Integrated Multi-Omics Analysis Reveals Microbial Community Restructuring and Its Role in Key Carbohydrate Metabolic Pathways During Tobacco Leaf Curing

Microorganisms play a significant role in improving the flavor and quality of plant products. Analyzing the impact of the tobacco processing process on the microbial community structure and revealing the synergistic mechanism of microorganisms during the processing is crucial for optimizing the flavor and quality of plant products. In this study, samples were collected from four processing stages (T1: fresh leaves, T2: 42°C, T3: 54°C, T4: 68°C), and metabolite and inter-leaf microbial data of tobacco leaves were generated. A comprehensive multi-omics analysis was conducted. The study shows that the increase in temperature and the decrease in humidity during the processing lead to the reorganization of the microbial community. Brevibacterium, Staphylococcus, Aspergillus, and Ganoderma were identified as core biomarkers. Bacteria dominate in the initial degradation of starch, while fungi promote the accumulation of soluble sugars through the transformation of intermediate products. This study deepens our understanding of the role of microorganisms and their carbohydrate metabolism in the tobacco leaf processing process and proposes a new strategy for constructing regulatory models by integrating multi-omics.