TOBACCO PRODUCT AND IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE EXPANSION OF TOBACCO

NOVEL TOBACCO PRODUCT AND IMPROVED PROCESS FOR THE EXPANSION OF TOBACCO A novel tobacco product comprising tobacco containing gaseous carbon dioxide in an amount of at least 1 part of gaseous carbon dioxide per 100 parts of tobacco. The product when heated rapidly is converted to expanded tobacco. An improved process for the expansion of tobacco is also provided, which employs carbon dioxide as the expansion agent in a sequence of steps comprising: (1) contacting tobacco with carbon dioxide gas at a pressure of at least 250 psig for a time sufficient to impregnate the tobacco with the carbon. dioxide gas to form a gaseous carbon dioxide-tobacco system(2) releasing the pressure and (3) thereafter subjecting the carbon dioxide-treated tobacco to rapid heating conditions to remove the carbon dioxide and thereby expand the tobacco, The improvement in the above-described process comprising cooling the gaseous carbon dioxide and tobacco system in step(1) to a temperature close to the saturation temperature of carbon dioxide but not lower than -23.degree.C.