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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microbial Symbioses
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1481158

Contribution of pectin-degrading bacteria to the quality of cigar fermentation: An analysis based on microbial communities and physicochemical components

Provisionally accepted
Youbo Su Youbo Su 1Yonghe Cui Yonghe Cui 2*Kejian Fu Kejian Fu 3*Lingduo Bu Lingduo Bu 2*Yulong Su Yulong Su 2*Yucui Sun Yucui Sun 3*Qi Zhou Qi Zhou 1*Yuming Yin Yuming Yin 1*Huating Yang Huating Yang 2*Lang Wu Lang Wu 2*Xueru Song Xueru Song 2*
  • 1 Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
  • 2 Yunnan Tobacco Company Yuxi City Corporation, Yuxi, China, China
  • 3 R＆D center ,Yunnan Yuntianhua Co., Ltd., Kunming, Yunnan Province, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Objective: This study aims to investigate the effects of pectin-degrading bacteria on the microbial community and physicochemical properties during the fermentation process of cigar tobacco, evaluating its potential in reducing green bitterness and enhancing aroma. Methods: By isolating and screening pectin-degrading bacteria, high-throughput sequencing and physicochemical analysis were employed to compare the microbial flora and physicochemical component differences in different treatment groups of cigar tobacco. Furthermore, correlation analysis was performed to examine the relationships between these variables. Results: The results showed that the strains YX-2 and DM-3, isolated from the cigar tobacco variety "Yunxue No. 1," exhibited strong pectin-degrading abilities. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that strain YX-2 is highly homologous to Bacillus flexus, while strain DM-3 is highly homologous to Bacillus siamensis. After fermentation, the addition of strains YX-2 and DM-3 significantly reduced the pectin content in the tobacco leaves, increased the total sugar and reducing sugar content, reduced green bitterness, and markedly enhanced the total aroma components. Notably, DM-3 exhibited outstanding performance in the production of Maillard reaction products. Microbial community analysis showed that the addition of pectin-degrading bacteria significantly increased the diversity of both bacteria and fungi, especially in the TDM-3 group, where the relative abundance of Pseudomonas was notably elevated. Correlation analysis revealed that Pseudomonas had a significant positive correlation with both reducing sugar and total sugar, and a significant negative correlation with pectin, indicating its important role in sugar metabolism and pectin degradation. Additionally, fungal genera such as Cercospora were significantly negatively correlated with total sugar and total nitrogen, while Eurotium was closely associated with pectin degradation and reducing sugar accumulation. Conclusion: This study found that the addition of Pectin-degrading bacteria YX-2 and DM-3 significantly optimized the microbial community structure during the cigar tobacco fermentation process and improved the physicochemical properties of the tobacco leaves, with notable effects in reducing green bitterness and enhancing aroma.

    Keywords: cigar, Fermentation, Pectin-degrading bacteria, physicochemical properties, microbial community

    Received: 30 Aug 2024; Accepted: 23 Oct 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Su, Cui, Fu, Bu, Su, Sun, Zhou, Yin, Yang, Wu and Song. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yonghe Cui, Yunnan Tobacco Company Yuxi City Corporation, Yuxi, China, China
    Kejian Fu, R＆D center ,Yunnan Yuntianhua Co., Ltd., Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
    Lingduo Bu, Yunnan Tobacco Company Yuxi City Corporation, Yuxi, China, China
    Yulong Su, Yunnan Tobacco Company Yuxi City Corporation, Yuxi, China, China
    Yucui Sun, R＆D center ,Yunnan Yuntianhua Co., Ltd., Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
    Qi Zhou, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
    Yuming Yin, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming, China
    Huating Yang, Yunnan Tobacco Company Yuxi City Corporation, Yuxi, China, China
    Lang Wu, Yunnan Tobacco Company Yuxi City Corporation, Yuxi, China, China
    Xueru Song, Yunnan Tobacco Company Yuxi City Corporation, Yuxi, China, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.