The biotechnological potential of anaerobic fungi on fiber degradation and methane production

Anaerobic fungi (phylum Neocallimastigomycota), an early branching family of fungi, are commonly encountered in the digestive tract of mammalian herbivores. To date, isolates from ten described genera have been reported, and several novel taxonomic groupings are detected using culture-independent molecular methods. Anaerobic fungi are recognized as playing key roles in the decomposition of lignocellulose (up to 50% of the ingested and untreated lignocellulose), with their physical penetration and extracellular enzymatical secretion of an unbiased diverse repertoire of cell-wall-degrading enzymes. The secreted cell-wall-degrading enzymes of anaerobic fungi include both free enzymes and extracellular multi-enzyme complexes called cellulosomes, both of which have potential as fiber degraders in industries. In addition, anaerobic fungi can provide large amounts of substrates such as hydrogen, formate, and acetate for their co-cultured methanogens. Consequently, large amounts of methane can be produced. And thus, it is promising to use the co-culture of anaerobic fungi and methanogens in the biogas process to intensify the biogas yield owing to the efficient and robust degradation of recalcitrant biomass by anaerobic fungi and improved methane production from co-cultures of anaerobic fungi and methanogens.