Microbial community analysis of anaerobic digestion of ensiled seaweed

To characterised the microbial communities involved in the anaerobic digestion of enisled seaweed (farmed Saccharina latissima ensiled with and without the addition of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) over 12 months storage). Three different LAB strains were used namely Lactobacilus casei subsp. casei 11970 (Lcc), Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 6105 (Lp) and Tetragenococcus halophilus 9477 (Th). The aim of this study was to investigate the biochemical methane potential (BMP) of fresh and ensiled Saccharina latissima (S.lat) and alongside this examine the microbial community responsible for degradation, to better understand the specific interactions between microbial populations and process function.