Alston & Bird LLP
Method for chemically modifying tobacco during curing
A method for chemically modifying a tobacco material during a curing process involves treating the tobacco material in a curing enclosure at a temperature and for a time sufficient to produce cured tobacco. The method also involves contacting the tobacco material with a chemical reagent before and/or during the time period that the tobacco material is cured so that the chemical reagent can interact with the tobacco material, thus resulting in further change in the chemical nature of the cured tobacco material. An exemplary chemical reagent is an ammonia source, which can be applied to a tobacco material in a variety of ways, including by spraying an aqueous ammonia source onto the tobacco or by introducing gaseous ammonia into the curing enclosure during the curing process.
R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
A A
A24B A24B
inventional inventional
Marvin Glenn Watson Minyard Paul Andrew Stephen Keith Thomas Albert William Monroe Wennuan
Riddick Dufour Brinkley Cole Perfetti Coleman, III Liu