Improved chemical pulping and saccharification of a natural mulberry mutant deficient in cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase

Abstract Lignin content and its molecular structure influence various wood characteristics. In this study, the anatomical physicochemical properties of derived from a naturally occurring mulberry mutant deficient in cinnamyl alcohol dehydrogenase (CAD), key enzyme lignin biosynthesis, were analyzed using conventional staining assays on stem sections, length width measurements xylem fiber cells, pulping saccharification assays, sugar compositional analysis extractive-free powder. The present data indicate that mutation CAD gene leads to improved delignification efficiency, increased pulp yield under alkaline conditions, enhanced efficiency following pretreatment. This study opens up new avenues for multipurpose use CAD-deficient as raw material biorefinery processes, addition traditional favored feed silkworms.