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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania » Eastern Regional Research Center » Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #414227
Research Project: Chemical Conversion of Biomass into High Value Products

Location: Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research

Title: Utilization of brewer’s spent grain for isolation of functional components

Author
item Yadav, Madhav
item MAINALI, KALIDAS - Oak Ridge Institute For Science And Education (ORISE)
item Sharma, Brajendra - Bk
item Sarker, Majher
item Ngo, Helen

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Brewer's spent grain (BSG) is the main by-product of the beer and distillation industries. BSG is obtained mostly as a solid residue after wort production in the brewing process. It is often used as supplemental animal feed, especially for cattle but at a low cost. BSG is a valuable by-product that is rich in nutrients such as dietary fibers (hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin), proteins, minerals, vitamins, and lipids. It can be utilized to produce high-value products, such as carbonaceous materials and functional ingredients for use in food and non-food products. In this study, we have isolated four major functional components: hemicellulose A (21.4 %), hemicellulose B (18.5 %), cellulosic-rich fraction (17.4 %), and oligosaccharides (5.5 %) from hexane extracted BSG and characterized them. Component analysis revealed that hemicellulose A contains the highest fixed carbon (20 %), followed by hexane-extracted BSG (17.1 %), cellulose-rich fraction (14.6 %), and hemicellulose B (14.5%). Standard proximate analysis showed that hemicellulose A contains the highest percent of protein (66 %) in comparison to other fractions. Characterization of these fractions shows that these can be used to produce useful carbonaceous materials including nitrogen-doped biochar. Isolating and characterizing the functional components present in the brewing by-products will help increase its value and which will benefit both processors and US farmers.