Innovative Nanofibrillated Cellulose from Rice Straw as Dietary Fiber for Enhanced Health Benefits Prepared by a Green and Scale Production Method

Abstract

Increased focus has been directed toward the use of agricultural residues. Conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to nanocellulose, such as nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) has prompted a revolution in biobased materials for diverse applications. Currently used chemical methods for the preparation of NFC are not environmentally friendly and even exhibit toxicity, limiting the application of NFC in food. The present study proposes an innovative NFC as dietary fiber, prepared using a green and scale production method. This technique provides an integrated approach that combines physicochemical pretreatment (high-density steam flash-explosion, HDSF at 2.0 MPa) and successively enzymatic catalysts (45 U/g xylanase for 3 h, 60 U/g laccase for 4 h, and 150 U/g cellulose for 12 h) for the conversion of rice straw into NFC which is characterized by long and distinct fibrillated cellulose with widths of 30–200 nm, exhibiting excellent water retention capacity (20 g water/g) and swelling capacity (105 mL/g). Based on...