Brown & Williamson
History of Amonia Technology. 1. Natural Ammonia Reacting with Natural Sugars. We Can Consider the History of Ammonia Technology to Start with Colubus in 1492 When He Discovered Tobacco in the Americas.
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- Report
- Characteristic
- PARE
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- Ammonia Tech 900100.
- Date Loaded
- 26 Mar 1999
- Request
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- Effect
- of
- Amonia
- on
- Nicotine
- H81
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- Attachment
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- Litigation
- 10004026
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i,
HISTORY OF AMMONIA TECHNOLOGY
1, NATURAL AMMONIA REACTING WITH NATURAL SUGARS
WE CAN CONSIDER THE HISTORY OF AMMONIA TECHNOLOGY TO
START WITH COLUMBUS IN 1492 WHEN HE DISCOVERED TOBACCO IN
THE AMERICAS.
TOBACCO CONTAINS NATURAL AMMONIA AND SUGARS, WHICH MUST
CERTAINLY REACT. FOR EXAMPLEI WE FIND SMALL AMOUNTS OF
DEOXYFRUCTOSAZINES IN PURCHASED FLUE-CURED TOBACCO! AND
THESE COMPOUNDS ARE FORMED BY REACTION BETWEEN AMMONIA AND
THE REDUCING SUGARS GLUCOSE AND FRUCTOSE.
2, REDRYING OF CASED BURLEY TOBACCO
AMMONIA TECHNOLOGY WAS ENHANCED WHEN CASED BURLEY
TOBACCO WAS REDRIED TO MAKE PIPE TOBACCOS. CASING AND
REDRYING GREATLY REDUCED THE HARSHNESS OF BURLEY AND SLOWED
DOWN ITS BURN RATE. THE BURLEY TASTE CHARACTER WAS ALSO
CHANGED MARKEDLY. THIS TECHNOLOGY WAS LATER INCORPORATED
INTO THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SO CALLED AMERICAN BLENDED
CIGARETTE, WHICH FIRST APPEARED AS CAMEL IN 1913.
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IN ANALYTICAL EXPERIENCEI WE CAN NEVER FIND THE SUGAR WE
ADDED IN THE FINAL CASED/REDRIED BURLEY TOBACCO. THE
WEIGHT IS STILL THEREI BUT MUCH OF THE SUGAR HAS CHANGED
SUCH THAT IT NO LONGER ANALYZES AS SUGAR. THIS ANALYTICAL
LOSS OF SUGAR IS MUCH GREATER WHEN REDUCING SUGARS
PREDOMINATE IN THE CASING. WHAT HAS HAPPENED IS THAT
THE
SUGARS HAVE REACTED WITH AMMONIA TO FORM DIFFERENT
MATERIALS.
THE IMPORTANT POINT IN THIS HISTORY IS THAT AMMONIA
TECHNOLOGY IS NOT NEWt AND THAT IN PRACTICING MORE ADVANCED
AMMONIA TECHNOLOGY WE ARE NOT GENERATING ANYTHING NEW. WE
SIMPLY ENHANCE WHAT WE HAVE HAD ALL THE TIME.
~, PHILIP MORRIS BAND-CAST RECONSTITUTED TOBACCO
RECONSTITUTED TOBACCO (RECON) MANUFACTURE WAS PIONEERED
BY THE CIGAR MANUFACTURERS WHO NEEDED ECONOMICAL ALTERNATES
TO LEAF FOR BINDERS AND WRAPPERS. THE MOST SUCCESSFUL
METHOD WAS DEVELOPED BY THE GENERAL CIGAR CO. IT INVOLVED
COOKING AND FINELY GRINDING A WATER SLURRY OF STEMS AND
TOBACCO FINESI AND THEN CASTING IT ON A WIDE STAINLESS
STEEL BELT WHICH CONVEYED IT THROUGH A DRYING TUNNEL. THE
DRIED SHEET WAS DOCTORED OFF THE END OF THE BELT. THIS IS
THE BAND-CAST PROCESSI SOMETIMES CALLED THE SLURRY PROCESS.
I
SOME NATURAL PECTIN IS RELEASED DURING THE GRINDING OF
THE SLURRYI AND IT IS THIS PECTIN THAT HOLDS THE FINAL t,
oM/~H ~s
RECON SHEET TOGETHER. B&W's RECON~ PCL, ~ MADE IN THIS
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MANNER WITH NO FURTHER CHEMICAL TREATMENT OR ADDED BINDERS.
I~L~SC0"s A3AX PROCESS PCL MADE THE SAME WAY, BUT SOMETIMES
WITH A FOREIGN BINDER, SODIUM CARBOXYMETHYLCELLULOSE.
AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME IN THE EARLY 1950"s, PHILIP
MORRIS (PM) WAS ALSO DEVELOPING A BAND-CAST RECON TO
REALIZE THE ECONOMIES OF FULLY USING STEMS AND TOBACCO
FINES. BUT, PM DECIDED TO FREE MOST OF THE PECTIN IN THE
TOBACCO, THUS PRODUCE A VERY STRONG/SHEET. PECTIN RELEASE
WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY COOKING THE SLURRY WITH DIAMMONIUM
PHOSPHATE, AND ADDING MORE AMMONIA AS NECESSARY TO MAINTAIN
EFFICIENT PECTIN RELEASING CONDITIONS. PM CALLED THIS
SHEET RCB.
PM's RCB SHEET DRAMATICALLY ALTERED THE SMOKE TASTE FROM
TOBACCO BLENDS. THE TASTE CHARACTER WAS STRONGLY SHIFTED
TOWARDS BURLEY WITH FURTHER ENHANCED BARNYARD NOTES.
THUS,
THE MARLBORO MAN WAS BORN IN A MASTERFUL ADVERTISING
CAMPAIGN. BEFORE RCB, MARLBORO WAS A SLOWLY DECLINING
BRAND THAT APPEALED MAINLY TO WOMEN. AFTER RCB, MARLBORO
SALES SHIFTED TOWARDS STEADY GROWTH.
THE RCB RECON HAS ANOTHER INTERESTING PROPERTY.
IN THE
CIGARETTE IS SCAVENGES NICOTINE FROM THE OTHER TOBACCOS'~
RCB PICKED OUT OF CIGARETTES WILL HAVE THE HIGHEST NICO[TINE
/
CONTENT OF ANY BLEND COMPONENT, OFTEN BY A FACTOR OF TWO.
BATCF HAVE INVESTIGATED THIS ~AMMONIA EXCHANGE~ REACTION.
ALSO, A LORILLARD PATENT PROVIDES FULL DETAILS.
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4, PM'$ PAPER RECON
A PAPER PROCESS RECON IS INHERENTLY CHEAPER TO
MANUFACTURE THAN A BAND-CAST RECON. SMALL AMOUNTS OF PAPER
RECON FIRST APPEARED IN PMZs BRANDS IN 1973. WE UNDERSTAND
THAT PN FIRST HAD KIMBERLY-CLARK CO. MAKE THE SHEET FOR
THEMw THEN BOUGHT THE ~KNOM-HOW~ AND THE PROCESS AND BUILT
THEIR OWN PAPER RECON FACTORY. OVER A PERIOD OF SEVERAL
YEARS THE PAPER RECON STEADILY INCREASED UNTIL IT LEVELED
OFF AT ABOUT 70~ OF THE RECON IN PM'S CIGARETTE BLENDS.
THE PRESENCE OF SUBSTANTIAL PAPER RECON IN PM's
CIGARETTE BLENDS COINCIDED WITH THE EXPLOSIVE GROWTH OF
THEIR MARLBORO BRAND. WE CAN SEE WHY. IN OUR 3UDGEMENT,
RCB AND B~W's COMPARABLE CPCL, ARE TOO MUCH OF A GOOD
THING.
AT SOME POINT PM INCORPORATED AMMONIA TECHNOLOGY INTO
THEIR PAPER RECON PROCESS. THIS WAS DONE BY ADDING
DIAMMONIUM PHOSPHATE TO THE MIX. THE IMPORTANT POINT IS
THAT PM HAS NEVER BEEN ABLE TO REPLACE RCB WITH THEIR
CHEAPER PAPER RECON. THIS FACT LED TO THE CONCLUSION AT
B~W THAT RCB IS THE ~SOUL OF MARLBORO~. CONFIRMATION OF
THIS CONCLUSION IS PROVIDED BY PM's WIDE USE OF RCB IN
WORLDWIDE MARKETS.
Two RECENT CHANGES IN PM's PAPER RECON HAVE BEEN
INCORPORATION OF UREA (SEE LATER) FOR HARSHNESS REDUCTIONI
AND USE OF PROPYL PARABEN TO RETARD MOLD GROWTH.
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5, PM'~ AMMONIUM CARBONATE EXPANDED TOBACCO (ACET)
PM FIRST STARTED USING ACET IN THE EARLY 1970"S.
HOMEVERe THIS EXPANSION PROCESS HAS CORROSION AND OTHER
PROBLEMS. ACET WAS PHASED OUT IN THE U.S. ABOUT DECEMBER
1987. ZN THE LAST STAGES OF DOMESTIC ACET USE, ONLY PM'S
LOUISVILLE FACTORY WAS MAKING MARLBORO WITH ACET; THE
RICHMOND AND NORTH CAROLINA FACTORIES WERE MAKING MARLBORO
WITH DIET.
6, RELATED PM INFORMATION
IT IS OUR UNDERSTANDING THAT PM USED AMMONIUM CARBONATE
IN CASINGS DURING THE TRANSITION STAGE WHEN ACET WAS BEING
PHASED OUT.
PM is ALSO USING AMMONIUM CARBONATE TO FACILITATE
NICOTINE RELEASE IN DENICOTINIZING TOBACCO FOR THEIR NEW
DE-NIC BRANDS. THESE ALL SEEM TO USE THE SAME 100~
FLUE-CURED BLENDI BUT THIS BLEND ENDS UP WITH TWICE THE
AMMONIA LEVEL OF THE MARLBORO BLEND.
FOR MANY YEARS WE WONDERED ABOUT THE WIDE SPREAD BETWEEN
REDUCING SUGARS AND TOTAL SUGARS IN PM BRANDS. WE LATER
FOUND THE EXPLANATION; PM CIGARETTE BLENDS HAVE HIGH '~
SUCROSE LEVELS. SUCROSE IS NOT A REDUCING SUGAR AND
S~WS
/
LITTLE REACTIVITY WITH AMMONIA.
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599003

THE IMPORTANCE OF SUCROSE CASING IS THAT THE AMMONIA IN
PM'S RECONS MIGRATES TO THE TOBACCO WHERE IT REACTS WITH
THE REDUCING SUGARS. SUCROSE REMAINS LARGELY UNAFFECTED TO
DO ONE MA3OR THING ME EXPECT OF A SUGAR CASING, MHZCH IS TO
REDUCE THE PH OF BURLEY SMOKE TO PRODUCE AN ACCEPTABLE
TASTE.
PH USES HOST OR ALL OF ITS BURLEY STEM IN ITS RECONS.
ABOUT 1980 THEY CHANGED THE MANUFACTURING PROCESSES FOR
BOTH RECONS TO REMOVE MOST OF THE NITRATE.
6, B&W UREA DEVELOPMENT
B&W OBTAINED A U.S. PATENT IN 1976 ON THE USE OF ADDED
UREA TO MAKE A FLUE-CURED BLEND TASTE MORE LIKE AN AMERICAN
BLEND. UREA WAS ALSO FOUND TO BE VERY EFFECTIVE IN
REDUCING AT LEAST ONE TYPE OF HARSHNESS; IT uFIXEDH THE
CIGARETTE THAT WAS ACCEPTED AS THE WORLDWIDE MAXIMUM FOR
HARSHNESS.
~HILE B&W DID NOT PURSUE THIS DEVELOPMENT FURTHER,
CELANESE USED ABOUT 296 UREA IN THEIR CYTREL TOBACCO
SUBSTITUTE TO REDUCE "PAPER TASTE"r. B&~ WORK WITH SIMILAR
TOBACCO SUBSTITUTES SHOWED UREA TO MARKEDLY IMPROVE THEIR
SMOKE TASTE FROM AMFUL TO JUST BAD.
t
KIHBERLY-CLARK HAS ALSO PROPOSED A MIX OF UREA AND
PALMITIC ACTD FOR REDUCING THE HARSHNESS OF PAPER RECONS.
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7, B&W DEVELOPMENT OF EBR
AMMONIA TECHNOLOGY GENERALLY INVOLVES FORCZNG SOME
AMMONIA CHEMISTRY, AND THIS IS MOST CONVENIENTLY DONE
DURING RECON MANUFACTURE. B&WtS TWO AMMONIA TECHNOLOGY
RECONS WILL BE BRIEFLY DEFINED HEREI AND DETAILED IN LATER
SECTIONS OF THE HANDBOOK.
EBR DEVELOPMENT HAD THE TWOFOLD OB3ECTIVES OF MAKING AN
AMMONIA TECHNOLOGY RECON AND REMOVING NITRATE. THE STEM
SIDE OF THE FURNISH IS PRIMARILY BURLEY STEMS AND THE
EXTRACT FROM STEM DIGESTION IS DISCARDED. DIAMMONIUM
PHOSPHATE IS ADDED IN THE CONCENTRATED EXTRACT LIQUOR (CEL)
FROM LAMINA FINES EXTRACTION.
8, B&W DEVELOPMENT OF CPCL
THE OBOECTZVE IN CPCL DEVELOPMENT WAS TO MATCH PM's RCB
iN ALL IMPORTANT CHARACTERZSTICS EXCEPT FOR NITRATE
REMOVAL. THIS OBJECTIVE HAS BEEN MET. THERE STILL REMAIN
SOME LESSER DIFFERENCES. SUCH AS MUCH MORE LICORICE IN RCB.
WITH THE PURCHASE OF THE LANCHESTER FACTORY FOR CPCL
PRODUCTION. B&W WILL NOW BE IN A POSITION TO FULLY OPTIMIZE
THIS IMPORTANT RECON PRODUCT. i
9, DEVELOPMENT OF EHERGE BY BATCF
BATCF DOES NOT USE ANY RECON. ~NSTEAD THEY USE HIGH
LEVELS OF STEM MADE BY THE WTS PROCESS. EHERGE WAS
DEVELOPED AS A STEM CASING ADDZTIVE. ~NITIAL FORMULATIONS
5990036

CONTAINED AMMONIUM SALTS OF MALIC AND CITRIC ACIDSI ALONG
WITH SOME NATURAL PLANT POLYSACCHARIDE GUM. LATER SAMPLES
HAVE CONTAINED VARYING AMOUNTS OF PHOSPHATE.
10, AN$IR0 DEVELOPMENT BY SOUZA CRUZ
SOUZA CRUZ IS LIKE BATCF IN THAT THEY USE HIGH WTS
LEVELS AND NO RECON IN THEIR BLENDS.
5. OTHER BAT DEVELOPMENTS
EMERGE
ANSIRO
6. COMPETITION - U.S. MARKET
7. COMPETITION - PM WORLDWIDE
8. BIBLIOGRAPHY
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