Brewer’s spent grain: A review of its potentials and applications

Abstract

Most developing nations continuously produce abundant agro-industrial residues such as brewer’s spent grain (BSG), which are underexploited. BSG as the main by-product of brewing industry, representing  approximately 85% of total by-products generated, is rich in cellulose and non-cellulosic polysaccharides and has a strong potential to be recycled. Due to the global intense pressure towards green environmental  technology, both academic and industrial researchers are putting more efforts to reduce the amount of such wastes by finding alternative uses apart from the current general use as an animal feed. Thus, several products are increasingly being sought from BSG. This article intends to review some of the products that can be realized from BSG and also to stimulate researchers to explore further, especially in developing new value-added products.

Key words: Brewer’s spent grain, polysaccharide, animal feed, residue.