Claims for Patent: 8,434,496

Summary for Patent: 8,434,496

Title:	Thermal treatment process for tobacco materials
Abstract:	A method of thermally processing a tobacco material is provided, the method including the steps of (i) mixing a tobacco material, water, and an additive selected from the group consisting of lysine, glycine, histidine, alanine, methionine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, phenylalanine, valine, arginine, di- and trivalent cations, asparaginase, saccharides, phenolic compounds, reducing agents, compounds having a free thiol group, oxidizing agents, oxidation catalysts, plant extracts, and combinations thereof, to form a moist tobacco mixture; (ii) heating the moist tobacco mixture at a temperature of at least about 60.degree. C. to form a heat-treated tobacco mixture; and (iii) incorporating the heat-treated tobacco mixture into a tobacco product. Heat-treated tobacco composition prepared according to the method are also provided, such as heat-treated smokeless tobacco composition comprising a tobacco material, water, flavorant, binder, and filler, the heat-treated smokeless tobacco composition having an acrylamide content of less than about 2000 ppb.
Inventor(s):	Chen; Gong (Winston-Salem, NC), Gerardi; Anthony Richard (Winston-Salem, NC), Mua; John-Paul (Advance, NC), Holton, Jr.; Darrell Eugene (Clemmons, NC), Cantrell; Daniel Verdin (Lewisville, NC), St. Charles; Frank Kelley (Bowling Green, KY)
Assignee:	R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (Winston-Salem, NC)
Application Number:	12/476,621
Patent Claims:	1. A method of thermally processing a tobacco material, comprising: (i) mixing a tobacco material, water, a buffering agent that buffers within a pH range of about 6 to about 10, and an additive selected from the group consisting of amino acids, asparaginase, and combinations thereof, to form a moist tobacco mixture; (ii) heating the moist tobacco mixture at a temperature of at least about 60.degree. C. to form a heat-treated tobacco mixture, wherein the pH of the moist tobacco mixture during the heating step is less than about 10; and (iii) incorporating the heat-treated tobacco mixture into a smokeless tobacco product. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of lysine, cysteine, and asparaginase. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tobacco mixture is heated at a temperature of at least about 100.degree. C. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the tobacco mixture further comprises one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of flavorants, fillers, binders, pH adjusters, colorants, disintegration aids, antioxidants, humectants, and preservatives. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the additive is present in an amount of between about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent, based on the dry weight of the tobacco mixture. 6. A heat-treated tobacco composition prepared according to claim 1. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the heat-treated tobacco mixture has an acrylamide content of less than about 1500 ppb. 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material is in the form of a tobacco extract. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the amino acid is selected from the group consisting of lysine, glycine, histidine, alanine, methionine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, phenylalanine, valine, arginine, cysteine, and combinations thereof. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the additive is asparaginase. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the tobacco material is in a shredded or particulate form. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the heating step is conducted at atmospheric pressure in the presence of ambient air. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the buffering agent is selected from the group consisting of metal carbonates, metal bicarbonates, and mixtures thereof. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the buffering agent comprises sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate. 15. The method of claim 1, wherein the moist tobacco mixture further comprises sodium chloride. 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the amount of sodium chloride is about 0.5 to about 8 dry weight percent based on the dry weight of the moist tobacco mixture. 17. The method of claim 1, wherein the additive comprises an amino acid. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the amino acid is selected from the group consisting of lysine, glycine, histidine, alanine, methionine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, phenylalanine, valine, arginine, cysteine, and combinations thereof. 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the amino acid is lysine, cysteine, or a combination thereof. 20. A method of preparing a smokeless tobacco product, comprising: (i) mixing a tobacco material, water, a buffering agent that buffers within a pH range of about 6 to about 10, a flavorant, a binder, a filler, and an additive selected from the group consisting of lysine, glycine, histidine, alanine, methionine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, phenylalanine, valine, arginine, cysteine, asparaginase, and combinations thereof, to form a moist tobacco mixture; (ii) forming the moist tobacco mixture into a desired product shape; and (iii) heating the moist tobacco mixture at a temperature of at least about 80.degree. C. to produce a dried smokeless tobacco product, wherein the pH of the moist tobacco mixture during the heating step is less than about 10. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of lysine, cysteine, and asparaginase. 22. The method of claim 20, wherein the tobacco mixture is heated at a temperature of at least about 100.degree. C. 23. The method of claim 20, wherein the tobacco mixture further comprises one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of colorants, disintegration aids, antioxidants, humectants, and preservatives. 24. The method of claim 20, wherein the moist tobacco mixture has a moisture content of greater than about 20 weight percent, based on the total weight of the tobacco mixture; and the dried smokeless tobacco product has a moisture content of less than about 10 weight percent. 25. The method of claim 20, wherein the desired product shape is selected from the group consisting of pill, tablet, sphere, sheet, coin, cube, bead, ovoid, obloid, bean, stick, and rod. 26. A method of preparing a smokeless tobacco product, comprising: (i) mixing about 10 to about 60 dry weight percent of a tobacco material, up to about 50 dry weight percent of one or more fillers, about 20 to about 85 weight percent water, about 5 to about 30 dry weight percent of one or more binders, up to about 10 dry weight percent of one or more flavorants, at least about 0.5 dry weight percent a buffering agent that buffers within a pH range of about 6 to about 10, and at least about 0.1 dry weight percent of an additive selected from the group consisting of lysine, glycine, histidine, alanine, methionine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, phenylalanine, valine, arginine, cysteine, asparaginase, and combinations thereof, to form a moist tobacco mixture; (ii) forming the moist tobacco mixture into a desired product shape; and (iii) heating the moist tobacco mixture at a temperature of at least about 100.degree. C. in order to produce a dried smokeless tobacco product having a moisture content of no more than about 10 weight percent and an acrylamide content of less than about 2000 ppb, wherein the pH of the moist tobacco mixture during the heating step is less than about 10. 27. The method of claim 26, wherein the additive is selected from the group consisting of lysine, cysteine, and asparaginase. 28. The method of claim 26, wherein the tobacco mixture further comprises one or more additional components selected from the group consisting of colorants, disintegration aids, antioxidants, humectants, and preservatives. 29. The method of claim 26, wherein the desired product shape is selected from the group consisting of pill, tablet, sphere, sheet, coin, cube, bead, ovoid, obloid, bean, stick, and rod. 30. A heat-treated tobacco composition comprising a tobacco material, a buffering agent that buffers within a pH range of about 6 to about 10, and an additive selected from the group consisting of lysine, glycine, histidine, alanine, methionine, glutamic acid, aspartic acid, proline, phenylalanine, valine, arginine, cysteine, asparaginase, and combinations thereof, wherein the heat-treated tobacco composition has an acrylamide content of less than about 1500 ppb, wherein the heat-treated tobacco composition is incorporated into a smokeless tobacco composition. 31. The heat-treated tobacco composition of claim 30, wherein the heat-treated tobacco composition is a smokeless tobacco composition comprising a tobacco material, water, a flavorant, a binder, and a filler. 32. The heat-treated tobacco composition of claim 31, wherein the composition has a preformed shape selected from the group consisting of pill, tablet, sphere, sheet, coin, cube, bead, ovoid, obloid, bean, stick, and rod. 33. The heat-treated tobacco composition of claim 31, having a moisture content of no more than about 10 weight percent. 34. The heat-treated tobacco composition of claim 31, comprising about 10 to about 60 dry weight percent of a tobacco material, up to about 50 dry weight percent of one or more fillers, about 5 to about 30 dry weight percent of one or more binders, and up to about 10 dry weight percent of one or more flavorants.

Details for Patent 8,434,496

Applicant	Tradename	Biologic Ingredient	Dosage Form	BLA	Approval Date	Patent No.	Expiredate
Recordati Rare Diseases, Inc.	ELSPAR	asparaginase	For Injection	101063	01/10/1978		2039-02-26