Microbial community structure of cigar tobacco leaves in Hunan production area and its regulatory mechanism on quality formation
- 1China Tobacco Sichuan Industrial Co., Ltd.
- 2School of Bioengineering, Chongqing University
Abstract
Introduction: To elucidate the microbial community structure of domestic cigar tobacco leaves and its regulatory function in quality formation, the present work focuses on characterizing microbial flora, identifying origin-mediated community divergence, and exploring their linkages to flavor quality for cigar tobacco planted in Hunan.
Methods: High-throughput sequencing, chemical profiling and sensory evaluation were combined to systematically analyze different cigar varieties from the Hunan production region. ANOSIM and correlation network analysis were performed to evaluate microbial community variation and inter-taxa correlations.
Results and discussion: Bacterial communities were dominated by Proteobacteria , Cyanobacteria , Firmicutes , and Actinobacteria ; fungi were overwhelmingly dominated by Ascomycota (relative abundance >93%). At genus level, dominant bacteria included Pantoea , Pseudomonas , Klebsiella , Brachybacterium , and Curtobacterium , while dominant fungi were Aspergillus , Gibberella , and Alternaria . ANOSIM (R = 0.50, P = 0.001) demonstrated that geographical origin acted as the primary driver of microbial community differentiation, and the same cultivar Cuba No.7 showed highly significant interregional differences (R = 0.95, P = 0.001). Correlation network showed flavor-positive genera ( Pantoea , Curtobacterium , Aureimonas ) were enriched in Yongding District samples, whereas flavor-negative genus Trichoderma was abundant in Sangzhi County and Chenzhou samples. Unsaturated fatty acids, succinic acid and malic acid were key metabolites connecting microbial communities and sensory traits. These results support the hypothesis that microorganisms dominate quality formation of cigar tobacco leaves, and offer theoretical support for site-specific cultivation and fermentation optimization based on regional microecological features.
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BibTeX
@article{cai2026microbial,
title = {{Microbial community structure of cigar tobacco leaves in Hunan production area and its regulatory mechanism on quality formation}},
author = {Wen Cai and Qianying Zhang and Jie Liu and Wanrong Hu and Zhishun Chai and Yonghao Tan and Lei Xing and Dongliang Li},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2026.1959028},
url = {https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1959028/full},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Microbial community structure of cigar tobacco leaves in Hunan production area and its regulatory mechanism on quality formation
AU - Wen Cai
AU - Qianying Zhang
AU - Jie Liu
AU - Wanrong Hu
AU - Zhishun Chai
AU - Yonghao Tan
AU - Lei Xing
AU - Dongliang Li
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/28
JO - Frontiers in Microbiology
DO - 10.3389/fmicb.2026.1959028
UR - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2026.1959028/full
AB - Introduction: To elucidate the microbial community structure of domestic cigar tobacco leaves and its regulatory function in quality formation, the present work focuses on characterizing microbial flora, identifying origin-mediated community divergence, and exploring their linkages to flavor quality for cigar tobacco planted in Hunan. Methods: High-throughput sequencing, chemical profiling and sensory evaluation were combined to systematically analyze different cigar varieties from the Hunan production region. ANOSIM and correlation network analysis were performed to evaluate microbial community variation and inter-taxa correlations. Results and discussion: Bacterial communities were dominated by Proteobacteria , Cyanobacteria , Firmicutes , and Actinobacteria ; fungi were overwhelmingly dominated by Ascomycota (relative abundance >93%). At genus level, dominant bacteria included Pantoea , Pseudomonas , Klebsiella , Brachybacterium , and Curtobacterium , while dominant fungi were Aspergillus , Gibberella , and Alternaria . ANOSIM (R = 0.50, P = 0.001) demonstrated that geographical origin acted as the primary driver of microbial community differentiation, and the same cultivar Cuba No.7 showed highly significant interregional differences (R = 0.95, P = 0.001). Correlation network showed flavor-positive genera ( Pantoea , Curtobacterium , Aureimonas ) were enriched in Yongding District samples, whereas flavor-negative genus Trichoderma was abundant in Sangzhi County and Chenzhou samples. Unsaturated fatty acids, succinic acid and malic acid were key metabolites connecting microbial communities and sensory traits. These results support the hypothesis that microorganisms dominate quality formation of cigar tobacco leaves, and offer theoretical support for site-specific cultivation and fermentation optimization based on regional microecological features.
SN - 1664-302X
ER -