Tobacco Documents Online

T 0 ~J 7j¸ ° ! ! RESTRICTED RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT, AND ENGINEERING PRODUCT PORTFOLIO E. F. Litzinger January 19, 1984 J • •+ •

CONTENTS PRODUCT CONCEPTS Page CHECKERBOARD ....................... 1 Mouth Freshener ..................... 2 Small Cigar ....................... 2 Delayed Release Menthol ................. 3 Longer Lasting ................... 4 Aromatic Sidestream .................. 4 Low Sidestream ...................... 5 Cigarette Dimensions ................... 6 Colored/Textured Paper & Tipping ............ 7 Oval ........................... 7 ( FILTERS Grooved Filters ..................... 8 LOw Filtration/High Ventilation ............. 9 Duolite ......................... 9 PEl/Alumina ...................... I0 SPCA ........................... II Program Filter ...................... 12 Diethyl Citrate ..................... 13 Chisso .......................... 14 Water Filter ..... ~ ................ 14 FLAVORS Lime-Menthol ...................... 16 Spice-Menthol ...................... 16 Ambroxide ........................ 17 Amhrettolide ....................... 17 PROCESSES Microbial Nicotine Reduction ............... 17 Microbial Nitrate Reduction ............... 18 Small Strip Cigarette .................. 19 Stratified Cigarette ................... 20 LNB ........................... 20 CTO .......................... 21 SDS ........................... 22 C i

C WRAPPERS Page Cigarette Paper Additives ................ 22 Low Citrate Cigarette Paper ............... 23 Thermoplastic Wrapper .................. 23 TOBACCO ADDITIVES UKELON .......................... 24 PACKAGING Swinger Pack ....................... 25 Rally Pack ........................ 25 Master Slide Pack .................... 25 Open-Top Box ..................... 26 Graphic Designs ..................... 26 Shrink Wrapped Case ................... 26 C MISCELLANEOUS Tobacco Substitutes ................... 27 Carbonized Tobacco ................... 28 ii

J l ( PRODUCT PORTFOLIO CHECKERBOARD PRODUCT CONCEPTS C Cigarette smoke deliveries and taste increase from first puff to last puff. The CHECKERBOARD concept provides a flat puff profile with uniform taste from the beginning to the end of a cigarette. This is accomplished by printing checks (squares) with a rapid burn accelerator in a "checkerboard" pattern with check size increasing from the lighting end to the filter end of the cigarette. In this way, the amount of diluting air increases as the check burns ahead of the char line providing greatest dilution of the high tar last puffs. Development cigarettes were printed with blue, brown, white-on-white, and invisible checks. The latter was selected and the cigarette, HALLMARK, was test marketed in Pittsburgh in 1970. A survey of the test market revealed that, even though HALLMARK delivered more puffs through the checkerboard ventilation mechanism, perceived fast burn rate was the main reason it was not successful. t - I -

• j Mouth Freshener ( Of approximately twenty flavors screened, a minty flavor similar to the commercial mouth freshener "Binaca" was selected. The initial approach was to apply the flavor in microcapsules to cigarette paper toward the filter end providing delayed freshness release of long duration in the smoker's mouth. However, the capsules gave a clearly audible popping sound and this approach was abandoned in favor of placing one large capsule in the filter to be manually ruptured at the discretion of the smoker. Capsules containing the mouth freshener from R. P. Scherer were of high quality (stability and long shelf life) and, though appropriate filter assembly had not yet been developed, a viable product was at hand. The project, however, was terminated because of concern by the Law Department regarding possible \ intervention by the FDA in marketing the product. Small Cigar L When cigarette TV advertising was banned in 1970, R. J. Reynolds launched Winchester, a filter tipped small cigar with the same dimensions and not too dissimilar smoke quality of a cigarette. Soon thereafter, B&W developed a competitive product initially called COUGAR, later changed to ZAGAL. The wrapper consisted of 50% Puerto Rican cigar tobacco along with filler, binder, and plasticizer. The t¢ -2-

J i blend was 70/30 Puerto Rican/0riental tobacco. Despite wrapper shrink affecting appearance, the product was only slightly less preferred (45%) than Winchester in a consumer test. The product was rated significantly milder than Winchester and similar on other attributes. The product, pending solution of the wrapper shrink problem, was given approval for test market. However, after the Treasury Department judged ZAGAL a cigarette and not a cigar product and, after Reynolds, under pressure, removed Winchester from TU, the project was terminated. Delayed Release Menthol C This product was intended to give non-menthol smokers cool, refreshing taste in latter puffs. Microencapsulated menthol was applied to cigarette paper at the last third of the tobacco section. However, =~enthol leakage from the capsules and crackling sound, even when the paper was double wrapped over the capsule portion, caused this approach to be abandoned. Chemical additives to tobacco, capable of releasing menthol on smoking, were examined. Monomenthyl maleate worked but gave an off-taste and questionable pyrolysis products. Tetramenthyl titanate released menthol very efficiently but lacked stability (premature release) in cigarettes even when protected with a wax coating. Philip Morris has also been active in this area. Their purpose, however, has been to avoid menthol loss ~n manufacturing by adding non-volatile menthol derivatives to tobacco for menthol release C -3-

( during smoking. R&D examined one of the patented PM menthol derivatives and found the only drawback was that it imparted a slight waxy taste to smoke. Work on delayed release menthol was discontinued in 1977. Longer Lasting ( With the increasing price of cigarettes, smokers are becoming more frugal as evidenced by the sales decline and increased purchase of generics. One way to compensate smokers is to give them more puffs for their money with a slower burning, longer lasting cigarette. A king size cigarette is currently being developed that gives 14-15 puffs with 20 mg tar. This corresponds to about 25% less tar per puff than full flavor KS and I00 cigarettes currently on the market. The cigarette blend is 50% Sir Walter Raleigh Aromatic, 50% flue cured/0riental tobacco. DuPont respondents reacted very positively to the cigarette's taste, noting its smoothness and lack of irritation. Aromatic Sidestream The "ideal" cigarette would have a sidestream aroma pleasing to the passive smoker but with the distinctive taste of cigarette smoke. For example, the aroma of pipe tobacco smoke is generally regarded as pleasant. However, the taste of pipe tobacco smoke in a cigarette is objectionable to cigarette smokers. The problem is one of diverting a -4-

( ( particular type of aroma to sidestream, separate from the taste of mainstream smoke. Even when vanillin, a principal flavor of pipe tobacco, is applied to cigarette paper, the flavor is carried into ~ainstream with a resultant objectionable reaction by cigarette smokers. A promising candidate that came close to providing a pleasing sidestream without disturbing cigarette taste was developed in 1978. A flavor consisting predominantly of coumarin, maltol, cyclotene, and ethyl vanillin was applied to the tobacco in cigarettes tested at DuPont. On single cigarette smoking, the panelists reactions were very favorable; they were impressed by both the sidestream aroma and cigarette taste. However, the cigarette did not wear well. In pack testing~ panelists replied that passive smokers, particularly their children, commented very favorably on the aroma. However, after one or two packs, the panelists found the taste objectionable. Satisfying the criteria of pleasant aroma without disturbing taste is a real tightrope. Reducing and perhaps modifying the flavor of the '78 cigarette remains promising. Low Sidestream t Visible sidestream smoke is due to aerosol particles emanating from near the cigarette burn line. Although it has little or no effect on odor and irritation (invisible vapor phase is the major source of "these sensations), visible sidestream can be a source of annoyance to passive smokers and cause for legislating non-smoking in public Ll C -5-

( buildings, smoker segregation in restaurants, etc. RD&E has evaluated low sidestream cigarette papers from two suppliers, Ecusta and Schweitzer. The Schweitzer paper - high citrate, low permeability - does not reduce sidestream as effectively as the Ecusta paper and causes unsightly tar staining behind the char line. The active ingredient in Ecusta's "VELVET" paper is hydrated magnesium oxide. Tar staining is far less perceptible; however, VELVET causes an off-taste, most often described as chalky and dry. Changes in blend, flavor additives, and paper perforation show promise in overcoming off-taste. ( Cigarette Dimensions Manufacturing is capable of a wide range of cigarette dimensions: cigarettes from 70 to 120 mm length, 21 to 25 mm circumference, and 18 to 27 mm filters. Ordering and fitting parts to existing equipment are the only constraints. B&W has made cigarettes at the extremes in dimensions, from the 70 mm SEVENTY cigarette to the 120 n~u PHOENIX and SUEDES, both 21 mm circumference in dark brown cigarette paper. The latter two were nationally marketed in 1975. FLAIR, a female oriented cigarette in an extremely attractive pack, was marketed in 1970 following the introduction of Virginia Slin~. FLAIR, same length and circumference as Virginia Slims, was discontinued within two years. Twelve years have passed and B&W remains without a female oriented cigarette. With the experience gained in PHOENIX and SUEDES, B&W has the capability of outslimming Virginia Slims. -6-

( L Colored/Textured Paper and Tipping Development Center recently made cigarettes with color coordinated cigarette paper and tipping. Colors ranged from pink and blue to a more subdued cream and beige with axial and circumferential watermarks. Colored cigarettes would seem to have great potential for the female market with color selection limited only by the creative imagination of Marketing. Texturized tipping and paper could also have great appeal. The tipping for Lorillard's Satin cigarette is supplied by Ecusta. Southampton has also developed technology for embossing tipping on finished cigarettes. Schweitzer has made small quantities of embossed cigarette paper. Oval Four U.S. tobacco companies (two major ones) sell or have sold oval cigarettes. The best known is English Ovals manufactured by Philip Morris. BAT Hamburg has developed the technology for manufacturing oval cigarettes. Molins, an equipment manufacturer has a patent application for a garniture system for making oval cigarettes. Ovals can be made to any length, filter or unfiltered. It seems almost bogus for an American company to make English Ovals. As a subsidiary of an English tobacco company, an oval cigarette manufactured by B&W would have a more authentic ring. Imagery could be conveyed in prestige packaging and advertising. The cigarette might be called British Ovals or, perhaps better yet, BATUS Ovals. -7- 7¢