Abstract: In order to investigate the differences in volatile and semi-volatile mainstream cigarette smoke components caused by cut laminar strips and cut stems, a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method was used to profile 297 components in gas and particulate phases of mainstream smoke. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) were used to reduce the data dimensionality and combined with t test to screen the differential compounds in mainstream smoke containing cut laminar strips and cut stems. The results showed that a total of 53 compounds with distinct differences were found, including hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids, alcohols, phenols, nitrogen heterocycles, aldehydes, ketones, furans and esters. Among them, hydrocarbons, carboxylic acids, alcohols, phenols and nitrogen heterocycles accounted for a considerable proportion. On a relative release per unit tar basis, 66% of the compounds in mainstream smoke of cut laminar strips were higher than those of cut stems, of which 42% of the compounds were 2 times or higher, and some even by more than 10 times. The relative imbalance of compounds in the smoke from cut stem cigarettes led to strong irritation and heavy stem smell. This work analyzed the restriction in the usage of tobacco stems at a mechanistic level, thus provided a scientific reference for cigarettes' sensory quality and tobacco utilization.