Understanding the xylan content for enhanced enzymatic hydrolysis of individual bamboo fiber and parenchyma cells

To enhance the understanding of the effect of xylan removal on the cellulose ultrastructure and subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis, the top-down influence of xylan content on the cell wall, cellulose microfibrils, and crystal structure of individual bamboo fiber and parenchyma cells were investigated. The results indicated that partial xylan removal (27.49%-37.46% for the fiber and 19.03%-27.98% for the parenchyma) significantly improved the cellulose digestibility due to larger crystal size and greater microfibril exposure while retaining the cell wall structure intact. However, excessive xylan degradation resulted in cell wall swelling and deformation, cellulose microfibril coalescence, and smaller crystal size, leading to a lower conversion yield of cellulose.