Biomass to value-added products using microbial consortia with white-rot fungi

Abstract White-rot fungi are commonly known for their extracellular enzymes playing crucial roles in nutrient cycling and biotechnological applications. The use of microbial consortia in engineered systems has shown the potential to increase enzymatic activity and induce the expression of other metabolites undetected in axenic cultures. Researchers using white-rot fungi-containing consortia have obtained various products including ligninolytic and cellulolytic enzymes, fermentable sugars, biofuels and biochemicals, biogas, organic fertilizer, and feed products. The selection of the interacting species and culture dynamics during antagonistic competitive interactions is fundamental in the quantity and quality of the product. Recent omics studies have identified proteins differentially expressed during pairwise combinations of some popular white-rot fungi, but detailed mechanisms of the interactions remain largely unelucidated. Developments on genetic tools for basidiomycetes and high throughput mass spectrometry technologies may contribute to the rational design of white-rot fungi consortia to valorize lignocellulosic biomass.