Microbial-enzyme synergistic treatment stabilizes surface microbial communities and enhances flavor quality during tobacco leaf aging

Abstract Tobacco aging is a critical for developing desirable flavor profiles, driven primarily by microbial and enzymatic activities. This study systematically evaluated the effects of Bacillus clausii inoculation (FJ) and B. clausii -cellulase co-treatment (JM) on the surface microbial communities and aroma compounds of Yunyan 87 tobacco leaves during 9 months of aging, with natural aging as the control (CK). High-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that the JM treatment significantly incr