216 



encountered when using water extraction and discard as a vehicle tor 

 removing nitrate and nicotine. It also avoids the loss of other desirable 

 tobacco components encountered in water extraction and discard. The 

 process of the present invention also offers potential for removing both 

 nitrate and nicotine in reconstituted tobacco production systems, wherein 

 the tobacco is extracted and the extract is added back in subsequent 

 process steps, since this enzyme (microbial) system functions efficiently in 

 a liquid system. 



A 1986 R.J. Reynolds patent (#4.595.024) contained the following statements: 



A significant problem facing the cigarene industry is the development of 

 new products. 



Another area for significant improvement would be the development of a 

 cigarene that delivers full smoking "satisfaction" at "tar" and nicotine 

 levels below those made possible by current technology. 



This is an object of this invention to provide a cigarette having a pufT-by- 

 puff nicotine delivery curve radicaUy different from that of a 

 conventional cigarette. 



It is a further object of this invention to provide a cigarene which delivers 

 a larger amount of nicotine in the first few puffs of the cigarene than in 

 the last few puffs. 



A European patent application (Application #8731 143.0) filed by Philip Morris 



Products, Inc. in December of 1987 also provides a good indication of the 



continuing intent of the tobacco company in developing processes and techniques 



for nicotine removal and nicotine manipulation. As the patent specifically states: 



A process is provided for the selective removal of basic materials from 

 plant products, in particular, for removing nicotine from tobacco without 

 materially affecting the content of other components of the tobacco 

 produa. 



The patent goes on to state: 



This invention provides a process for removing nicotine from tobacco 

 withoDt also removing the desirable aroma generating components. 

 Tobacco is extracted with a solvent either in the supercritical state or in 

 the Uquid state. Thereafter, nicotine is selectively removed from the 

 enriched solvent by passing the solvent through a trap containing a non- 

 volatile acid which is not soluble in the extraction solvent. The trap may 

 be contained on a support medium. The solvent, depleted of nicotine and 

 enriched in the other components, is then recycled to the tobacco to 

 extract nicotine again. 



It is an object of this invention to provide a process for selectively 

 reducing the level of nicotine in tobacco using a single sute extraction 

 process with or without separate entrapment vessels. 



