Key Laboratory of Chinese Cigar Fermentation, Center of Technology Innovation for Cigar, China Tobacco Sichuan Industrial Co., Ltd, Chengdu, 610000, China.
School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214112, China.
Sci Rep. 2022 Nov 10;12(1):19182. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-23419-y.
Fermentation process plays an important role in the biochemical properties and quality of cigar tobacco leaves (CTLs). In industry, exogenous additive (EA) was usually adopted for improving the quality of CTLs during fermentation. However, the mechanism of enhanced quality of CTLs fermented with EA was confused. Herein, the chemical compositions and microbial communities of CTLs during fermentation with EA were analyzed. The increased contents of total nitrogen and total sugar, as well as the improved consumption rate of reducing sugar in CTLs were found with the addition of EA. Besides, fermentation with EA reduced the content of total nonvolatile organic acid, especially unsaturated fatty acid. The contents of total and several representative aroma components were improved. Additionally, the increased abundance of Staphylococcus and decreased abundance of Aspergillus were detected. Combined with the changes of chemical compositions and microbial communities, it was confirmed that the carbohydrates and alcohols originated from EA promote the enrichment of Staphylococcus and accelerate biochemical reactions, such as Maillard reaction and esterification reaction, thus improving the contents and quality of aroma components in CTLs. This study demonstrated the mechanism of enhanced quality of CTLs fermented by EA, which provides more ideas for developing novel and efficient EAs.
发酵过程在雪茄烟叶（CTL）的生化特性和质量中起着重要作用。在工业中，通常采用外源添加剂（EA）来改善发酵过程中 CTL 的质量。然而，用 EA 发酵增强 CTL 质量的机制尚不清楚。在此，分析了 EA 发酵过程中 CTL 的化学成分和微生物群落。结果发现，添加 EA 可增加 CTL 中的总氮和总糖含量，并提高还原糖的消耗速率。此外，用 EA 发酵可降低总非挥发性有机酸的含量，特别是不饱和脂肪酸。总的和几种代表性香气成分的含量也有所提高。此外，还检测到葡萄球菌的丰度增加和曲霉的丰度降低。结合化学成分和微生物群落的变化，证实 EA 中的碳水化合物和醇类促进了葡萄球菌的富集，并加速了美拉德反应和酯化反应等生化反应，从而提高了 CTL 中香气成分的含量和质量。本研究阐明了 EA 发酵增强 CTL 质量的机制，为开发新型高效 EA 提供了更多思路。
