Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the sustained-release performance of activated carbon-loaded flavor in heated tobacco products (HTPs).
Methods The activated carbon-loaded typical flavor was prepared and added to the HTP cigarette core section. Using HTPs with direct flavoring application in the core as a control, a comparative study was conducted on the distribution and transfer behavior of flavor characteristic components during storage and smoking of HTPs.
Results Through sensory quality evaluation of HTPs, the optimal loading amount of activated carbon with β-phenylethanol and α-damascone was determined to be 80 μg, at which point the sensory quality indicators scored higher and the aroma uniformity was better. During the storage period of HTPs, compared with the direct application method, the retention rate of cigarette cores of β-phenylethanol and α-damascone loaded with activated carbon increased by 36.99 and 28.07 percentage points, respectively, and the rate of volatilization loss was obviously reduced. During the smoking process of HTPs, the puff-by-puff transfer rates of the characteristic fragrances showed a tendency to increase and then decrease, in which the relative standard deviations of the puff-by-puff release rates of the activated carbon-loaded β-phenylethanol and α-damascenone were 22.53% and 21.36%, respectively, which were obviously lower than those for the direct flavor addition method (41.87% and 41.9%). This indicated that the stability of smoke transfer and release of flavors was markedly improved by using loaded flavors.
Conclusion During the process of heating the tobacco cores of HTPs, compared with direct application, applying flavors through activated carbon loading can significantly reduce the aroma loss rate during storage and improve the release stability during smoking. This approach can provide technical support for stable flavoring of HTPs.
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