Dynamical assessment of fluorescent probes mobility in poplar cell walls reveals nanopores govern saccharification

Background Improving lignocellulolytic enzymes’ diffusion and accessibility to their substrate in the plant cell walls is recognised as a critical issue for optimising saccharification. Although many chemical features are considered as detrimental to saccharification, enzymes’ dynamics within the cell walls remains poorly explored and understood. To address this issue, poplar fragments were submitted to hot water and ionic liquid pretreatments selected for their contrasted effects on both the structure and composition of lignocellulose. In addition to chemical composition and porosity analyses, the diffusion of polyethylene glycol probes of different sizes was measured at three different time points during the saccharification.