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Methodizing and improving lignocellulose transformation is a pivotal strategic challenge for efficient biorefineries. Our research attempts to better understand and prioritize the factors that shape recalcitrance to enzymatic degradation.

The recalcitrance of a biomass stems from multiple interplaying factors: lignin content plays a key role, but heterogeneous degradation has been correlated to cell wall structure and composition and to the wider histological and biochemical heterogeneity of lignocellulosic substrate.

Our work breaks new ground by employing a novel mass spectrometry imaging approach to directly observe the local-point hydrolyzability of the crop tissue. This approach goes beyond mapping of lignified tissues, as it measures the joint impact of lignin and polysaccharides in the tissue on accessibility to enzymes and efficiency of the enzymatic reaction.