PRODUCTION OF PUFFED TOBACCO MATERIAL

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To produce a puffed tobacco material excellent in quality and puffing ratio by using carbon dioxide in the minimum required amount with an apparatus of a simple constitution. SOLUTION: A tobacco material TM is placed in a pressure container 11 and carbon dioxide gas 22 is then introduced thereinto to thereby pressurize the interior of the pressure container 11 to a prescribed impregnation pressure. A liquid carbon dioxide 21 is then fed from the upper part through a sintered metallic plate 13, etc., thereto to saturate the interior of the pressure container 11 with carbon dioxide gas by the evaporation of the liquid carbon dioxide. The tobacco material TM is subsequently cooled by the latent heat of vaporization and impregnated with the carbon dioxide. The resultant tobacco material impregnated with the carbon dioxide is then brought into contact with a high- temperature gas stream in a flash dryer and puffed.