Food-based uses of brewers spent grains: Current applications and future possibilities

Abstract

In the efforts to reduce the impacts of food byproducts on the population and environment, it is imperative that innovative approaches to upcycling food byproducts, especially through conversion to human foods, should be continually explored. Brewers spent grains (BSG) constitutes over 85% of brewing by-product and is largely discarded as wastes or utilized as animal feed. This review presents the status of food-based BSG utilization and future perspectives. Bibliometric and critical review methods were employed to understand the food-based conversion activities on BSG by different researchers and the gaps that exist for its extended uses. Currently, different research approaches such as the production of functional foods, fermentation (including enzyme-assisted pure strain fermentation) and direct inclusion of BSG in foods have been explored for its utilization. There are potentials for the expanded food applications of BSG consistent with the demand of consumers for healthy, plant-based food alternatives. With its high nutrient content, including proteins in their different forms, polysaccharides, hemicelluloses and sugars, appropriate processing and bioprocessing applications can convert BSG into different useful foods and nutraceuticals for human uses.