Int.J.Curr.Microbiol.App.Sci (2020) 9(7): 1747-1762 1747 Review Article https://doi.org/10.20546/ijcmas.2020.907.201 Fermentation Technology: A Viable Tool for Bio-conversion of Lignocellulosic Biomass into Value-Added Products Mageshwaran Vellaichamy * and Anil Kumar Saxena ICAR- National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Microorganisms (NBAIM), Kushmaur, Mau Nath Bhanjan, Uttar Pradesh – 275 103, India *Corresponding author ABSTRACT Introduction Microorganisms are unique creatures in the universe that they are capable of growing in diverse environmental conditions. This makes them suitable for exploration for various applications by human kind. These tiny creatures are related to human being in day to day life in several ways. In relation to human being, broadly microorganisms are classified into two groups’ viz., pathogenic and beneficial microorganisms. The pathogenic microbes are the one which causes diseases or illness and beneficial microbes are those related to well being of human kind. Man makes use of microorganisms for his welfare since for many centuries. The use of microbes for bread making, wine and beer making are well known since very long. The exploitation of microorganism’s for synthesis of products International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 9 Number 7 (2020) Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas.com The diminishing fossil resources over the last few decades forced us to look for alternative renewable sources to meet the increasing demand for energy and chemicals. The nature gifted agro-biomass is renewable and available in plenty and have huge potential to cater the ever growing demands of human beings. The agro-biomass is majorly made up of lignocellulose which is highly resistant to biodegradation. Some specific groups of microorganisms are capable to degrade this complex lignocellulosic structure. The agro/lignocellulosic biomass is found to be a cheap and viable substrate for fermentative production of value added products having industrial significance. The pretreatment is important for effective action of lignocellulolytic microorganisms and its enzymes on lignocellulosic substrate. Besides bio-fuel, the fermentation of lignocellulosic substrates has wide applications such as production of fine chemicals, animal feed etc. The fermentative conversion of agro-biomass into bio-manure and oyster mushroom cultivation brings additional income to the farmers. Keywords Biofuels, Enzymes, Fermentation, Growth, Lignocellulose, Microorganisms Accepted: 17 June 2020 Available Online: 10 July 2020 Article Info