Tobacco Documents Online

FILTERS Grooved Filters ( L The ACTRON filter is the most revolutionary development in the industry since the introduction of filtered cigarettes. Grooves on the periphery of impermeable plug wrap prevent smoke and ventilating air from mixing until it reaches the smoker's mouth. The velocity differential between the smoke and diluting air causes the smoke to billow in the smoker's mouth contacting more taste receptors than conventionally ventilated cigarettes. This phenomenon, known as spatial summation, causes more taste than is enjoyed in a conventional ultra low tar product. Our adversaries claimed the unusually rich taste is due to smokers draping their lips over the grooves, reducing ventilation and increasing tar intake. Unfortunately, the FTC and federal courts bought onto this contrived allegation and banned i mg tar advertising. Forced into this position, RD&E has developed ACTRON contingencies around the alleged lip drape. Among these contingencies, hole in groove, porous and perforated plug wraps allow diluting air to mix with the smoke and maintain ventilation on forced occlusion of the grooves. In another contingency, the "hot cross bun", the filter end of the cigarette is embossed to recess the grooves to prevent alleged occlusion. t¢ C -8-

( Low Filtration/High Ventilation ( The strategy behind this type filter is to carry further the easy draw and taste success of the ACTRON filter. The purpose of a filter with low filtration and high ventilation is threefold: (I) deliver the full taste of an unfiltered cigarette at low tar, (2) provide easy draw through low pressure drop, and (3) reduce gas phase to a much greater extent than tar. Several approaches were advanced, the first of which was ARIES. ARIES is an injection molded plastic filter with recessed peripheral grooves. Diluting air and unfiltered smoke mix in the smoker's mouth. Other options to ARIES involve grooved dual filters with extruded plastic mouthpieces. One design has the plastic piece at the mouthend with either tobacco or cellulose acetate in the filter adjacent the tobacco column. Another design places the plastic piece near the tobacco column with low efficiency acetate at the mouthend. A final dual design utilizes a grooved extruded plastic piece filled with a closed cell foam. Puolite t A porous granular resin with chemically active groups, Duolite reacts with hydrogen cyanide and aldehydes removing them from smoke. The resin, partially combined with acetic acid to catalyze the removal of aldehydes, was made to B&W specifications by Diamond Shamrock. Removal of irritating aldehydes, such as formaldehyde and acrolein, is -9-

C C %. a key to smoke mildness in Duolite filtered cigarettes. Unlike charcoal, which is indiscriminate in that it also removes flavor compounds, Duolite filters smoke selectively. Also, unlike charcoal, Duolite is compatible with menthol cigarettes. In consumer testing, Duolite gave unprecedented results with 61-39, 60-40, and 57-43 preferences in VICEROY 100, VICEROY Milds KS, and Winston I00, respectively, against the counterpart cigarettes without Duolite. After over two years of extensive testing, FACT, the "low gas" cigarette with a "Purite" filter was launched nationally in early 1974. The cigarette, whether because of its sterile pack or consumers not understanding "low gas", was a failure and was withdrawn from the market. FACT was relaunched in 1976 in an attractive new pack and advertizing stressing taste. However, after failing to achieve its targeted share, FACT was again removed from the market. PEl/Alumina t This filter material, PEI coated alumina, functions the same as Duolite. Alumina granules provide porosity while PEI (polyethylenimine) provides chemical reactivity. Like Duolite, PEl/alumina is combined with acetic acid to enhance aldehyde filtration and improve smoke taste. The amount of PEl/alumina required to give equivalent filtration is 2.5 times that of Duolite. Bowever, PEl/alumina is far less expensive than Duolite and, even though a greater amount is required to match Duolite's performance, - I0 -

( PEl/alumina still nets out at a lower cost. PEl/alumina performed almost as well as Duolite in consumer tests. For these reasons and because of Diamond Shamrock's limited capacity to make Duolite GPA-327, PEl/alumina was being considered for use in FACT, had the cigarette exceeded 1% market share. Addition of zinc acetate to PEl/alumina broadens its filtration to include hydrogen sulfide without affecting hydrogen cyanide and aldehyde filtration or consumer preference. SPCA ( L Shredded porous cellulose acetate is a high efficiency tar removal filter material. It has filtration-pressure drop performance superior to that of conventional cellulose acetate and performance similar to % paper filters at only one-third the weight. SPCA is made by dissolving cellulose acetate in acetone and plasticizer in which starch and saline solution are present. The mixture is heated to swell the starch, rolled into a thin sheet, dried and shredded. The shredded material is washed to remove the salt and enzymatically treated to remove the starch and form the porous structure. Porosity, surface area, and filtration efficiency are dependent on the starch/acetate ratio. SPCA is best used in a dual filter with conventional cellulose acetate at the mouthend to prevent the shredded material from getting into smokers' mouths. B&W negotiated with Celanese to make SPCA but, because of high manufacturing cost, the project was abandoned. - II -

C ( Program Filter The purpose of the program filter is the same as that of the CHECKERBOARD concept, to give constant smoke delivery and taste from first puff to last. The program filter resembles a conventional filter except that it has a plastic tube placed in the periphery of the cellulose acetate. The tube extends about 80% of the length of the filter beginning with the open end adjacent the tobacco section and terminating with the tube closed except for a small orifice. The tube serves as a bypass around the main body of the filter in the early low tar puffs and smoke filtration is low. As smoking is continued, impaction gradually blocks the orifice forcing some of the smoke to pass through the entire length of the main body filter causing the smoke to be more efficiently removed. In the last, high tar puffs, the orifice is ultimately blocked forcing all of the smoke to pass through the main body of the filter. The overall effect of the tube is to cause progressively increasing filtration as smoke concentration increases, netting out to a constant delivery per puff. Machinery development to manufacture cigarettes with the program filter had just begun when other priorities forced its discontinuation. L - 12- A: %¢

Diethyl Citrate In 1972, New York City passed a law placing an additional tax on cigarettes exceeding 17 mg tar and i.I mg nicotine. B&W products were within the tar limit but over the limit on nicotine. A search was initiated for an easily implemented filter additive to selectively reduce nicotine delivery. Organic acids and polyols reduced nicotine but were incompatible with filter plasticizer. Diethyl citrate, an organic acid ester, however, was compatible with plasticizer and quite effective in reducing nicotine deliveries. Results of tests with DEC in UICEROY KS and KOOL KS lowered nicotine delivery 0.2 mg without affecting consumer acceptability and was given product approval. After a brief time, the New York tax law was rescinded and DEC was not implemented. In 1982, government imposed constraints in the Saudi and Gulf markets necessitated reductions in nicotine deliveries of B&W international brands. Negotiations for licensing rights were initiated with Reemtsma, the owner of the U.S. patent rights to DEC. However, Reemtsma's royalty fee was inordinately high and filter ventilation was implemented or increased to reduce nicotine deliveries from these products. The Reemtsma patent on diethyl citrate expires in January, 1986. - 13-

( Chisso This filter is made by Chisso Corporation of Japan. The individual fibers are composed of a polypropylene core with a surface of ethylene vinyl acetate-polyethylene copolymer (EVAIPE). The fibers can be manufactured with the polypropylene completely enveloped by EVA/PE or with 10-15Z of the polypropylene exposed to the fiber surface. Compared to cellulose acetate, initially submitted Chisso filters gave a smoother, more flavorful smoke at lower tar (I0 vs. 13.5 mg). A problem with the first Chisso filters was high pressure drop. Subsequent filters with reduced pressure drop showed diminution of the positive effects of Chisso. Nevertheless, its multicomponent composition offers potential for manipulating smoke quality - polyethylene and polypropylene for nonpolar compounds in smoke, vinyl acetate for polar compounds. Future work will examine moderate to low pressure drop Chisso filters with 85-90% to complete EVA surface exposure. Low to high vinyl acetate content EVA will also be examined. Chisso is somewhat more expensive than cellulose acetate, however, the cost is offset in that Chisso requires no plug wrap. Water Filter ~ater is a very effective medium for cigarette smoke. It removes hydrogen cyanide and vapor phase compounds such as formaldehyde and acrolein, enhances the selectivity of filter additives, and effects a marked reduction in smoke irritation. Water does not have the same Lq - 14 -

( adverse effect on taste as charcoal; it reduces flavor amplitude but does not affect flavor character. Southampton developed a pilot process for encapsulating water in cylindrical capsules in 1968. However, because of problems in speed of capsule manufacture and filter assembly, 3M was contracted to make spherical water containing wax capsules. B&W was given responsibility for working with 3M and evaluating capsule stability and effects on smoke quality. (The single large capsule in the filter was ruptured manually by the smoker.) By the end of 1970, 3M had developed water capsules of high quality and B&W evaluations showed, except for a reduction in flavor amplitude, favorable effects on smoke, particularly reduction in smoke irritation. However, with other activities, such as CHECKERBOARD taking precedence, work was discontinued. Since then we have seen the inception and tremendous growth of ventilated low tar cigarettes. Filter ventilation brought with it, however, problems of weak taste and mouth dryness. Water capsules could well be a solution to these problems. Dry mouth relief is an obvious potential application. However, in addition, water soluble flavor and salivating additives, could be incorporated in the capsules to improve the sensory quality of ventilated low tar cigarettes. - 15 - C

FLAVORS Lime-Menthol C In quest of a highly recognizable, uniquely flavored cigarette, a lime-menthol product was developed and consumer tested in 1970. Lime oil was added in filter manufacture, menthol to tobacco in the conventional manner. Consumer reaction was polarized; very few smokers had a neutral opinion. Overall, more smokers liked the idea of a lime-menthol cigarette than disliked it. Image data indicated the product as strongly female oriented, young, active, and stylish. Encouraged by the consumer test results, the cigarette, LYME, was placed in Test Market in Fort Wayne, Indiana in October, 1971 and Tampa - St. Petersburg in February, 1972. While the Fort Wayne market was more favorable, overall, results indicated LYME an occasional cigarette to smokers and the product was withdrawn from test market. Spice-Menthol t With early indications of success with LYME, a project was initiated in February, 1972 to develop other uniquely flavored cigarettes. Results with bourbon, wine, cherry-menthol, and uncola-menthol flavored cigarettes were encouraging but spice-menthol showed the most promise and was consumer tested. Spice-menthol cigarettes were made with cinnamon flavor applied in filter manufacture, menthol on,the tobacco. Consumer acceptance and image were similar to LYME and, like LYME, spice-menthol was perceived as an occasional cigarette and was not pursued further. - 16 - C

Ambroxide This flavor compound (a napthofuran) was isolated by R&D as a pyrolysis product of Amarelinho (Brazilian flue-cured) tobacco. Ambroxide is extremely potent, imparting a heavy, air cured, cedar-, and cigar-like character to smoke. Cigarettes with ambroxide possess more tobacco taste than might be expected from their tar deliveries. Ambroxide is currently used in BARCLAY and KOOL Ultra products. Ambrettolide ( Isolated by R&D from the smoke of Wisconsin Cigar Leaf (a fermented tobacco), this musk flavor compound imparts a unique nutty and smooth character to cigarette smoke. Ambrettolide is currently used in BELAIR KS and RICHLAND Menthol. PROCESSES Microbial Nicotine Reduction t In this process, tobacco is subjected to the action of a microorganism which selectively degrades nicotine biochemically. The microorganism, a common one found in soils, is used to innoculate a nicotine broth containing small amounts of yeast and minerals. The source of nicotine may be burley stem or may come from partial extraction of the tobacco to be treated. The innoculum is diluted with a weak solution - 17- C