Brewing by-products converted into functional ingredients for food, nutraceuticals, and aquaculture

The challenge

The brewing industry generates around 8 million tonnes of organic-rich by-products each year. The challenge was to reduce the organic waste produced by the brewing sector while providing a sustainable and economically viable solution.

The solution

In collaboration with the brewing sector, AZTI has developed an innovative valorisation process for by-products (brewer’s spent grain and yeast) for use as an alternative raw material, initially in aquafeed, but also with applications in other sectors such as nutraceuticals and food, in line with the principles of the circular economy.

This results in a scalable process that turns sustainability challenges into business opportunities through two systems:

1. Enzymatic hydrolysis, which yields high-value compounds for human consumption while increasing their digestibility, thereby adding significant value to brewing industry by-products.
2. Flash drying, which combines high-efficiency technologies to ensure nutritional quality and safety, while also guaranteeing the economic viability of the ingredients obtained.

Process features

• Innovative and safe
  • Process demonstrated at semi-industrial scale.
  • Ingredients suitable for food and feed.
  • Products validated in their final applications.
• Flexible
  • Replicable in any European region.
  • Adaptable to different scenarios.
• Sustainable
  • Circular economy-based solution.
  • Eco-designed process and production plant.
• High efficiency
  • Optimized energy consumption.
  • Adaptable to any renewable energy source.

Potential markets

• Food and nutraceuticals: High-quality protein ingredients, rich in functional biomolecules and highly competitive in a growing market.
• Aquafeed: High nutritional value ingredients able to meet the high demand for new raw materials.

The results

• Valorisation of up to 75% of brewing by-products, significantly reducing industrial waste.
• Development of six new ingredients, four of them applicable to aquafeed and two to nutraceuticals.
• Feed formulated with 20% yeast, 15% spent grain, and only 15% fishmeal, achieving growth results similar to commercial feed.
• A real contribution to the sustainability and circularity of two key sectors: food/nutraceuticals and aquaculture.
• Demonstration of the potential of the bioeconomy as a driver of innovation and business competitiveness.