US Patent 11937626 Method for whitening tobacco

A method of preparing a whitened tobacco material is provided, including: (i) extracting a tobacco material with a first extraction solution to provide a tobacco solids material and a tobacco extract; (ii) cooking the tobacco solids material in an alkaline cooking liquid comprising sodium sulfide and having a pH of greater than 11 to form a tobacco pulp; (iii) treating the tobacco pulp with an acid to lower the pH of the tobacco pulp and provide a neutralized tobacco pulp; (iv) extracting the neutralized tobacco pulp with a second extraction solution comprising at least one chelating agent to provide an extracted tobacco pulp; and (v) bleaching the extracted tobacco pulp with a bleaching solution to provide a whitened tobacco material.