Physiochemical Characterization of the Brewers' Spent Grain from a Brewery Located in the Southwestern Region of Paraná - Brazil

Brewers' spent grain is a by-product generated in the production process of breweries formed by the solid part obtained from the wort filtration before boiling. It is mainly comprised of pulp and husk residues of the malt, but it also contains grains of the adjuncts, such as rice, maize and wheat. Quantitatively, brewers' spent grain is the main byproduct of the brewing process and currently it is used as animal feed. The objective of this study was to determine the physiochemical composition of the brewers' spent grain and its potential use in human food. To this end, brewers' spent grain samples were collected from a craft beer brewery located in the southwestern region of the state of Paraná, determining such parameters as moisture, ash, total proteins, lipids, crude fiber, carbohydrates and energy. The results revealed that the moisture and ash levels were 78.23 ± 1.45 and 3.76± 1.23g.100g-1, respectively. The figures for carbohydrates, total proteins, total fats and crude fibers were 1.89±1.21; 4.89 ± 0.29; 2.67 ± 0.68 and 4.19 ± 0.56, represented in g.100g-1 respectively. The energy values obtained were 109.23± 4.23 kcal.100g-1. As such, the conclusion can be drawn that brewers' spent grain can be used in both animal and human food.