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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #211663
Title: Physical Properties of Low Oil Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS)

Author
item HERR SAUNDERS, JESSICA - SOUTH DAKOTA STATE UNIV
item Rosentrater, Kurt

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/30/2007
Publication Date: 6/19/2007
Citation: Herr Saunders, J., Rosentrater, K.A. 2007. Physical Properties of Low Oil Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS). 2007 ASABE Annual International Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, June 17-20, 2007. Available online: www.asabe.org.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Corn-based ethanol production is exponentially growing in the U.S. As the use of ethanol as a fuel source increases, so does the need to find valuable uses for coproducts of the production process, such as distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). DDGS is a good source of nutrients, energy, and protein. Currently DDGS is sold by ethanol processors as livestock feed, thereby increasing profit for the production plants. As the industry continues to grow, there will be a growing need to find additional uses for DDGS. Physical and chemical properties of coproduct streams are becoming increasingly investigated, as these characteristics affect many aspects of utilization, such as target species, optimal dietary inclusion rates, transportation, flowability, and behavior during storage. Potential avenues for future use of DDGS may include value added feed, food, and industrial products. Additionally, much interest lies in extracting oil from DDGS to produce biodiesel and other products. If oil is extracted from DDGS, the resulting chemical and physical properties of the remaining constituents may be substantially altered. Thus the objective of this research was to quantify, using standard laboratory methods, physical property values for low oil DDGS, including moisture content, water activity, thermal properties, bulk density, angle of repose, and color. Results from this study will be valuable to ethanol manufacturers and livestock producers alike, as more uses for ethanol coproducts are implemented. Thus more value can be extracted from the humble kernel of corn.