusted by a user.

According to an embodiment, the second portion 420 may be a filter segment including a filter material. For example, the second portion 420 may be a cellulose acetate (CA) filter. The second portion 420 may be a cylindrical filter or a hollow filter, but the shape of the second portion 420 is not particularly limited. A user may smoke by holding the second portion 420 in his or her mouth.

According to an embodiment, when the first portion 410 is combusted, flavors may be generated from the plurality of tobacco materials 411. For example, when menthol as a flavor material is included in a center portion of the tobacco materials 411, the menthol flavor may be emitted after an initial stage of smoking has passed.

FIG. 3B is a view of a smoking article according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3B, a smoking article 500 may include a first portion 510, a second portion 520, a third portion 530, and a fourth portion 540. The first portion 510, the second portion 520, the third portion 530, and the fourth portion 540 may be sequentially arranged in a longitudinal direction of the smoking article 500. For example, the smoking article 500 may generate an aerosol when heated without combustion.

According to an embodiment, the first portion 510 may include a plurality of tobacco materials 511. The tobacco materials 511 may correspond to the tobacco materials 100, 200, and 300 of FIGS. 1 through 2B. According to an embodiment, the first portion 510 may further include an aerosol generating material. The aerosol generating material may be sprayed onto a surface of the tobacco materials 511. For example, the aerosol generating material may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. According to an embodiment, the first portion 510 may be heated by an aerosol generating device (not shown).

According to an embodiment, the second portion 520 may be a support supporting the smoking article 500. For example, the second portion 520 may be a hollow filter. The second portion 520 may connect the first portion 510 with the third portion 530 and support the first portion 510 and the third portion 530.

According to an embodiment, the third portion 530 may be a cooler configured to cool a current (i.e., aerosol). For example, the third portion 530 may be a hollow tube or a paper tube. The hollow tube or the paper tube may include a ventilation area (not shown) through which outside air may flow into the smoking article 500. The third portion 530 may cool the aerosol generated from the first portion 510.

According to an embodiment, the fourth portion 540 may be a filter segment including a filter material. For example, the fourth portion 540 may be a cellulose acetate (CA) filter. The fourth portion 540 may be a cylindrical filter or a hollow filter, but the shape of the fourth portion 540 is not particularly limited. A user may smoke by holding the fourth portion 540 in his or her mouth.

FIG. 3C is a view of a smoking article according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3C, a smoking article 600 may include a first portion 610, a second portion 620, a third portion 630, and a fourth portion 640. The first portion 610, the second portion 620, the third portion 630, and the fourth portion 640 may be sequentially arranged in a longitudinal direction of the smoking article 600. For example, the smoking article 600 may generate an aerosol when heated without combustion.

According to an embodiment, the first portion 610 may be a filter segment. For example, the first portion 610 may be a cellulose acetate (CA) filter having a cavity of a predetermined shape. In detail, the first portion 610 may be the CA filter having a cavity of the “A” shape, but is not limited thereto.

According to an embodiment, the second portion 620 may include a tobacco material 621. The tobacco material 621 may correspond to the tobacco materials 100, 200, and 300 of FIGS. 1 through 2B. According to an embodiment, the second portion 620 may further include an aerosol generating material. For example, the aerosol generating material may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. The second portion 620 may be heated by an aerosol generating device (not shown).

According to an embodiment, the third portion 630 may be a cooler configured to cool a current (i.e., aerosol). For example, the third portion 630 may be a hollow tube or a paper tube. The hollow tube or the paper tube may include a ventilation area (not shown) through which outside air flows into the smoking article 600.

According to an embodiment, the fourth portion 640 may be a filter segment including a filter material. For example, the fourth portion 640 may be a cellulose acetate (CA) filter. The fourth portion 640 may be a cylindrical filter or a hollow filter, but the shape of the fourth portion 640 is not particularly limited. A user may smoke by holding the fourth portion 640 in his or her mouth.

FIG. 3D is a view of a smoking article according to another embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3D, a smoking article 700 may include a first portion 710, a second portion 720, a third portion 730, and a fourth portion 740. The first portion 710, the second portion 720, the third portion 730, and the fourth portion 740 may be sequentially arranged in a longitudinal direction of the smoking article 700. For example, the smoking article 700 may generate an aerosol when heated without combustion.

According to an embodiment, the first portion 710 may be an aerosol generating substrate. For example, the aerosol generating substrate may include a paper sheet impregnated with an aerosol generating material. The aerosol generating material may include at least one of glycerin, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleyl alcohol. The first portion 710 may be heated by an aerosol generating device (not shown).

According to an embodiment, the second portion 720 may be a nicotine generating substrate. According to an embodiment, the second portion 720 may include a tobacco material 721. The tobacco material 721 may correspond to the tobacco materials 100, 200, and 300 of FIGS. 1 through 2B. According to an embodiment, the second portion 720 may include the tobacco material 721 and a paper sheet impregnated with an aerosol generating material. The second portion 720 may be heated by an aerosol generating device (not shown).

According to an embodiment, the third portion 730 may be a cooler configured to cool a current (i.e., aerosol). For example, the third portion 730 may be a hollow tube or a paper tube. The hollow tube or the paper tube may include a ventilation area (not shown) through which outside air flows into the smoking article 700.

According to an embodiment, the fourth portion 740 may be a filter segment including a filter material. For example, the fourth portion 740 may be a cellulose acetate (CA) filter. The fourth portion 740 may be a cylindrical filter or a hollow filter, but the shape of the fourth portion 740 is not particularly limited. A user may smoke by holding the fourth portion 740 in his or her mouth.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a tobacco material, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4, a method S100 of manufacturing a tobacco material may include first operation S110 and second operation S120.

According to an embodiment, first operation S110 may correspond to an operation of forming a center portion of a tobacco material by growing a first composition. According to an embodiment, the first composition may include a flavor material and water. In detail, the first composition may include about 95 wt % to about 99 wt % of the flavor material and about 1 wt % to about 5 wt % of water. According to another embodiment, the first composition may include a flavor material, tobacco powder, and water. In detail, the first composition may include about 95 wt % to about 99 wt % of the flavor material, about 0.14 wt % to about 0.71 wt % of the tobacco powder, and about 0.86 wt % to about 4.29 wt % of water. For example, the amount of water included in the first composition may be about six times greater than the amount of tobacco powder in the first composition.

According to an embodiment, in first operation S110, the first composition may float in a chamber, may be supplied with water at a temperature that is about 60° C. or lower, and may be hot-air dried for about six hours.

According to an embodiment, second operation S120 may correspond to an operation of forming an outer portion surrounding the formed center portion using a second composition. According to an embodiment, a second composition may include tobacco powder and a solvent. The solvent may include a water-ethanol solution. In detail, the second composition may include about 14 wt % to about 15 wt % of tobacco powder, about 51 wt % to about 52 wt % of water, and about 34 wt % to about 35 wt % of ethanol.

According to an embodiment, the amount of water included in the center portion formed in first operation S110 may be about 8% to about 15% of the total weight of the tobacco material. Also, the center portion may have a rigidity of about 85% to about 95%.

According to an embodiment, the outer portion formed in second operation S120 may have a relatively less water content and a higher rigidity than the center portion. The amount of water included in the tobacco material formed by second operation S120 may be about 5% to about 8% of the total weight of the tobacco material. Also, the outer portion may have a rigidity of about 95% to about 99.9%. Therefore, the tobacco material may have a rigidity of about 95% to about 99.9%.

First operation S110 and second operation S120 are to be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 5A through 5E. In particular, first operation S110 may be described below with reference to FIGS. 5A through 5C, and second operation S120 may be described below with reference to FIGS. 5D and 5E.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a first operation of a method of manufacturing a tobacco material, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5A, an apparatus for manufacturing a tobacco material may include a chamber 900, a first storage 910, a second storage 920, and a supply portion 930. According to an embodiment, the first storage 910 may store a first composition, and the second storage 920 may store a second composition. For example, the first storage 910 may include the first composition including a flavor material and water. The second storage 920 may include the second composition including tobacco powder and a solvent. As another example, the first storage 910 may include the first composition including a flavor material, tobacco powder, and water.

According to an embodiment, the first storage 910 and the second storage 920 may be connected to the supply portion 930 through a first valve 915 and a second valve 925, respectively. For example, when the first valve 915 is open, the first composition stored in the first storage 910 may be supplied to the chamber 900 through the supply portion 930. In the meantime, the second valve 925 may be maintained closed. As another example, when the second valve 925 is open, the second composition stored in the second storage 920 may be supplied to the chamber 900 through the supply portion 930. In the meantime, the first valve 915 may be maintained closed.

According to an embodiment, the first operation (for example, first operation S110 of FIG. 4) may include an operation of supplying a first composition 940 to the chamber 900 from the first storage 910 through the supply portion 930. For example, the first composition 940 may be sprayed to the chamber 900.

Referring to FIG. 5B, first operation S110 may include an operation of growing the first composition 940 sprayed to the chamber 900 under predetermined conditions. For example, the predetermined conditions under which the first composition 940 may be grown may include a temperature in the range of about 30° C. to about 60° C. and a wind pressure equal to or lower than 1.5 bar.

According to an embodiment, the first composition 940 may be grown into a seed 960 having a first size under the predetermined conditions. For example, when the first composition 940 is supplied to the chamber 900, and external air 950 is introduced from the outside under the predetermined conditions, the first composition 940 may be grown into the seed 960 having the first size. Thereafter, over time, the seed 960 having the first size may be grown into a seed 962 having a second size, and the seed 962 having the second size may be grown into a seed 964 having a third size.

FIGS. 5C-5E illustrate a second operation of a method of manufacturing a tobacco material, according to an embodiment.

Referring to 5C, the second operation (for example, second operation S120 of FIG. 4) may include an operation of positioning a center portion 970 formed in the first operation S110 within the chamber 900. For example, the center portion 970 formed in the first operation S110 may denote a first composition grown into a seed having a predetermined size. Here, the predetermined size may denote a diameter (for example, the diameter D1 of FIG. 1) of the center portion that may vary according to designs of a manufacturer.

According to an embodiment, the center portion 970 formed in the first operation S110 may be accumulated at the bottom of the chamber 900. Here, the center portion 970 may have a predetermined water content that does not cause the plurality of center portions 970 to stick together. For example, after the center portion 970 may be grown under conditions including a temperature in the range of about 30° C. to about 60° C. and a wind pressure equal to or lower than about 1.5 bar. Then, the center portion 970 may be dried so as to include the predetermined water content, and then, may be accumulated at the bottom of the chamber 900.

Referring to FIG. 5D, second operation S120 may include an operation of fluidizing the center portion 970 located in the chamber 900. According to an embodiment, when external air 950 is introduced into the chamber 900 from the outside under predetermined conditions, the center portion 970 may be fluidized. For example, the predetermined conditions for fluidizing the center portion 970 may include a temperature in the range of about 50° C. to about 90° C. and a wind pressure equal to or lower than about 1.5 bar.

According to an embodiment, second operation S120 may include an operation of supplying a second composition 980 into the chamber 900 from the second storage 920 through the supply portion 930. For example, the second composition 980 may be sprayed to the chamber 900.

According to an embodiment, the second composition 980 supplied from the second storage 920 may be grown to surround the center portion 970. For example, when, through the external air 950, the center portion 970 moves upwards in the chamber 900, and the second composition 980 supplied from the second storage 920 moves downwards in the chamber 900, a frictional may occur between the center portion 970 and the second composition 980. By the frictional force, the second composition 980 may be grown around the center portion 970 to surround the center portion 970.

Referring to FIG. 5E, second operation S120 may include an operation of accumulating, in the chamber 900, a final tobacco material 990, in which the second composition 980 is grown to surround the center portion 970. For example, the final tobacco material 990 formed in second operation S120 may denote a material grown as a granule having a predetermined size. Here, the predetermined size may denote a diameter (for example, about 0.8 mm to about 2.0 mm) of the tobacco material, which may vary according to designs of a manufacturer.

According to an embodiment, the first composition may be grown in first operation S110 at a lower temperature than the second composition grown in second operation S120. Since the first composition may include the flavor material, growing the first composition at a lower temperature than the second composition may improve the flavor-holding property and the flavor-emission property of the tobacco material.

FIG. 6 illustrates a graph of the amount of emitted menthol of a tobacco material, according to a series of puffs, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 6, a graph corresponding to a comparative embodiment 600 may indicate the amount of emitted menthol according to a series of puffs, when the menthol is included in a medium portion in a form according to the related art. According to an embodiment, a graph corresponding to an embodiment 610 may indicate the amount of emitted menthol according to a series of puffs, when the menthol is included in a medium portion and/or a filter in a form of a tobacco material according to the present disclosure.

According to the comparative embodiment 600, the amount of emitted menthol is the greatest at an early stage of smoking (for example, the third to the fifth puffs) corresponding to an initial stage of smoking, and the amount of emitted menthol is the least at a latter stage of smoking (for example, the tenth to the fourteenth puffs). That is, the amount of emitted menthol may be radically reduced as smoking progresses. Therefore, approaching the latter stage of smoking, the user may scarcely experience the flavor of menthol.

At an early stage of smoking, the amount of emitted menthol according to the embodiment 610 may be less than the amount of emitted menthol according to the comparative embodiment 600. However, at a latter stage of smoking, the amount of emitted menthol according to the embodiment 610 may be greater than the amount of emitted menthol according to the comparative embodiment 600. That is, according to the embodiment 610, the amount of emitted menthol may gradually increase as smoking progresses, and thus the user may uniformly experience the flavor of menthol throughout the entire smoking time.

Those of ordinary skill in the art related to the present embodiments may understand that various changes in form and details can be made therein without departing from the scope of the characteristics described above. The disclosed methods should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The scope of the disclosure should be defined by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope equivalent to those described in the claims will be construed as being included in the scope of protection defined by the claims.

Claims

1. A tobacco material comprising:

a center portion including a flavor material; and

an outer portion including a tobacco mixture and surrounding the center portion.

2. The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the center portion further includes tobacco particles, and the flavor material includes menthol.

3. The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material includes about 5.0 wt % to about 8.0 wt % of water, with respect to a total weight of the tobacco material.

4. The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the center portion includes at least 95 wt % of the flavor material, with respect to a total weight of the center portion.

5. The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the center portion has a diameter of about 0.01 mm to about 0.3 mm, and the outer portion has a diameter of about 0.5 mm to about 1.99 mm.

6. The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material has a viscosity of about 5 cp to about 200 cp.

7. The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material has a surface roughness Ra of about 0.1 to about 10.0.

8. The tobacco material of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material has a spherical shape.

9. An aerosol generating article comprising:

a tobacco rod comprising the tobacco material of claim 1; and

a filter segment.

10. A method of manufacturing a tobacco material, the method comprising:

forming a center portion by growing a first composition; and

forming an outer portion to surround the center portion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the forming of the center portion includes:

spraying the first composition in a chamber; and

growing the sprayed first composition at a temperature of about 30° C. to about 60° C. and under a wind pressure equal to or lower than about 1.5 bar.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the forming of the outer portion includes:

positioning the formed center portion in the chamber;

fluidizing the positioned center portion at a temperature of about 50° C. to about 90° C. and under a wind pressure equal to or lower than 1.5 bar; and

spraying a second composition onto the fluidized center portion.