A comparative analysis of the microbiome of cigars produced in the Caribbean and China
Abstract Fermentation of cigar tobacco leaves involves intense microbial activity, and hence, microorganisms have a significant impact on the quality and flavour of cigars. However, research on the correlation between microbial communities and the sensory quality of cigars remains inconclusive. In t...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-08-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16199-8 |
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| author | Bo Ding Yuan Ji Xiaojie Xu Xiaokang Cui Xiaoli Meng Zhen Shen Lihong Ren Yinghui Guo Sheng Xing Shili Liu Min Liu |
| author_facet | Bo Ding Yuan Ji Xiaojie Xu Xiaokang Cui Xiaoli Meng Zhen Shen Lihong Ren Yinghui Guo Sheng Xing Shili Liu Min Liu |
| author_sort | Bo Ding |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Fermentation of cigar tobacco leaves involves intense microbial activity, and hence, microorganisms have a significant impact on the quality and flavour of cigars. However, research on the correlation between microbial communities and the sensory quality of cigars remains inconclusive. In this study, a comparative analysis of the microbial profiles of five Caribbean- and five Chinese-produced cigar products was conducted to reveal significant differences in the microbiome of cigars from two origins, potentially accounting for the variance in their quality and flavour. Our findings indicated that Chinese cigars supported a more diverse array of microorganisms compared to Caribbean counterparts, as evidenced by higher indices of α and β diversity. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the genus Staphylococcus was predominant in Caribbean cigars, representing over half of the bacterial population. In contrast, Staphylococcus comprised approximately 30% of the bacterial community in most Chinese cigar samples. Furthermore, a clear distinction of function prediction between Caribbean and Chinese cigars implied chemical biotransformation of cigar tobacco leaves under the influence of microbial communities. Subsequent comprehensive statistical analysis of the correlation between the microbiome and sensory quality of cigars suggested that certain bacterial species may be critical in shaping the flavour profile of cigars. Together, these insights indicated that the core microbiome of Caribbean and Chinese cigars was different, with each product exhibiting its characteristic bacterial genera. The unique genera presented in the core microbiome of Caribbean cigars could provide a novel perspective on the bioaugmentation fermentation of Chinese cigars. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ec5b4a4bd6ba4f51b104011e5f350fbf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-ec5b4a4bd6ba4f51b104011e5f350fbf2025-08-24T11:31:12ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-08-0115111010.1038/s41598-025-16199-8A comparative analysis of the microbiome of cigars produced in the Caribbean and ChinaBo Ding0Yuan Ji1Xiaojie Xu2Xiaokang Cui3Xiaoli Meng4Zhen Shen5Lihong Ren6Yinghui Guo7Sheng Xing8Shili Liu9Min Liu10NMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Generic Drugs, Shandong Institute for Food and Drug ControlNMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Generic Drugs, Shandong Institute for Food and Drug ControlNMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Generic Drugs, Shandong Institute for Food and Drug ControlShandong Center for Adverse Drug Reaction MonitoringNMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Generic Drugs, Shandong Institute for Food and Drug ControlNMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Generic Drugs, Shandong Institute for Food and Drug ControlNMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Generic Drugs, Shandong Institute for Food and Drug ControlNMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Generic Drugs, Shandong Institute for Food and Drug ControlNMPA Key Laboratory for Research and Evaluation of Generic Drugs, Shandong Institute for Food and Drug ControlSchool of Basic Medical Science, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong UniversityQuality Supervision and Test Center, China National Tobacco Corporation Shandong BranchAbstract Fermentation of cigar tobacco leaves involves intense microbial activity, and hence, microorganisms have a significant impact on the quality and flavour of cigars. However, research on the correlation between microbial communities and the sensory quality of cigars remains inconclusive. In this study, a comparative analysis of the microbial profiles of five Caribbean- and five Chinese-produced cigar products was conducted to reveal significant differences in the microbiome of cigars from two origins, potentially accounting for the variance in their quality and flavour. Our findings indicated that Chinese cigars supported a more diverse array of microorganisms compared to Caribbean counterparts, as evidenced by higher indices of α and β diversity. High-throughput sequencing revealed that the genus Staphylococcus was predominant in Caribbean cigars, representing over half of the bacterial population. In contrast, Staphylococcus comprised approximately 30% of the bacterial community in most Chinese cigar samples. Furthermore, a clear distinction of function prediction between Caribbean and Chinese cigars implied chemical biotransformation of cigar tobacco leaves under the influence of microbial communities. Subsequent comprehensive statistical analysis of the correlation between the microbiome and sensory quality of cigars suggested that certain bacterial species may be critical in shaping the flavour profile of cigars. Together, these insights indicated that the core microbiome of Caribbean and Chinese cigars was different, with each product exhibiting its characteristic bacterial genera. The unique genera presented in the core microbiome of Caribbean cigars could provide a novel perspective on the bioaugmentation fermentation of Chinese cigars.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16199-8CigarMicrobial communityHigh-throughput sequencingSensory evaluationBioaugmentation fermentation |
| spellingShingle | Bo Ding Yuan Ji Xiaojie Xu Xiaokang Cui Xiaoli Meng Zhen Shen Lihong Ren Yinghui Guo Sheng Xing Shili Liu Min Liu A comparative analysis of the microbiome of cigars produced in the Caribbean and China Scientific Reports Cigar Microbial community High-throughput sequencing Sensory evaluation Bioaugmentation fermentation |
| title | A comparative analysis of the microbiome of cigars produced in the Caribbean and China |
| title_full | A comparative analysis of the microbiome of cigars produced in the Caribbean and China |
| title_fullStr | A comparative analysis of the microbiome of cigars produced in the Caribbean and China |
| title_full_unstemmed | A comparative analysis of the microbiome of cigars produced in the Caribbean and China |
| title_short | A comparative analysis of the microbiome of cigars produced in the Caribbean and China |
| title_sort | comparative analysis of the microbiome of cigars produced in the caribbean and china |
| topic | Cigar Microbial community High-throughput sequencing Sensory evaluation Bioaugmentation fermentation |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-16199-8 |
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