87 



(C3:55-63) 



The patent allows for the removal of selected substances 

 from tobacco, and incorporating controlled amounts of substances 

 into tobacco. Example 4 within this patent shows how a tobacco 

 blend that starts off with a 2.3 percent nicotine content can end 

 up with a 5.2 percent nicotine content. A highly concentrated 

 nicotine solution is created by subjecting a tobacco blend to a 

 series of chemical steps, including adding water, removing 

 solids, increasing the pH, and mixing this substance with 

 chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) 11 and then evaporating off that CFC 11. 

 This concentrate is then added to water-washed tobacco to 

 increase its nicotine content. This patent demonstrates the 

 technology to increase the nicotine content in tobacco by more 

 than 100 percent. 



A third example of sophisticated technology involves the 

 direct transfer of nicotine from one type of tobacco to another 

 type of tobacco. (Chart J) U.S. patent no. 4,898,188 utilizes 

 supercritical fluid extraction. In example 2 in the patent, 

 liquid carbon dioxide is used to transfer nicotine from Burley 

 cut tobacco filler to flue-cured cut tobacco. The flue-cured cut 

 filler starts off with a nicotine content of 2.59 percent and 

 ends up with a nicotine content of 4.83 percent. The Burley cut 

 filler starts off with a nicotine content of 3.56 percent and 

 ends with a nicotine content of 0.88 percent. This patent 

 demonstrates that nicotine can be transferred in significant 

 amounts from one type of tobacco filler to another. 



16 



