Enhanced lignin degradation by Irpex lacteus through expanded sterilization further improved the fermentation quality and microbial community during the silage preservation process

Traditional autoclaving, slow degradation rate and preservation of biomass treated by fungi are the main factors restricting biological treatment. In our previous studies, strains with high efficiency and selective lignin degradation ability were obtained. To further solve the limiting factors of biological treatment, this paper proposed a composite treatment technology, which could replace autoclaves for fungal treatment and improve the preservation and utilization of fungal-pretreated straw. The autoclaved and expanded buckwheat straw were, respectively, degraded by Irpex lacteus for 14 days (CIL, EIL), followed by ensiling of raw materials (CK) and biodegraded straw of CIL and EIL samples with Lactobacillus plantarum for different days, respectively (CP, CIP, EIP). An expansion led to lactic acid bacteria, mold, and yeast of the samples below the detection line, and aerobic bacteria was significantly reduced, indicating a positive sterilization effect. Expansion before I. lacteus significantly enhanced lignin selective degradation by about 6%, and the absolute content of natural detergent solute was about 5% higher than that of the CIL. Moreover, EIL decreased pH by producing higher organic acids. The combination treatment created favorable conditions for ensiling. During ensiling, EIP silage produced high lactic acid about 26.83 g/kg DM and the highest acetic acid about 22.35 g/kg DM, and the pH value could be stable at 4.50. Expansion before I. lacteus optimized the microbial community for ensiling, resulting in EIP silage co-dominated by Lactobacillus , Pediococcus and Weissella , whereas only Lactobacillus was always dominant in CP and CIP silage. Clavispora gradually replaced Irpex in EIP silage, which potentially promoted lactic acid bacteria growth and acetic acid production. In vitro gas production (IVGP) in EIL was increased by 30% relative to CK and was higher than 24% in CIL. The role of expansion was more significant after ensiling, the IVGP in EIP was increased by 22% relative to CP, while that in CIP silage was only increased by 9%. Silage of fungal-treated samples reduced methane emissions by 28% to 31%. The study demonstrated that expansion provides advantages for fungal colonization and delignification, and further improves the microbial community and fermentation quality for silage, enhancing the nutrition and utilization value. This has practical application value for scaling up biological treatment and preserving the fungal-treated lignocellulose. Graphical Abstract