If anyone every wondered about the process used to make "Northerner" Snus I have included it below. There are different steps because they use their Nicotine Purification technique in different products like gum etc.. But the steps below are used for our beloved Northerner. (at least me and a many others)
They basically are taking Super fresh green tobacco(naturally low in TSNA's) and freezing it right away. Then, they extract the nicotine from the plant. They then wash, clean, and dry the nicotine free tobacco(no TSNA's) Then they re- impregnate the tobacco with the purified nicotine and bam.. You have Purified Snus..pretty cool..
I know that seems a lot to gain a little advantage but to them it makes perfect sense because they are using the nicotine for other uses as well.. The reintroduction of the purified Nicotine back into the purified tobacco is just a win-win for them.(and us in my opinion)
From what I can see there is no reason they can't crank up the nicotine in the Snus. I did not list why i think that but its availible if you want..I also found it interesting that the clean tobacco retained some of it's other properties just not the nitrosimens(TSNA's) I wonder if the MOI's are retained? I hope so...
Anyway.. I put a couple of the steps below...
PURIFICATION OF NICOTINE FROM DEEP FROZEN TOBACCO LEAVES USING A CATION EXCHANGE RESIN.
Stage 1 Harvesting and deep freezing Fresh tobacco leaves from tobacco plants (="green tobacco") are collected and deep frozen (-20 0 C) within less than 3 hours.
Stage II Mixing and Percolation
The deep frozen tobacco leaves and calcium carbonate (CaCO3, limestone) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) 10 % by weight are mixed in a Mixing machine
(ribbon) of Machine Steel Water is added to bring the moisture of the mixture to 25 % humidity. The slightly humid raw tobacco mixture is packed into a Machine Steel percolator, i.e. a cylindrical extractor. Purified water is percolated through the mixture to get a nicotinized broth.
Stage III Extraction
This nicotinized broth, i.e. the nicotine containing aqueous mother-liquor is transferred to a moderate-strong acid cation exchange resin, i.e., Amberlite™ IPR64 (Rohm and Haas/Ion Exchange Resins, Philadelphia, PA, USA or Indion 464 supplied by Ion Exchange (India) Ltd Tiecicon House, Dr. E. Moses Road,
Mahalaxmi, Mumbai-400 Oi l, India) packed in tall columns of Machine Steel or Stainless Steel. The nicotine - nicotine cation exchange resin complex is washed with purified water to remove impurities.
Stage IV Separation
The nicotine is eluted from the cation exchange resin column by IM sulphuric acid. The Nicotine salt is precipitated and collected from the bottom of the vessel.
Stage V Filtration and purification The Nicotine salt is filtrated and purified by passing it through a stainless steel super centrifuge (8000 rpm for at least 6 minutes) to remove traces of water.
Stage VI Testing
After the filtration and purification of Nicotine Alkaloid, it was then tested for nitrosamine content (TSNA, i. e. NNN, NNK, NAT, and NAB). The result is shown in the table below batch 001 T. The total content, when tested, was at least less than 0.1 ug/g dry tobacco.
Thus, as indicated, the total level of nitrosamines in the tobacco can be selectively reduced.
Stage VII Packing
The purified nicotine is packed in epoxycoated drums under an inert gas such as nitrogen and stored in cool and dry place.
REFINED TOBACCO CONTAINING PURIFIED NICOTINE
Stage I Washings of the insoluble fraction After extraction of tobacco dust (stalks, top leaves, stem, scraps and dusts are tobacco wastes), fresh or deep frozen tobacco leaves according to the examples 1-4 above the insoluble fraction is refined by washing 5 times with pure water (acidic, alkaline and neutral) and finally with ethyl alcohol for 30 minutes each.
Stage II Centrifugation and drying of insoluble fraction
The insoluble fraction is centrifuged for at least 6 minutes at 8000 revolutions per minute to remove the major part of the water.
Stage III Centrifugation and drying of insoluble fraction After centrifugation the refined fibers are dried by Fluidized Bed Drying until having less than 1% humidity.
Stage IV Reconstitution of the tobacco by impregnation
After centrifugation and Fluidized Bed Drying the refined fibers (the web), are impregnated with the high purity nicotine solution according to examples 1 -4 so that a purified finished tobacco is obtained that has nicotine content of 0.5-10% by weight.
Stage V Testing of the tobacco
After the purification and impregnation the tobacco was then tested for nitrosamine content (TSNA, i. e. NNN, NNK, NAT, and NAB). The total content, was at least less than 0.1 ug/g dry tobacco. Thus, as indicated, the total level of nitrosarnines in the tobacco can be selectively reduced without substantially reducing other levels of components in the tobacco, such as carbohydrates, starch and cellulose. See table 1.
Stage VI Packing
The tobacco product may be formulated into one or more preparations, such as sachets, pouches, stick-pack, buccal pads or patches or compressed into chewing tablets, lozenges, resoriblettes or tablets for sucking. The resulting product is the packed in air tight packages to prevent losses by oxidization and/or vaporization of the nicotine. During storage pending packaging in consumer packs the purified tobacco as well as the formulated products derived from it are packed in epoxycoated drums under an inert gas such as nitrogen and stored in cool and dry place.
Tablel. Total content of some impurities in different batches of tobacco produced by the different method in the examples above as well as some natural sources. Tobacco 1-5 represent natural sources.
a/ Tobacco purchased from different suppliers. b/ Results from farmed, harvested, treated and/or processed. c/ Results from farmed, harvested and treated.
018 were tested prior to purification (A) and after purification.
A SNUFF (SNUS) TOBACCO PRODUCT
The tobacco from example 5 is prepared into portion snuff (snus) pouches (sachets) of woven or non- woven material. Snuff (snus) was manufactured in different strengths e.g. 1, 3, and 6 mg per pouches. The nicotine amounts of tobacco were different in the formulations and were varied due to assay of the tobacco batches. Typically tobacco was mixed with excipients as fillers (dextrin e.g. polydextrin, maltodextrin, natural fibres, cellulose, starches or other suitable fillers), sweeteners (Xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, saccharin, sodium saccharin, cyclamates, Acesulfan K), adjutants to increase floe properties (Avicel; Microcrystalline cellulose, talc) and natural and nature identical aromas and flavours. A typical formulation for 3 mg snus portion, Tobacco 10 to 24 %, Fibre 10 to 20 %, Polydextrose 5 to 15 %, Sodium Chloride 8 %, Sodium bicarbonate 7 %, polyvinyl pyrrolidon 3 %, Talc 2 %, Avicel 5 to 15 %, flavours quantum sati.
The tobacco product, such as sachet, pouch, stick-pack, is packed in air tight packages to prevent losses by oxidization and/or vaporization of the nicotine.
They basically are taking Super fresh green tobacco(naturally low in TSNA's) and freezing it right away. Then, they extract the nicotine from the plant. They then wash, clean, and dry the nicotine free tobacco(no TSNA's) Then they re- impregnate the tobacco with the purified nicotine and bam.. You have Purified Snus..pretty cool..
I know that seems a lot to gain a little advantage but to them it makes perfect sense because they are using the nicotine for other uses as well.. The reintroduction of the purified Nicotine back into the purified tobacco is just a win-win for them.(and us in my opinion)
From what I can see there is no reason they can't crank up the nicotine in the Snus. I did not list why i think that but its availible if you want..I also found it interesting that the clean tobacco retained some of it's other properties just not the nitrosimens(TSNA's) I wonder if the MOI's are retained? I hope so...
Anyway.. I put a couple of the steps below...
PURIFICATION OF NICOTINE FROM DEEP FROZEN TOBACCO LEAVES USING A CATION EXCHANGE RESIN.
Stage 1 Harvesting and deep freezing Fresh tobacco leaves from tobacco plants (="green tobacco") are collected and deep frozen (-20 0 C) within less than 3 hours.
Stage II Mixing and Percolation
The deep frozen tobacco leaves and calcium carbonate (CaCO3, limestone) or calcium hydroxide (slaked lime) 10 % by weight are mixed in a Mixing machine
(ribbon) of Machine Steel Water is added to bring the moisture of the mixture to 25 % humidity. The slightly humid raw tobacco mixture is packed into a Machine Steel percolator, i.e. a cylindrical extractor. Purified water is percolated through the mixture to get a nicotinized broth.
Stage III Extraction
This nicotinized broth, i.e. the nicotine containing aqueous mother-liquor is transferred to a moderate-strong acid cation exchange resin, i.e., Amberlite™ IPR64 (Rohm and Haas/Ion Exchange Resins, Philadelphia, PA, USA or Indion 464 supplied by Ion Exchange (India) Ltd Tiecicon House, Dr. E. Moses Road,
Mahalaxmi, Mumbai-400 Oi l, India) packed in tall columns of Machine Steel or Stainless Steel. The nicotine - nicotine cation exchange resin complex is washed with purified water to remove impurities.
Stage IV Separation
The nicotine is eluted from the cation exchange resin column by IM sulphuric acid. The Nicotine salt is precipitated and collected from the bottom of the vessel.
Stage V Filtration and purification The Nicotine salt is filtrated and purified by passing it through a stainless steel super centrifuge (8000 rpm for at least 6 minutes) to remove traces of water.
Stage VI Testing
After the filtration and purification of Nicotine Alkaloid, it was then tested for nitrosamine content (TSNA, i. e. NNN, NNK, NAT, and NAB). The result is shown in the table below batch 001 T. The total content, when tested, was at least less than 0.1 ug/g dry tobacco.
Thus, as indicated, the total level of nitrosamines in the tobacco can be selectively reduced.
Stage VII Packing
The purified nicotine is packed in epoxycoated drums under an inert gas such as nitrogen and stored in cool and dry place.
REFINED TOBACCO CONTAINING PURIFIED NICOTINE
Stage I Washings of the insoluble fraction After extraction of tobacco dust (stalks, top leaves, stem, scraps and dusts are tobacco wastes), fresh or deep frozen tobacco leaves according to the examples 1-4 above the insoluble fraction is refined by washing 5 times with pure water (acidic, alkaline and neutral) and finally with ethyl alcohol for 30 minutes each.
Stage II Centrifugation and drying of insoluble fraction
The insoluble fraction is centrifuged for at least 6 minutes at 8000 revolutions per minute to remove the major part of the water.
Stage III Centrifugation and drying of insoluble fraction After centrifugation the refined fibers are dried by Fluidized Bed Drying until having less than 1% humidity.
Stage IV Reconstitution of the tobacco by impregnation
After centrifugation and Fluidized Bed Drying the refined fibers (the web), are impregnated with the high purity nicotine solution according to examples 1 -4 so that a purified finished tobacco is obtained that has nicotine content of 0.5-10% by weight.
Stage V Testing of the tobacco
After the purification and impregnation the tobacco was then tested for nitrosamine content (TSNA, i. e. NNN, NNK, NAT, and NAB). The total content, was at least less than 0.1 ug/g dry tobacco. Thus, as indicated, the total level of nitrosarnines in the tobacco can be selectively reduced without substantially reducing other levels of components in the tobacco, such as carbohydrates, starch and cellulose. See table 1.
Stage VI Packing
The tobacco product may be formulated into one or more preparations, such as sachets, pouches, stick-pack, buccal pads or patches or compressed into chewing tablets, lozenges, resoriblettes or tablets for sucking. The resulting product is the packed in air tight packages to prevent losses by oxidization and/or vaporization of the nicotine. During storage pending packaging in consumer packs the purified tobacco as well as the formulated products derived from it are packed in epoxycoated drums under an inert gas such as nitrogen and stored in cool and dry place.
Tablel. Total content of some impurities in different batches of tobacco produced by the different method in the examples above as well as some natural sources. Tobacco 1-5 represent natural sources.
a/ Tobacco purchased from different suppliers. b/ Results from farmed, harvested, treated and/or processed. c/ Results from farmed, harvested and treated.
018 were tested prior to purification (A) and after purification.
A SNUFF (SNUS) TOBACCO PRODUCT
The tobacco from example 5 is prepared into portion snuff (snus) pouches (sachets) of woven or non- woven material. Snuff (snus) was manufactured in different strengths e.g. 1, 3, and 6 mg per pouches. The nicotine amounts of tobacco were different in the formulations and were varied due to assay of the tobacco batches. Typically tobacco was mixed with excipients as fillers (dextrin e.g. polydextrin, maltodextrin, natural fibres, cellulose, starches or other suitable fillers), sweeteners (Xylitol, sorbitol, maltitol, mannitol, saccharin, sodium saccharin, cyclamates, Acesulfan K), adjutants to increase floe properties (Avicel; Microcrystalline cellulose, talc) and natural and nature identical aromas and flavours. A typical formulation for 3 mg snus portion, Tobacco 10 to 24 %, Fibre 10 to 20 %, Polydextrose 5 to 15 %, Sodium Chloride 8 %, Sodium bicarbonate 7 %, polyvinyl pyrrolidon 3 %, Talc 2 %, Avicel 5 to 15 %, flavours quantum sati.
The tobacco product, such as sachet, pouch, stick-pack, is packed in air tight packages to prevent losses by oxidization and/or vaporization of the nicotine.
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