Swedish snus, manufactured by Swedish Match, is a smokeless tobacco product that substantially differs from most other smokeless tobacco products worldwide. Swedish Match has developed a quality standard called GOTHIATEK® in order to assure the specific quality requirements of Swedish snus.
GOTHIATEK® is the result of the successful implementation of decades of research on Swedish snus. This research has lead to a unique manufacturing process and products, and for the tobacco world, unique scientific reports.
Basis for the standard is requirements on maximum allowable limits of certain undesired components in Swedish Snus. These components can be found in nature and therefore exist in various plant species, e.g. tobacco. Scientists have pointed out some of these components as potential health risks if they occur in too high concentrations. The GOTHIATEK® standard stipulates that the specific component limits must never be exceeded. The constituent standard is given below in Table I.
While tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNA) are basically specific to tobacco, the remaining constituents of the standard are also found in many foods. The standard for these non-tobacco specific compounds has limits that are comparable with the levels found in many common food items.
From seed to container
Composition
Swedish Snus by GothiaTek® is made from selected leaf tobaccos, salts, humectants and flavor additives. Snus is regulated as a food substance in Sweden. Only food approved additives are used. The manufacturing is performed in premises which comply with food standards
Tobacco
Swedish snus by GothiaTek® is made from mainly air cured tobaccos. Traditionally fire-cured tobacco used to be the major ingredient, but this has changed in the last decade.
Tobacco is purchased from North and South America, Asia and also from a few countries in Africa and Europe.
Tobacco quality is essential for the Snus products to conform with the GothiaTek® Standard. All components that are not desired in the Snus products come with the tobacco
The GothiaTek® Standard requires a systematic control of the tobacco chemistry. After many decades of research we have designed a growing and curing regime that satisfies the GothiaTek® Standard.
Around the world tobacco is now grown according to our instructions. However, some tobacco is still purchased on traditional tobacco markets.
In order to assure the quality of the tobacco we intend to buy we have designed an early warning system.
Tobacco samples are taken already in the farmers´ barns and sent to laboratories for analysis. So, when we buy the tobacco we know its chemistry and we can refrain from buying tobacco that does not meet the requirements of the GothiaTek® Standard.
Additives
When making Swedish Snus by GothiaTek® the main ingredients except for tobacco are water, salt (table salt) and sodium carbonate. Flavor additives and humectants are also used.
Salt is added mainly for its effect on taste but also has a preservative action which contributes to improved shelf life of the products. Sodium carbonate is used to give the products their characteristic flavour profile but also brings the pH value to the slightly alkaline side. Sodium carbonate will convert to baking soda immediately after it is added.
Flavor additives in general are natural or artificial flavor compounds that comply with food regulations. Flavors are usally dissolved in alcohol when added. Most of the alcohol evaporates during production. Only trace quantities remain.
Humectants are added to protect the products from drying out. We use two types: glycerol and propylene glycol. Both of them also have a preservative effect since they lower the water activity of the product, thus preventing micro-organisms from growing.
Packaging material
Paraffin coated cardboard cans are used for most loose Snus brands. The lids are made of polypropylene.
For the pouch products we use cans made of polypropylene. Pouch products are more sensitive to drying than loose Snus so plastic cans help to increase shelf life of these products.
The paper material used to pack individual pouches is of similar type to that used in tea bags. The material is made of cellulose fibres plus an adhesive which is approved as packaging material in contact with food.
Manufacturing
Swedish Snus by GothiaTek® is manufactured in three major steps, grinding, processing and packing.
The values in Table I, provide the GOTHIATEK® standard for undesired constituents based on moist snus containing 50% water. For more information regarding GOTHIATEK®, please visit www.gothiatek.com.
Grinding
The tobacco is broken up, dried and fed into a grinder. The ground tobacco is sieved into three particle size fractions, coarse, medium and fine. Pre-set quantities of the three fractions are fed into a mixer silo where the tobacco flour is mixed. After blending, the Snus flour is fed into a storage silo, from which flour is automatically taken to the processing operation. Each type of Snus flour is kept in a separate silo.
Processing
Manufacturing of Snus is a batch operation. The whole process is computer controlled and can be run day and night, all week around.
To start the process, tobacco flour is automatically weighed and fed into the process blender. Water and salt is added to the batch under stirring. The batch is then heated and kept heated up for a specified time, which varies with brands. Temperature and stirring is controlled by a process computer program. This part of the process is traditionally named "sweating" but is more close to a pasteurisation process.
After pasteurisation the Snus batch is cooled down and the rest of the ingredients are added. Samples are taken for quality control.
If approved, the batch is cleared for packing.
Packing of Loose Snus
Cans are filled in automatic filling machines. Filled cans are sealed with a lid. After lidding all cans are weighed on a check-weigher, which also regulates the filling volume of the cans.
Now the cans are labelled in a labelling machine, shrink-sealed
in a distribution pack of 10 cans and packed in cases.
Packing of Portion-Packed Snus
Packing of portion-packed Snus requires a more complicated packaging equipment. Portions are measured and fed into a tube of cellulose fibre.
Individual portions are sealed and cut apart.
The finished portions are filled in a plastic can and the lid attached. After lidding all cans which pass a check-weigher station are labelled.
Cold storage
All finished Snus is kept in a cold storage a few days before it is shipped out to the trade. Keeping Snus cold a certain time after manufacturing is important for the Snus to ripen and obtain its characteristic flavor.
How to keep Snus fresh
The shelf life of Swedish Snus depends on a number of factors i.a. the water content. A lower moisture level results in a longer shelf life. Moist Snus has a limited shelf life and should not be kept in room temperature for more that a couple of weeks. Dry portion packs, however, do not have this limitation.
The general recommendation is to keep moist Snus refrigerated. The Snus will then be very stable and can be kept for several weeks.
To keep Snus for a longer period it should be frozen and you can keep it for at least a year. To avoid frozen Snus from drying out you should freeze it in a freezing bag. Thawing of Snus in cardboard cans should be done in a refrigerat, thus eliminating the condensation water to dissolve the glue in the can. Plastic cans are not sensitive to external moisture and can be thawed in room temperature.