Natural lignin modulators improve bagasse saccharification of sugarcane and energy cane in field trials

• Published in: Global change biology. Bioenergy Vol. 15; no. 12; pp. 1465 - 1476
• Main Authors: de Oliveira, Viviane Fátima, Figueiredo, Lucas, de Oliveira Correia, Gabriel, da Silva Machado, Maria de Fátima Pires, Neto, Hugo Zeni, dos Santos, Wanderley Dantas, Mangolin, Claudete Aparecida
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.12.2023; Wiley
• Subjects: Agricultural production; Bagasse; Biodiesel fuels; Biofuels; Biomass; Biosynthesis; Carbon; Cellulose; Cinnamic acid; Cloning; Coenzyme A; Corn; Crops; Cultivars; energy cane; Energy industry; enzyme inhibitors saccharification; Enzymes; Ethanol; Fermentation; Inhibitors; Lignin; Lignocellulose; Modulators; Pretreatment; Productivity; Saccharification; Saccharum spp; Sugarcane
• ISSN: 1757-1693; 1757-1707
• DOI: 10.1111/gcbb.13108

Abstract The burgeoning cellulosic ethanol industry necessitates advancements in enzymatic saccharification, effective pretreatments for lignin removal, and the cultivation of crops more amenable to saccharification. Studies have demonstrated that natural inhibitors of lignin biosynthesis can enhance the saccharification of lignocellulose, even in tissues generated several months post‐treatment. In this study, we applied daidzin (a competitive inhibitor of coniferaldehyde dehydrogenase), piperonylic acid (a quasi ‐irreversible inhibitor of cinnamate 4‐hydroxylase), and methylenedioxy cinnamic acid (a competitive inhibitor of 4‐coenzyme A ligase) to 60‐day‐old crops of two conventional Brazilian sugarcane cultivars and two energy cane clones, bred specifically for enhanced biomass production. The resultant biomasses were evaluated for lignin content and enzymatic saccharification efficiency without additional lignin‐removal pretreatments. The treatments amplified the production of fermentable sugars in both the sugarcane cultivars and energy cane clones. The most successful results softened the most recalcitrant lignocellulose to the level of the least recalcitrant of the biomasses tested. Interestingly, the softest material became even more susceptible to saccharification.