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Review
. 2020 Dec 13;10(12):1669.
doi: 10.3390/biom10121669.

Brewer's Spent Grains-Valuable Beer Industry By-Product

Mateusz Jackowski  1 , Łukasz Niedźwiecki  2 , Kacper Jagiełło  1 , Oliwia Uchańska  3 , Anna Trusek  1
Affiliations
Review

Brewer's Spent Grains-Valuable Beer Industry By-Product

Mateusz Jackowski et al. Biomolecules. .

Abstract

The brewing sector is a significant part of the global food industry. Breweries produce large quantities of wastes, including wastewater and brewer's spent grains. Currently, upcycling of food industry by-products is one of the principles of the circular economy. The aim of this review is to present possible ways to utilize common solid by-product from the brewing sector. Brewer's spent grains (BSG) is a good material for sorption and processing into activated carbon. Another way to utilize spent grains is to use them as a fuel in raw form, after hydrothermal carbonization or as a feedstock for anaerobic digestion. The mentioned by-products may also be utilized in animal and human nutrition. Moreover, BSG is a waste rich in various substances that may be extracted for further utilization. It is likely that, in upcoming years, brewer's spent grains will not be considered as a by-product, but as a desirable raw material for various branches of industry.

Keywords: beer; biomethane; biosorbent; brewer’s spent grains (BSG); brewing by-product; circular economy; hydrochars; natural compounds extraction; nutrient; solid fuel; waste management.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Diagram of beer wort production with an emphasis on the main solid by-product.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Energetic valorization of BSG.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Possible ways to utilize BSG.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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