New Teagasc research aims to turn waste from beer into a health food

TEAGASC are currently working on a project to convert one of the major waste products involved in the brewing of beer – known as Brewers’ Spent Grain (BSG) –  into a health food.

Up to 85% of the waste products when beer is being manufactured is BSG – made up of cereal husks, residual starch and other cereal by-products.

Some BSG is being used as a low-nutrient cattle feed and fertiliser, but according to Teagasc, it also ends up being ‘dumped’ in landfill sites.

In the latest edition of the Teagasc TResearch magazine, they outline how the Irish farm advisory body has linked up with the University of Helsinki in Finland to try and make a far better food use of BSG.

“The project named BSG-BioBev, aims to reintroduce BSG into the food system through bioprocesses (the production of a value-added material from a living source), making it palatable for humans to eat and drink,” the TResearch article points out.

Bringing back Brewers Spent Grain into the food chain is not without its obstacles, according to Teagasc, such as its tendency to deteriorate quickly; its vulnerability to micro-organisms; and its unpleasant taste.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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