Enhancing shelf life of lignocellulolytic fungal and bacterial consortia through capsule formulation

Abstract

Agricultural crop residues such as sugarcane bagasse, paddy husk, wheat straw, vegetable waste, and crop stalks represent a major source of lignocellulosic biomass. In the present study, 37 microorganisms (27 fungal and 10 bacterial isolates) were isolated from partially decomposed agricultural wastes and screened in vitro for lignocellulolytic activity. Among these, five fungal and five bacterial isolates exhibited the highest enzymatic potential and were selected for encapsulation and shelf-life evaluation. The formulated fungal and bacterial bio-capsules were assessed for viability over a six-month storage period. Initial viable counts ranged from 28.63 to 48.11 CFU/g for fungal isolates and 16.83 to 27.93 CFU/g for bacterial isolates. A gradual decline in viability was observed during storage, with T1 treatment maintaining the highest viability at 180 days (26.71 CFU/g for fungi and 27.93 CFU/g for bacteria). The results indicate that encapsulated formulations effectively preserved microbial viability for up to six months, demonstrating their potential for long-term application as bioinoculants in sustainable agriculture.