{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,1]],"date-time":"2026-10-01T02:54:45Z","timestamp":1790823285544,"version":"4.1.0"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]],"date-time":"2026-01-30T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769731200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Plant Sci."],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study investigates the physiological basis for the inferior curing quality of low-quality flue-cured tobacco leaves. Using \u2018Yunyan 300\u2019 tobacco, we compared normal (CK), multi-fertilizer (LH), and reviving (FQ) leaves. Post-curing, LH and FQ leaves exhibited uneven, discoloured appearances versus the uniform golden-yellow CK. Physiologically, LH showed delayed water loss and electrolyte leakage, while FQ exhibited premature stress responses. Chemically, low-quality leaves maintained significantly higher post-curing nitrogenous compounds (total nitrogen, alkaloids, protein) and aberrant starch metabolism. Transmission electron microscopy revealed delayed chloroplast disassembly in LH and FQ, with persistent starch granules and tightly packed thylakoids. Pigment analysis showed significantly impaired degradation of chlorophylls and carotenoids in LH and FQ, leading to 30-40% greater accumulation of intermediate catabolites like pheophytin a and pheophorbide a (p &amp;lt; 0.05). Concurrently, the generation of final aroma-active degradation products (e.g., neophytadiene) was reduced. We conclude that the elevated initial levels of chlorophylls and carotenoids, coupled with metabolic dysregulation in low-quality tobacco leaves, collectively impair the complete enzymatic degradation of these pigments. This results in the accumulation of intermediate catabolites and an insufficient generation of key aroma precursors, thereby ultimately leading to the deterioration of both visual appearance and flavor quality.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2026.1745511","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]],"date-time":"2026-01-30T09:48:14Z","timestamp":1769766494000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Differential chlorophyll and carotenoid degradation underpin poor curing colour of low-quality flue-cured tobacco leaves"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"17","author":[{"given":"Shikang","family":"Fan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences","place":["Kunming, China"]},{"name":"College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University","place":["Chongqing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Weinan","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University","place":["Chongqing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yunfei","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences","place":["Kunming, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yi","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences","place":["Kunming, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Yonglei","family":"Jiang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences","place":["Kunming, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nan","family":"Shi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences","place":["Kunming, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dongfang","family":"Zheng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences","place":["Kunming, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Baole","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences","place":["Kunming, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wanpeng","family":"Xi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Southwest University","place":["Chongqing, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Binbin","family":"Hu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Yunnan Academy of Tobacco Agricultural Sciences","place":["Kunming, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1360\/yc-006-1280","article-title":"Factor analyses on aroma and flavor of tobacco leaves","author":"Biao","year":"2006","journal-title":"J. Yunnan Agric. University"},{"key":"B2","first-page":"38","article-title":"Advance in leaf curing characteristics of flue-cured tobacco","volume":"30","author":"Changyi","year":"2009","journal-title":"Chin. Tobacco Sci."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1186\/s12870-019-2143-x","article-title":"Dynamic changes in physiological and biochemical properties of flue-cured tobacco of different leaf ages during flue-curing and their effects on yield and quality","volume":"19","author":"Chen","year":"2019","journal-title":"BMC Plant Biol."},{"key":"B4","article-title":"Effects of basal-fertilizing application methods on the chemical components and smoking quality of flue-cured tobacco","volume":"33","author":"Erdeng","year":"2018","journal-title":"J. Yunnan Agric. University(Natural Science)"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1432","DOI":"10.1134\/S1064229322602724","article-title":"Current research and perspective of soil nutrients spatial variation characteristics in flue-cured tobacco planting soil in China","volume":"56","author":"Feng","year":"2023","journal-title":"Eurasian Soil Sci."},{"key":"B6","first-page":"1","article-title":"Degradation of chlorophyll during processing of green vegetables: a review","volume":"2","author":"Gaur","year":"2006","journal-title":"Stewart Postharvest Rev."},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"8","DOI":"10.1016\/0924-2244(96)81352-5","article-title":"Chlorophyll degradation in processed foods and senescent plant tissues","volume":"7","author":"Heaton","year":"1996","journal-title":"Trends Food Sci. Technol."},{"key":"B8","first-page":"107","article-title":"THE DEGRADATION OF CHLOROPHYLL \u2014 A BIOLOGICAL ENIGMA","volume":"107","author":"Hendry","year":"2010","journal-title":"New Phytol."},{"key":"B9","article-title":"Study on chromoplast pigment and its degrading products of the flue-cured tobacco from different producing regions in China","volume":"26","author":"Hongqi","year":"2004","journal-title":"J.\u00a0Southwest University (Natural Science)"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1300\/J064v24n01_09","article-title":"Physiological activity of oriental tobacco leaves during different curing process","author":"Hua-Dong","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Yunnan Agric. University"},{"key":"B11","first-page":"1","article-title":"Application of GC\/MS fingerprint in the quality control of the flue-cured tobacco","volume":"34","author":"Jianmin","year":"2013","journal-title":"J. South China Agric. Univ."},{"key":"B12","first-page":"128","article-title":"The comparison on the content of Chromoplast pigments and volatile aromatic materials of flue-cured tobacco from domestic and abroad","volume":"31","author":"Jiheng","year":"2005","journal-title":"Hunan Nong ye da xue xue bao= J. Hunan Agric. Univ."},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"885","DOI":"10.1021\/cr50029a004","article-title":"The chemical constituents of tobacco and tobacco smoke","volume":"59","author":"Johnstone","year":"1959","journal-title":"Chem. Rev."},{"key":"B14","article-title":"Leaf Chemistry","volume-title":"Tobacco: Production, Chemistry and Technology","author":"Leffingwell","year":"1999"},{"key":"B15","article-title":"Study on relationship between electrical conductivity and color value of flue-cured tobacco during curing","volume":"34","author":"Li","year":"2022","journal-title":"Acta Agriculturae Jiangxi"},{"key":"B16","first-page":"87","article-title":"The field harvest standard of leaves at different maturity degrees of flue-cured tobacco variety Yunyan","volume":"87","author":"Li-Ting","year":"2014","journal-title":"Hunan Agric. Sci."},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"157","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-012520915-1\/50013-8","article-title":"Leaf senescence and nitrogen metabolism","volume":"2004","author":"Mae","year":"2004","journal-title":"Plant Cell Death Processes"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2022.1074029","article-title":"Widely targeted metabolomics analysis reveals the mechanism of quality improvement of flue-cured tobacco","volume":"13","author":"Meng","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front. Plant Sci."},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"166","DOI":"10.1038\/s41598-023-50801-1","article-title":"Analysis of the relationship between color and natural pigments of tobacco leaves during curing","volume":"14","author":"Meng","year":"2024","journal-title":"Sci. Rep."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"68","DOI":"10.1016\/j.molp.2014.12.007","article-title":"Carotenoid metabolism in plants","volume":"8","author":"Nisar","year":"2015","journal-title":"Mol. Plant"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3446","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules24193446","article-title":"Carotenoid-related volatile compounds of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) essential oils","volume":"24","author":"Popova","year":"2019","journal-title":"Molecules"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1300\/J064v24n01_09","article-title":"Study on chromoplast pigments and its degrading products of the flue-cured tobacco from different producting reginons in China","author":"Qi","year":"2004","journal-title":"J. Southwest Agric. University"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"244","DOI":"10.3109\/10408444.2011.650789","article-title":"Scientific assessment of the use of sugars as cigarette tobacco ingredients: A review of published and other publicly available studies","volume":"42","author":"Roemer","year":"2012","journal-title":"Crit. Rev. Toxicol."},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1023","DOI":"10.1021\/jf00123a037","article-title":"Quantitation of the major cuticular components from green leaf of different tobacco types","volume":"32","author":"Severson","year":"1984","journal-title":"J. Agric. Food Chem."},{"key":"B25","article-title":"Analysis of important aroma components in flue-cured tobacco leaves from different ecological regions","volume":"23","author":"Shuping","year":"2004","journal-title":"Acta Tabacaria Sinica"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S1671-2927(09)60229-7","article-title":"The mechanism of carotenoid degradation in flue-cured tobacco and changes in the related enzyme activities at the leaf-drying stage during the bulk curing process","volume":"9","author":"Song","year":"2010","journal-title":"Agric. Sci. China"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"58","DOI":"10.1016\/j.molp.2017.09.010","article-title":"Carotenoid metabolism in plants: the role of plastids","volume":"11","author":"Sun","year":"2018","journal-title":"Mol. Plant"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1789","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fct.2006.06.016","article-title":"Sugars as tobacco\u00a0ingredient: Effects on mainstream smoke composition","volume":"44","author":"Talhout","year":"2006","journal-title":"Food Chem. Toxicol."},{"key":"B29","first-page":"35","article-title":"Analysis of expression differences of carotenoid synthesis and metabolism related genes in chimonanthus praecox","volume":"44","author":"Tian","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Southwest Univ. Natural Sci. Edition"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/carcin\/12.2.257","article-title":"N-Nitroso compounds in cigarette tobacco and their occurrence in mainstream tobacco smoke","volume":"257","author":"Tricker","year":"1991","journal-title":"Carcinogenesis"},{"key":"B31","article-title":"Study\u00a0on\u00a0chloroplast ultrastructure of flue-cured tobacco leaves and its relationship\u00a0with degrading products of plastid pigment","volume":"24","author":"Wang","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Agricultural Sci. Technol"},{"key":"B32","first-page":"103","article-title":"Study on ultrastructure and physiological characteristic changes of senescence flue-cured tobacco leaves","volume":"28","author":"Wang","year":"2012","journal-title":"Chin. Agr Sci. Bull."},{"key":"B33","article-title":"Effect of different baking process on the\u00a0volatile aroma substances of the flue-cured tobacco leaves","volume":"2","author":"Wei-Jie","year":"2014","journal-title":"J. Anhui Agric. Sci"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"120005","DOI":"10.1016\/j.indcrop.2024.120005","article-title":"Microbial community succession patterns and metabolite profiles in cigar tobacco during different mildew stages","volume":"222","author":"Wu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Ind. Crops Products"},{"key":"B35","first-page":"64","article-title":"Chemical component usability\u00a0of flue-cured tobacco leaves in Guangdong tobacco-growing area","volume":"40","author":"Xiaobin","year":"2019","journal-title":"Chin. Tobacco Sci."},{"key":"B36","first-page":"234","article-title":"Comparison of composition and contents of chemical component and neutral aroma components in different types of tobacco","volume":"27","author":"Xiao-Dan","year":"2012","journal-title":"Acta Agriculturae Boreali-Sinica"},{"key":"B37","first-page":"2033","article-title":"Differences of physiological and biochemical indexes of upper fresh leaves and post-growth roots in different quality stages","volume":"18","author":"Xie","year":"2017","journal-title":"Agric. Sci. Technol."},{"key":"B38","first-page":"2917","article-title":"Optimization of key parameters and matched tobacco leaf flue-curing technology for mobile curing barns","volume":"55","author":"Xing-sheng","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. South. Agric."},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3389\/fpls.2025.1653539","article-title":"Comparative\u00a0analysis of physiological and biochemical traits in tobacco leaves of varying quality during development","volume":"16","author":"Yang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Front. Plant Sci."},{"key":"B40","first-page":"76","article-title":"Effects\u00a0of\u00a0combining application of N,P,K fertilizers on chemical components and content of aroma constituents in flue-cured tobacco leaves","volume":"12","author":"Yaofu","year":"2006","journal-title":"Plant Nutr. Fertilizer Sci."},{"key":"B41","first-page":"2908","article-title":"Relationship between moisture diffusion ability and mobility of harvested upper tobacco leaf during drying","volume":"55","author":"Yong","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. South. Agric."},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"121931","DOI":"10.1016\/j.indcrop.2025.121931","article-title":"Comprehensive evaluation and mechanisms of tobacco quality improvement via microbial fermentation","volume":"236","author":"Zhang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Ind. Crops Products"},{"key":"B43","article-title":"Research progress on physiological characteristics of mature upper leaves of flue-cured tobacco","volume":"55","author":"Zhonglin","year":"2022","journal-title":"Tobacco Sci. Technol."},{"key":"B44","article-title":"Studies on the main volatile aroma\u00a0components in tobacco from different flue-cured tobacco production regions","author":"Zhou","year":"2004","journal-title":"J.\u00a0Hunan Agricultural Univ. (Natural Sci.)"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Plant Science"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpls.2026.1745511\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]],"date-time":"2026-01-30T09:48:18Z","timestamp":1769766498000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpls.2026.1745511\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]]},"references-count":44,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpls.2026.1745511"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpls.2026.1745511","relation":{},"ISSN":["1664-462X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1664-462X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,30]]},"article-number":"1745511"}}