Protein production from brewer’s spent grain via wet fractionation: process optimization and techno-economic analysis

Comparative study on composition and functional properties of brewer's spent grain proteins precipitated by citric acid and hydrochloric acid

Brewer's spent grain (BSG) is an abundant agro-industrial residue and a sustainable low-cost source for extracting proteins. The composition and functionality of BSG protein concentrates are affected by extraction conditions. This study examined the use of citric acid (CA) and HCl to precipitate BSG proteins. The resultant protein concentrates were compared in terms of their composition and functional properties. The BSG protein concentrate precipitated by CA had 10% lower protein content, 5.8% higher carbohydrate, and 5.4% higher lipid content than the sample precipitated by HCl. Hydrophilic/hydrophobic protein and saturated/unsaturated fatty acid ratios increased by 16.9% and 26.5% respectively, in the sample precipitated by CA. The formation of CA-cross-linkages was verified using shotgun proteomics and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Precipitation by CA adversely affected protein solubility and emulsifying properties, while improving foaming properties. This study provides insights into the role of precipitants in modulating the properties of protein concentrates.

Unlocking hot trub's potential: a simple method for extracting bitter acids and xanthohumol

BACKGROUND

Hot trub is a macronutrient- and micronutrient-rich by-product generated in the brewing industry, which is still underrated as a raw material for reprocessing purposes. In this context, this study aimed to investigate the extraction of bitter acids' and xanthohumol from hot trub as well as identify the significance of parameters for the process. The research assessed various extraction parameters, such as pH, ethanol concentration, temperature, and solid-to-liquid ratio, using a Plackett-Burman design.

RESULTS

Ethanol concentration and pH were the most significant parameters affecting extraction yield. β-acids were found to be the principal components of the bitter acids, with a maximum concentration near 16 mg g-1, followed by iso-α-acids and α-acids achieving 6 and 3.6 mg g-1, respectively. The highest yields of bitter acids were observed in the highest ethanol concentration, while pH was relevant to extraction process in treatments with low ethanol ratios. Concerning the xanthohumol extraction, the approach achieved maximum concentration (239 μg g-1) in treatments with ethanol concentration above 30%. Despite their variances, the phytochemicals exhibited comparable extraction patterns, indicating similar interactions with macromolecules. Moreover, the characterization of the solid residues demonstrated that the extraction process did not bring about any alterations to the chemical and total protein profiles.

CONCLUSION

Ethanol concentration was found to have the most significant impact on the extraction of bitter acids and xanthohumol, while temperature had no significant effect. The solid remains resulting from the extraction showed potential for use as a protein source. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Valorisation of brewer's spent grain flour (BSGF) through wheat-maize-BSGF composite flour bread: optimization using D-optimal mixture design

Inclusion of brewer's spent grain flour (BSGF) in food formulations has been reported to have nutritional and health benefits due to the contents like, protein, fibre and phenolic compounds. Bread has been used as common vehicle for functional and nutritive ingredients due to its wide consumption. Several studies attempted to incorporate BSGF flour in baked products. Studies also have reported on the application of maize flour in bread and baked products. However, there is limited information on the possibility of producing bread from composite flour using BSGF with other widely consumed cereals like maize together with wheat flour. The study investigated the optimization of bread recipe made from wheat flour, maize flour and BSGF in order to attain optimal physicochemical and sensory attributes using D-optimal mixture design. A total of 16 runs were formulated using design expert software. The blend proportions of wheat, maize and BSGF had a significant (p < 0.05) influence on bread specific volume, volume and density. Increase in BSGF proportion decreased the specific volume and volume whereas the loaf density increased. The specific volume increased with increase in wheat flour proportion. The combination of high levels of BSGF and maize, however, brought about a slight increase in specific volume compared to combinations of low levels of BSGF and maize flour. The fibre, protein and ash content of bread significantly (p < 0.05) increased with increase in BSGF and maize proportion whereas the effect of maize flour was less pronounced compared to BSGF. The sensory attributes including colour, taste, flavour, texture and overall acceptability were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced with increase in BSGF and maize flour content. Using the optimization criteria where all sensory attributes have to be at least “like slightly” intensity, maximized, specific volume, fiber and protein, that the best results were found between 73 to 87% of wheat, 9–20% maize, and 0–11% BSGF based on graphical optimization. Numerical optimization indicated that best results were using combination of 65% wheat, 20% maize flour, and 15% BSGF with a desirability value of 0.524. According to the results of the study, BSGF can be incorporated up 10% and maize flour up to 20% obtain an acceptable product.