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Previous studies on the application of molten hydrate salts, such as zinc chloride tetrahydrate, in biomass refining have proven their efficiency as non-derivatising pre-treatment solvents. The possibility of using this salt media as a platform for simultaneous pretreatment of biomass and bioconversion of resulting sugars into biocommodities could be strengthened by investigating the physiological acclimatization of selected microbial agents capable of biocatalysis in the relatively high salt media. This study sought to investigate the biocompatibility of ZnCl2 salt pretreatment media with a mixed-consortia of microbes using dissolved corncob and glucose as carbon sources. Quantification of DNA extracted from product stream at 24 h intervals revealed the negative influence of the salt concentration on general microbial life, but the microbial activity during the period was immensely reduced, making the application of molecular techniques for identification of the active microbial agents inevitable. 16s rRNA metagenomics analysis of the raw cow dung and product samples revealed a total 1765 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Overall, species belonging to the Clostridia and Bacilli were the most represented genera at the analyzed salt concentration (0.9 M L-1). The findings documented herein could be instrumental to developing more advanced and consolidated bio/chemo catalytic process for lignocellulosic biomass conversion to biocommodities., Proceedings of the 25th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, 12-15 June 2017, Stockholm, Sweden, pp. 1264-1270