Microbial consortia for saccharification of woody biomass and ethanol fermentation

► It reports newly isolated Sistotrema brinkmannii and Agaricus arvensis producing high levels of lignocellulase. ► The mixed fungal culture exhibits a higher lignocellulase activity than each monoculture. ► Optimization of saccharification by response surface methodology exhibits the highest saccharification of plant biomasses. ► The co-culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Pichia stipitis produces more ethanol than that produced by each mono culture.