Future applications for brewers' spent grain

The brewery by-product Brewers’ Spent Grains (BSG) is composed of the insoluble cereal residue that is separated from the mash before fermentation. It is estimated that the annual production of BSG is approximately 30 million tonnes worldwide. BSG consists mainly of the insoluble covering layers of the barley malt, i.e. husk, testa and pericarp, as well as endosperm cell wall fractions and storage protein. The composition of BSG depends on the raw materials of the brewing process: barley variety, harvest year, malting and mashing conditions, as well as the type and quality of other cereals added to the brewing process.