JPH0416177A - Filter for cigarette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable selective adsorption and removal of nicotine by adding sorbic acid. CONSTITUTION:A filter material. such as cellulose acetate is formed into a dual structure to obtain a filter unit. The resultant filter unit is then mixed with powdery sorbic acid, etc., in an amount of 10-100wt.% (weight ratio of sorbic acid to filter material) per one piece of filter unit, thus producing the objective filter for cigarette.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a tobacco smoke filter,
More specifically, the present invention relates to a tobacco smoke filter characterized by containing sorbic acid as a selective remover of nicotine components in tobacco smoke.

[Prior Art] - Recent trends in cigarette consumption indicate that products with a light taste, low amounts of nicotine and tar, and a mild feel are preferred. In order to meet such consumer demands, various improvements have been made to cellulose acetate filters and paper filters that are currently widely used. A simple example is one that attempts to increase the filtration rate of nicotine tar by making the length of the filter longer than conventional products. Furthermore, in the case of cellulose acetate filters, measures have been taken to increase the filtration rate of nicotine tar by making the fibers finer in denier and by developing threads with various irregular cross-sections.

[Problems to be solved by the invention] As the debate on smoking and health issues increases, it is expected that the aforementioned trend toward milder smoking will continue, but uniformly filtering nicotine tar as in the past would result in poor smoke quality. There is a problem that the smoke volume cannot be satisfied. In order to achieve a satisfactory smoking taste and smoke volume, it is necessary to control the ratio of the amount of nicotine to the amount of tar in the smoke (hereinafter referred to as N/T) to a desired value. N/T in smoke can be adjusted by changing the composition of tobacco leaves or using tobacco substitutes. However, these methods have problems.

That is, there are restrictions on the cost of new leaves, the availability of leaves, etc. Furthermore, to date, there are no tobacco substitutes that are acceptable in terms of taste and are not yet at the stage of practical use.

In order to overcome these problems, research is being conducted on filter additives that change the N/T in smoke, that is, filter additives that selectively adsorb and remove nicotine or tar in smoke. There is still nothing that has been put into practical use.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In view of the above circumstances, the present inventors have conducted extensive studies and research to find a substance that selectively adsorbs nicotine or tar in smoke, and as a result, sorbic acid. They discovered that they have a significantly high ability to selectively adsorb nicotine in cigarette smoke, and completed a cigarette smoke filter with added sorbic acid that has the ability to selectively adsorb nicotine.

That is, the present invention provides a tobacco smoke filter characterized by containing sorbic acid.

The sorbic acid used in the present invention may be one that satisfies either the Japanese Food Additives Official Standards or the Standards for Cosmetic Raw Materials. .

Since cigarettes are a luxury item, it is essential that the additives added to the filter be substances that do not impair the original aroma and taste of cigarettes. Since sorbic acid is odorless, even if it is included in a cigarette smoke filter, it will not have any adverse effect on the aroma and taste of cigarettes.

Sorbic acid can be added to tobacco smoke filters in powder form, or by impregnating or spraying a solution of sorbic acid dissolved in an organic solvent such as methanol or ethanol into filter tow or filter paper. You may.

It is generally preferable to manufacture the filter structure in the form of a dual structure or a triple structure in order to prevent sorbic acid from flowing into the oral cavity during tobacco smoking. When used in a dual structure, one part of the filter is sprinkled with sorbic acid powder or a part added with an organic solvent solution of sorbic acid by impregnation or spraying, and a part not containing sorbic acid is used in a connected structure.

When using a triple structure, a portion of the filter is treated with sorbic acid, either by directly inserting sorbic acid powder between the filters, by sprinkling sorbic acid powder on the filter, or by adding an organic solvent solution of sorbic acid by spraying. It is used in a structure in which it is sandwiched between parts that do not contain it.

Filter materials to which sorbic acid is added include cellulose acetate filters, rayon filters, polypropylene filters, and paper filters.
It is effective when used on any material.

The amount of sorbic acid added varies depending on the tobacco leaf composition and the filter material, but is preferably 10 to 100% by weight (ratio of the weight of sorbic acid to the weight of the filter material) per tobacco smoke filter. If the amount of sorbic acid added is less than 10% by weight, the nicotine removal effect will be too small, while if it exceeds 100% by weight, problems will arise as the flavor becomes too spicy.

[Examples] Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to Examples, but the present invention is not limited to these Examples at all.

In addition, the ventilation resistance measurement, the measurement of nicotine in the smoking test, and the measurement of tar filtration rate described in the following Examples and Comparative Examples were performed as follows.

B: Ventilation resistance is the pressure loss expressed in water column when the flow rate of air passing through the filter plug or filter chip to be measured is 17.5 ml/sec.

B: The smoking test was conducted using a constant flow type automatic smoking machine with a flow rate of 17.5
ml/second, smoking time 2 seconds, smoking cycle 60 seconds, and smoking length 50 mm. The mainstream smoke was collected with a Cambridge filter, and the filtration rates of nicotine and tar were measured.

The nicotine and tar filtration rate is determined by the amount of nicotine and tar attached to the filter body (T and T□, respectively) and the amount of nicotine and tar attached to the N Cambridge filter (respectively C) for collecting smoking device smoke components after smoking is finished. and CT) were measured, and the filtration rate of each filter body was determined using the formula below.

Nicotine filtration rate (wt%) Tar filtration rate (wt%) As a filter chip, 6 wt% triacetin is added to crimped cellulose diacetate tow with single fiber fineness of 3.3 denier, Y-shaped cross section, and total fineness of 48,000 denier. A cigarette filter rod with a circumference of 24.4 m, a length of 84 mm, and an airflow resistance of 300 + nm H2O was wound up, and this was cut into filter chips of 17 + n + e.
Add 0.1 g of ethanol with a syringe, then let it cool at room temperature (2
Commercially available cigarettes are dried in vacuum at 0-25℃).
A portion of the filter was cut out from "Cherry" (manufactured by Japan Tobacco Inc.) and connected to a cigarette frame to provide Comparative Example 1 sample.

Connect the same filter tip used for the comparison sample above to the length of 12 fins and 511I11, and add a sorbic acid ethanol solution with a concentration of 15% by weight to the 12 fin filter tip. was added with a syringe so that the amount was 15% by weight based on the weight of the tow in the chip, and then vacuum-dried at room temperature (20-25°C).
This was created by connecting it to a 511I11 filter chip. Next, this filter chip was connected to a "Cherry" cigarette frame in the same manner as in Comparative Example 1 to obtain an Example 1 sample.

These samples were smoked using an automatic smoking machine and the filtration rates of nicotine, tar, and water were measured. Table 1 summarizes the results.

Table 1 Table 2 In exactly the same manner as in Example 1, only the amount of sorbic acid solution added was changed so that the amount of sorbic acid added to the filter chip was 30 and 50% by weight based on the tow weight in the chip. A sample of Examples 2 and 3 was prepared and connected to a cigarette frame.

After smoking in an automatic or dynamic smoking machine in the same manner as in Example 1, the filtration rates of nicotine, tar, and water were measured. The results are summarized in Table 2.

The same 84 mm long filter rod used in Example 1 was cut into 5 filter tips. Part 2
0.11 g of granular sorbic acid with a particle size of 24 to 42 mesh (100% by weight based on the weight of the filter material) was separated using a JIS certified standard sieve. A triple filter was prepared and connected to the frame of a "Cherry" cigarette in the same manner as in Example 1.

As a comparative example, the length 84 lIl used in Examples 1 to 4 was used.
A sample was prepared by cutting the filter rod into a 17 mm filter chip, which had the same ventilation resistance as the triple filter of Example 4, and connecting the cigarette frame to the filter chip. These samples were subjected to a smoking test in the same manner as in Example 1, and the filtration rates of nicotine, tar, and water were measured. The results are shown in Table 3.

Table 3 [Effects of the Invention] According to the cigarette smoke filter containing sorbic acid of the present invention, nicotine in cigarette smoke can be selectively adsorbed and removed.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A tobacco smoke filter, characterized in that it contains sorbic acid. 2 The amount of sorbic acid added is 10~ per filter.
The tobacco smoke filter according to claim 1, which is 100% by weight.