Bamboo shoots, as a representative non-wood forest product, have a long history as a food source and have gained interests from scientists and industry for their potential as a sustainable nutrition resource to address the needs of future populations and ensure food security.

Bamboo shoots or bamboo sprouts are the edible shoots (new bamboo culms that come out of the ground) of many bamboo species including Bambusa vulgaris and Phyllostachys edulis. They are used as vegetables in numerous Asian dishes and broths .

Bamboo shoots, as a typical non-wood forest product (NWFPs) and an underestimated natural resource in the international scenario, have great potential to become a mainstream food worldwide and contribute to United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals.

In contrast to bamboo leaves, the bamboo shoot phytologically refers to the aerial bud or meristematic tissue of bamboo plants. It is often known as the young, juvenile, tender, immature or expanding culms/stalks emerging from the nodes of the pseudo rhizomes of bamboo plants.

This study aimed to explore the impact of bamboo forest conversion on shoot appearance quality, elucidating the contributions of external factors (canopy structures, environmental factors, and mother bamboo structures) and internal factors (pigments and cells).