Selective removal of lignin with sodium chlorite to improve the quality and antioxidant activity of xylo-oligosaccharides from lignocellulosic biomass

• Published in: Bioresource technology 2021-10, Vol.337, p.125506-125506, Article 125506
• Main Authors: Wang, Yuehai, Yang, Yongqing, Qu, Yongshui, Zhang, Jie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antioxidant activity; Delignification; Lignocellulosic biomass; Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS)
• ISSN: 0960-8524; 1873-2976
• DOI: 10.1016/j.biortech.2021.125506

[Display omitted] •Different delignified samples were successfully obtained with sodium chlorite.•A high-quality hemicellulose was acquired via selective removal of lignin.•High purity (96.3%) and yield (77.4%) of xylo-oligosaccharides was obtained.•The highest radical scavenging activity of xylo-oligosaccharides was 87.3%. As a key anti-degradation barrier that restricts the biotransformation of lignocellulose, the presence of lignin usually severely affects the quality of the extracted xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS). Herein, this study proposed a practical route to improve the quality and antioxidant activity of XOS extracted from lignocellulosic biomass via selective removal of lignin. The highest delignification of 92.6% was successfully achieved with 8% sodium chlorite at 75°C for 2 h. An ideal hemicellulose sample with a purity of 86.1% was obtained by selective removal of lignin. A high-quality XOS sample with a purity of 96.3%, a yield of 77.4%, and a color value of 814 was obtained by separating and purifying the enzymatic hydrolysate. Antioxidant activity assay showed that the highest radical scavenging activity of XOS was 87.3%. Importantly, this study provide a feasible and effective route for the lignocellulosic biomass utilization strategy based on the selective removal of lignin.