Microwave-assisted organic acid extraction of lignin from bamboo: Structure and antioxidant activity investigation

► Bamboo lignin was extracted by microwave heating assisted by organic acids. ► Increasing extraction severity resulted in increased phenolic hydroxyl content. ► The extracted lignin had antioxidant activity higher than BHT. ► Extraction at 109°C for 60min resulted in a lignin yield of 17.98%. Microwave-assisted extraction in organic acid aqueous solution (formic acid/acetic acid/water, 3/5/2, v/v/v) was applied to isolate lignin from bamboo. Additionally, the structural features of the extracted lignins were thoroughly investigated in terms of C9 formula, molecular weight distribution, FT-IR, 1H NMR and HSQC spectroscopy. It was found that with an increase in the severity of microwave-assisted extraction, there was an increase of phenolic hydroxyl content in the lignin. In addition, an increase of the severity resulted in a decrease of the bound carbohydrate content as well as molecular weight of the lignin. Antioxidant activity investigation indicated that the radical scavenging index of the extracted lignins (0.35–1.15) was higher than that of BHT (0.29) but lower than that of BHA (3.85). The results suggested that microwave-assisted organic acid extraction provides a promising way to prepare lignin from bamboo with good antioxidant activity for potential application in the food industry.