Fabric having tobacco entangled with structural fibers
A smokeless tobacco product includes smokeless tobacco and structural fibers. The structural fibers forming a network in which the smokeless tobacco is entangled. The structural fibers have a composition different from the smokeless tobacco. The tobacco-entangled fabric can have an overall oven volatiles content of at least 10 weight percent. In some embodiments, the structural fibers form a nonwoven network. In some embodiments, fibrous structures of the smokeless tobacco are entangled with the structural fibers.
1. A smokeless tobacco product comprising,
smokeless tobacco having a total oven volatiles content of about 20% by weight or greater; and
two layers of melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers positioned on opposite sides of the smokeless tobacco such that one layer of the melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers is positioned on each of the opposite sides, the melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers having a diameter of 100 microns or less.
2. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers have a diameter of 30 microns or less.
3. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers have a diameter of between 0.5 and 5 microns.
4. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco has a total oven volatiles content of about 40% by weight or greater.
5. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco has a total oven volatiles content of between about 45% by weight to about 65% by weight.
6. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers form a nonwoven network.
7. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 6 , wherein the melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers are entangled with fibrous structures of the smokeless tobacco.
8. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco product has dimensional stability.
9. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers comprise milled tobacco at least partially embedded in the polyurethane material of the melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers.
10. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the melt-blown structural fibers comprise composite fibers, each composite fiber including polyurethane and at least one additional material.
11. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 10 , wherein the composite fibers comprise at least one mouth-stable material and at least one mouth-dissolvable material.
12. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco product is a tobacco-entangled fabric having an arrangement resulting from the needle punching of the melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers with the smokeless tobacco.
13. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco product is a tobacco-entangled fabric comprising multiple layers of the melt-blown structural fibers and multiple layers of smokeless tobacco, wherein the melt-blown structural fibers from adjacent layers are entangled.
14. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein said product has a thickness of between 5 mm and 15 mm, a width of between 10 mm and 20 mm, and a length of between 10 mm and 30 mm.
15. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco product comprises tobacco material exposed along an outer surface.
16. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , further comprising a dissolvable film at least partially coating the melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers.
17. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises cured tobacco.
18. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 17 , wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises cured, aged, fermented tobacco.
19. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 17 , wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises cured, aged, non-fermented tobacco.
20. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein the smokeless tobacco comprises dark tobacco.
21. The smokeless tobacco product of claim 1 , wherein each layer of melt-blown polyurethane structural fibers comprises a basis weight of about 30 grams per square meter (gsm).