Fermentation · 2020 · 110 citations · 74 references
Life SciencesBiotechnologyFood ScienceFermentation TechnologyFood ProcessingIndustrial BiotechnologyBiofuel ProductionBy-product UtilizationFood FermentationIndustrial FermentationMalting ScienceRenewable Feedstock UtilizationAlgal Biofuel ProductionBy-product FormationFermentation By-product FormationFermentation Byproduct FormationFermentation ByproductsMalted Grain Processing
Beer production generates abundant by‑products—wastewater, spent grains, hops, yeast, and germ/rootlets—that are largely underutilized but hold potential for biotechnological and food‑industry applications. The study reviews each beer‑by‑product, focusing on its potential uses in biotechnology and other sectors.
Beer production includes the formation of different by-products such as wastewater, spent grains, spent hops, and yeast. In addition to these well-known by-products, it is necessary to mention germ/rootlets, which also remain after the malting process. Given that a huge amount of beer is produced annually worldwide, by-products are available in large quantities throughout the year. Spent grains, spent hops, and spent yeasts are high-energy raw materials that possess a great potential for application in the branch of biotechnology, and the food industry, but these by-products are commonly used as livestock feed, disposed of in the fields, or incinerated. Breweries by-products can be utilized for microalgae production, biofuel production, extraction of proteins, polyphenolic, antioxidative substances, etc. This paper aims to address each of these by-products with an emphasis on their possible application in biotechnology and other industries.
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