title: Microscopic Structural Changes in Paddy Straw Pretreated with Trichoderma reesei MTCC 164 and Coriolus versicolor MTCC 138.
abstract: The present study reports the pretreatment of paddy straw by Trichoderma reesei MTCC 164 and Coriolus versicolor MTCC 138 to observe the changes in chemical composition and its correlation with change of surface structure, morphology and porosity of paddy straw. Compared with untreated straw, cellulose decreased by 15.9 and 19.3 % in T. reesei MTCC 164 and C. versicolor MTCC 138 pretreated paddy straw respectively. Lignin content increased by 41.4 % in T. reesei pretreated paddy straw whereas decreased by 19.1 % in C. versicolor pretreated straw. The microscopic structural changes were examined by scanning electron microscopy under reasonable conditions. Results showed that digestibility of paddy straw are increased by treating paddy straw with both the cultures. Both surface area and pore size of treated straw were increased partially due to solubilization of silica components.
authors.affiliation: School of Energy Studies for Agriculture, College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 141004 Punjab India.
authors.forename: Urmila Gupta
authors.initials: UG
authors.lastname: Phutela
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 141004 Punjab India.
authors.forename: Nidhi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sahni
keywords: Fungal pretreatment; Lignin degradation; Paddy straw; SEM; Silica removal