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Bacillus subtilis DES-59 Modulates Microbial Community Structure and Aroma Formation in Cigar Fermentation to Improve
Lu-Xin Liang1, Ming-Jun Zhu1, Lu Zhao2,3,4
1School of Biology and Biological Engineering, Guangdong Key Laboratory of Fermentation and Enzyme Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Panyu, Guangzhou 510006, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Cigar tobacco is characterized by high protein and low sugar contents, which limits the sensory performance of cigar-flavored heat-not-burn (HnB) products. In this study, Yunxue 6 cigar tobacco powder was fermented with Bacillus subtilis DES-59 for 7 days under solid-state culture at 25°C and 65% relative humidity. Compared with the control group, fermented tobacco exhibited a 10.55% reduction in protein, alongside 30.10% and 47.86% increases in total free amino acids and reducing sugars, respectively. Py-GC/MS analysis at 350°C showed increased release of pyrolytic aroma compounds, with the relative abundances of esters, aldehydes / ketones, and phenols increasing by 86.95%, 58.53%, and 35.69%, respectively. Sensory evaluation of HnB cigarettes manufactured from the fermented tobacco powder showed an overall sensory score improvement from 79.00 to 83.00, mainly driven by enhanced aroma and flavor. High-throughput sequencing demonstrated that inoculation reshaped the bacterial community, increasing the relative abundance of Bacillus from 12.20% to 52.40%. PICRUSt functional prediction suggested an increased functional potential for amino acid and carbohydrate metabolism in the treated group. Overall, inoculation with B. subtilis DES-59 was associated with changes in the chemical composition, bacterial community structure, pyrolysis-derived aroma profile, and sensory characteristics of cigar tobacco powder. These findings provide preliminary evidence supporting the potential application of B. subtilis DES-59 in the fermentation of cigar tobacco powder for the development of cigar-flavored raw materials for HnB products.
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