Patent ID: 8201564

Claim:
A process for preparing a tobacco smoke filter element which comprises: (a) providing an admixture of a polymeric filament or polymeric fibrous mass and an additive selected from the group consisting of flavorants, flavorant enhancers, and combinations thereof in a vessel; (b) adjusting the temperature and pressure conditions in the vessel to provide liquefied gas or supercritical fluid or near critical fluid conditions; (c) introducing at least one gas into the vessel to produce a liquefied gas or supercritical fluid or near critical fluid, whereby said additive dissolves or disperses in said fluid or liquefied gas; (d) maintaining temperature and pressure conditions in said vessel for a period of time sufficient to swell said polymeric filament or polymeric fibrous mass and allow the additive to impregnate an inner matrix of the polymeric filament or polymeric fibrous mass; (e) diminishing pressure conditions in the vessel such that the liquefied gas or SCF or near critical fluid dissipates from the polymeric filament or polymeric fibrous mass; and (f) removing the impregnated polymeric filament or polymeric fibrous mass from the vessel, wherein the polymeric filament or polymeric fibrous mass are prepared from a polymer selected from the group consisting of cellulose esters and polyolefins, and said impregnated additive of said smoke filter element is capable of being imparted to mainstream tobacco smoke during smoking.