Method of manufacturing a filling material for a pouched smokeless snus product and filling material manufactured therefrom

1. A method of manufacturing a filling material for a pouched smokeless snus product, the method comprising the steps of:

a) coating non-tobacco plant material with nicotine using a liquid nicotine-in-glycerol solution, wherein the nicotine-in-glycerol solution comprises the nicotine in a concentration of 2 to 20 weight-% based on the total weight of the nicotine-in-glycerol solution, and wherein the combined content of nicotine and glycerol together make up at least 90 weight-% of the total weight of the nicotine-in-glycerol solution;

b) mixing the coated non-tobacco plant material with water and salt and optionally uncoated non-tobacco plant material and/or tobacco material to form the filling material;

c) optionally subjecting the filling material to a pasteurization step; and

d) optionally mixing the product of step b) or c) with further ingredients.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein in step b) the salt is NaCl.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the non-tobacco plant material is coated with nicotine using a spray coating process or a drum coating process.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the non-tobacco plant material comprises fibres or particles from non-tobacco plants.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in step b) tobacco material is mixed in to form a filling material comprising tobacco material in a concentration of 0 to 15 weight-%, wherein indications in weight-% are based on the dry weight of the total filling material.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the tobacco material is bleached.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the filling material comprises a water content of 30 to 50 weight-% based on the total weight of the filling material.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the filling material comprises coated non-tobacco plant material of step a) in a concentration of 70 to 99 weight-%, wherein the indications in weight-% are based on the dry weight of the total filling material.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the nicotine-coated non-tobacco plant material of step a) has a nicotine content within the range of 0.1 to 10 weight-%, wherein the indications in weight-% are based on the dry weight of the nicotine-coated non-tobacco plant material.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the further ingredients of the filling material of step b) and/or d) comprise water, non-tobacco plant material not coated with nicotine, stabilizers, humectants, plasticisers, thickeners, dyes, salts, flavours, gum base, flavour additives or any combination thereof.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method comprises the further step:

e) portioning the filing material into individual portions and packaging individual portions into separate pouches.

12. A filling material for use in a pouched smokeless snus product, the filling material being manufactured by a method according to claim 1 .

13. The filling material of claim 12 , wherein the filling material comprises:

70 to 99 weight-% nicotine-coated non-tobacco plant material;

0 to 15 weight-% tobacco material; and

0 to 30 weight-% further ingredients;

wherein above mentioned indications in weight-% are based on dry weight of the total filling material;

wherein the nicotine-coated non-tobacco plant material has a nicotine content within the range of 0.1 to 10 weight-% based on the dry weight of the nicotine-coated non-tobacco plant material;

and wherein the filling material has a water content of 30 to 50 weight-% based on the total weight of the filling material.

14. A pouched smokeless snus product comprising a filling material of claim 12 .

15. The method according to claim 1 , wherein in step d) the further ingredients comprise NH 4 Cl, Na 2 CO 3 , propylene glycol, optionally one or more flavours and/or combinations thereof.

16. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the non-tobacco plant material comprises wheat fibres, oat fibres, potato fibres, bamboo fibres, buckwheat fibres, barley fibres, microcrystalline cellulose and/or combinations thereof.