Method and apparatus for puffing tobacco

摘要

Fragments of tobacco ribs are puffed in an elongated tunnel which is vibrated to advance the particles from the inlet toward the outlet. The particles in the tunnel are contacted by streamlets of supersaturated or superheated steam at such temperature and pressure that the temperature of the particles is raised to between 100.5 DEG and 120 DEG C. To this end, steam is admitted at 2.5 to 25 bar absolute pressure and at a temperature of between 126 DEG and 400 DEG C. The thus heated particles of tobacco ribs are thereupon dried.