463 



4.836,224 



which are blended and are in a form ready for cigarede 

 manufacture. The tobacco filler materials conventiently 

 are employed in the form of strands or shreds as is com- 

 mon in conventional cigarette manufacture. For exam- 

 ple, the tobacco cut filler material can be employed in 

 the form of strands cut into widths ranging from about 

 1/23 inch to about 1/60 inch, preferably from about 

 1/30 inch to about 1/40 inch. Generally, such strands 

 have lengths which range from about 0.25 inch to about 

 3 inches. 



Tobacco materials can be cased and top dressed as is 

 conventional performed during various stages of ciga- 

 rette manufacture. For example, additives such as fla- 

 vorants and humectants can be applied to the tobacco 

 material as is commonly done when cigarettes are man- 

 ufactured. Suitable additives include flavorants such as 

 vanillin, cocoa, licorice, methaol, tobacco aroma oils, 

 tobacco extracts, and the like. Such additives conven- 

 tiently are applied to the smokable material as top dress- 

 ing components. 



The majority of the filler material present in the 

 smokable rod is a tobacco material. However, the to- 

 bacco material can be blended with another smokable 

 material such as a tobacco substitute material. Examples 

 of suluble tobacco materials include flue-cured. Burley, 

 Maryland or Oriental tobaccos; processed tobacco ma- 

 terials such as expanded tobaccos, processed tobacco 

 stems, reconstituted tobacco materials or reconstituted 

 tobacco materials having varying levels of endogenous 



conditions suitable to provide products having various 

 nicotine levels. If desired, nicotine can be incorporated 

 Into the expansion solvents used to provide a volume 

 expanded processed tobacco material having a high 



5 nicotine content A typical expansion process is de- 

 scribed in U.S. Pat No. 3,524,451 to Fredrickson. Also, 

 processed tobacco materials include tobaccos or to- 

 bacco materials mixed, blended or otherwise treated 

 with tobacco extracts, spray dried tobacco materials or 



10 tobacco aroma oils. As such, the processed tobacco 

 materials have high nicotine contents upon completion 

 of the processing steps involved in their preparation or 

 manufacture, and prior to their use in Ihc manufacture 

 of cigarettes. 



15 High nicotine tobacco{s) and/or high nicotine pro- 

 cessed tobacco(s) can be employed as the tobacco mate- 

 rial of the cigarette, as the component(s) of cigaretto 

 blends or as portions of the components of cigarette 

 blends. For example, the high nicotine tobacco(s) anc"- 



20 /or high nicotine processed tobacco material(s) can be 

 blended with tobacco substltute<s) and/or tobacco 

 material(s) having nicotine contents of less than about 2 

 percent. Typically, the so<alled "American blends ' 

 having high nicotine contents (i.e.. total blend nicotitie 



25 contents above about 2 percent) are desirable for ciga- 

 rette manufacture. Typical total nicotine contents of the 

 tobacco material or blends of materials from which 

 tobacco rods for cigarettes of this invention are manu- 

 factured are greater than about 2.25 percent, generally 



and exogenous nicotine, or blends thereof. If desired. 30 greater than 2.5 percent, often greater than about 3 



the tobacco materials can be blended with small 

 amounts of carbonized and/or pyrolyzed materials. 



Tobacco material(s) having a naturally high nicotine 

 content conveniently constitute at least a portion of the 

 smokable filler material useful in manufacturing smok- 

 ing articles of this invention. Typically, such useful high 

 nicotine content tobaccos or high nicotine content pro- 

 cessed tobaccos have nicotine contents of above about 

 2.5 percent. The nicotine contents of high nicotine to- 



percent, frequently greater than about 3.5 peicent, and 

 in certain circumstances greater than about 4 percent. 

 Organic acids useful herein are any organic acids or 

 organic compounds that behave as Lewis acids when 

 contacted with nicotine. Examples of organic acids 

 useful in practicing the present invention are aromatic 

 acids including benzoic-type acids and substituted ben- 

 zole-type acids, hydroxyacids. heterocyclic acids, ter- 

 penoid acids, sugar acids such as the pectic acids, amino 



bacco materials oftentimes are abo\e about 3 percent. 40 acids, cycloaliphatic acids, dicarboxyllc acids, aliphatic 

 frequenlty above about 4 percent, and in certain circum- acids, keto acids, and the like. Preferred organic acids 

 stances above about 5 percent Generally, the nicotine are the straight-chain and branched-chain aliphatic 

 content of tobacco materials useful in this Invention acids, more preferably the aliphatic monocarboxylic 

 does not exceed about 10 percent. acids, and especially the keto aliphatic monocarboxylic 



The high nicotine content filler material can vary. 45 acids. Examples of suitable organic acids include for- 

 For example, tobaccos designated by the U.S.D A. as 

 Type 35 (One Sucker), Type 36 (Green River) or Type 

 37 (Virginia Sun Cured) are common tobaccos having a 

 naturally high nicotine content A cultlvar such as Nico- 

 llana nisiica often has a natural nicotine content in the 50 

 range of about 6 percent to about 10 percent Addition- 

 ally, also useful are upper stalk leaves of commercial 

 lines of flue-cured tobacco (designated by the U.S.D.A. 

 as Types 1 1-14) and Burley tobacco (designated by the 

 U.S.D.A. as Type 31). The natural nicotine content of 55 

 many tobaccos can depend upon the agronomic condi- 

 tions under which the tobaccos are grown as well as the 

 particular genetic line of the tobacco. 



Processed tobacco materials can be employed. Such 

 processed tobaccos can be provided using tobacco 60 catechualdehyde, and the like, 

 reconstitution-type processes. For example, materials Numerous organic acids can improve the flavor or 



can be manufactured using extrusion, cast sheet, four- aroma of the aerosol, as numerous organic acids are 

 drinier or paper making processes. Raw materials used suitable fiavorants. However, whether a particular or- 

 in manufacturing processed tobaccos can include those ganic acid acts as a flavorant depends upon the amount 

 high nicotine tobaccos described hereinbefore; or vari- 65 of the particular organic acid employed as an additive as 

 ous types of tobacco extracts can be employed in the well as the flavor threshold of the particular acid em- 

 manufacturing steps of the processed tobaccos. Altema- ployed See. for example, Tobacco Flavoring For Smok- 

 tively. proctsaed tobaccos can be manufactured under ing Products, by LefTingwell et al, p. 1! to 15 (1972). 



mic. acetic, propionic, isobutyric, butyric, alpha- 

 methylbutyric, isovaleric, beta-methylvaieric, caproic, 

 2-furoic, phenylacetic heptanoic, oclanoic, nonanoic. 

 malic, citric, oxalic, malonic, glycolic. succinic, ascor- 

 bic, tartaric, fumaric and pyruvic acid, as well as the 

 lower fatty acids (i.e., having carbon chains less than 

 Cm) and the higher fatty acids (i.e., having carbon 

 chains of Ciz to Cm), and other such acids. The most 

 preferred organic acid is a gamma keto aliphatic acid 

 known as levuli.nic acid (CH3COCH2CH2COOH). 

 Levullnic acid also Is known as acetylproplonic acid, 

 alpha-ketovaleric acid and 4-oxypentaoic acid. Useful 

 organic compounds which exhibit an acid character 

 nclude the phenolics such as guaiacol, vanillin, proto- 



