Bamboo shoots, 2- and 5-year-old bamboo were treated by using a homogenizer in a constant suspended state, a process termed as ultra-high pressure explosion (UHPE). The bamboo powder was heated in 2% NaOH solution at 121 degrees C, and then 100 MPa UHPE-treated through a homogenizer. The results verified that UHPE changed the suspension solution of powder into a stick fluid. The contents of lignin were decreased significantly. The bamboo shoots and 2-year-old bamboo were completely hydrolyzed to glucose within 48 h by enzymes loading of 15 FPU of cellulase and 30 IU of beta-glucosidase per gram glucan. Fermentation of enzymatic hydrolyzates with Saccharomyces cerevisiae resulted in about 89.7-95.1% of the theoretical ethanol yield after 24 h. Therefore, NaOH + UHPE is argued to be a potential alternative technology for pretreatment of bamboo. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.