Exploration of seaweed degradation potential of the prioritized microbes as a green saccharification technology.

A novel pretreatment process based on prioritized microbes was developed to improve the yield of reducing sugars from red (Gracilaria corticata), brown (Sargassum wightii), and green (Ulva fasciata) seaweeds as a cheap, eco-friendly method for seaweed saccharification. Prioritization of six microbes from a collection of 24 microbes was initially done using a unique stepwise strategy considering different polysaccharides present in varied seaweed types. Final selection of three microbes was based on the release of reducing sugars from different seaweed groups in the saccharification process. The selected microbes significantly increased the release of reducing sugars compared to the control conditions in all three seaweed species, with significant differences (P<0.05) based on the media, microbes, seaweed species, processed condition, and days of hydrolysis. Factor analysis of mixed data indicated that microbes contributed to the maximum variability of the data. Vibrio parahaemolyticus caused the maximum biomass conversion ratio for reducing sugars from S. wightii (22.31 ± 0.65%) and U. fasciata (24.6 ± 1.28%) with an increment of 8.9% and 9.35%, respectively from control conditions. The maximum biomass conversion of G. corticata was 24.8 ± 0.51% following Bacillus amyloliquefaciens treatment with an increment of 6.39% from the control. Even though different combinations of three prioritized microbes produced better saccharification than the control conditions, individual use of prioritized microbes made a better release of reducing sugars. In brief, seaweed hydrolysis using the prioritized microbes of the present study can be applied to improve the saccharification process of seaweeds in an eco-friendly and less expensive platform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]