Brewers´ spent grain as food ingredient. The path from residual product at the brewery to tasty, nutritious, safe and sustainable products on the consumer´s plate.

Brewers’ spent grain (BSG) is a by-product that is formed in significant quantities during beer production. Currently, BSG is mainly used for animal feed and production of biogas.

However, the high nutritional value of BSG means that it has great potential to be valorised into an innovative, healthy and environmentally sustainable food ingredient.

The project´s objective is to optimize the entire chain, from handling of BSG at the brewery, via processing, to the production of tasty and nutritious foods that contribute to a circular economy through better utilization of a valuable by-product.BSG is supplied in both wet and dry form. It is then treated with various processes to obtain desired properties for the intended applications.

The processes include drying, milling, enzyme treatment and fermentation in various combinations. BSG is used as an ingredient in three products; rusks, bread and an extruded cereal.

The ambition is for the products to contain at least 30% BSG.The raw material´s structure, particle size, nutrient content and microbial status are evaluated both before and after the different processing steps. The final food products are evaluated with regard to sensory properties, consumer acceptance and nutritional content.

An assessment of the environmental impact of the entire process is also carried out.A better utilization of BSG is favorable from a sustainability perspective, but also contributes with societal benefits regarding public health and economy.