Brewer's Spent Grain Hydrolysate for Bioavailable Fiber Extraction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The bioavailability of soluble fibers such as pentosans and ferulic acid from food-grade plant fibers is low due to their association with inert structures like cellulose and lignin, leading to gastrointestinal issues and reduced nutritional benefits when consuming wholegrain products.
Innovation Solution
A process for preparing a hydrolysate from brewers' spent grain using enzymes like xylanase, amylase, and glucanase to break down insoluble fiber structures, releasing bioavailable pentosans, ferulic acid, and proteins, which are then separated and concentrated.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If wholegrain products are consumed to obtain soluble fibers, then nutritional benefits are provided, but gastrointestinal issues occur due to low bioavailability and association with inert structures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts soluble fibers (pentosans and ferulic acid) from the insoluble matrix of brewers' spent grain through enzymatic hydrolysis. The enzymes specifically target and break down the inert structures (cellulose and lignin) that bind the soluble fibers, releasing them into a bioavailable form while leaving the insoluble residue behind. This separation resolves the contradiction by providing the nutritional benefits of soluble fibers without the gastrointestinal issues caused by the inert matrix.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the chemical state of the soluble fibers from bound to unbound through enzymatic hydrolysis. By introducing enzymes that catalyze the breakdown of glycosidic bonds in the insoluble matrix, the soluble fibers transition from an inaccessible bound state to an accessible unbound state, dramatically improving bioavailability while eliminating the harmful effects of the inert structures.
2Quantity of substance
If brewers' spent grain is used as feed for animals, then nutritional value is provided, but valuable soluble fibers remain bound and unavailable
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies enzymatic extraction to separate the soluble fiber fraction from the insoluble matrix of brewers' spent grain. The enzyme cocktail specifically targets the bonds holding pentosans and ferulic acid within the cellulose-lignin structure, releasing these valuable nutrients in a free, bioavailable form that can be effectively utilized by animals, thereby resolving the contradiction between quantity and bioavailability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces enzymes as intermediary agents that facilitate the release of soluble fibers from the insoluble matrix. These enzymes act as mediators that selectively break down the inert structures without damaging the valuable soluble fibers, enabling the transition from bound to unbound state and improving nutritional bioavailability while maintaining the quantity of nutrients.
3Reliability
If hydrolytic enzymes are produced by intestinal microflora to release soluble fibers, then bioavailability is achieved, but the process is slow and occurs only in the final tract of the intestine
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary enzymatic hydrolysis of the brewers' spent grain before ingestion. By pre-treating the material with enzymes to break down the inert structures and release soluble fibers, the bioavailable nutrients are made ready for absorption in the upper gastrointestinal tract rather than waiting for slow microbial action in the final intestine, thereby resolving the contradiction between bioavailability and time loss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the biological mechanism of microbial hydrolysis with an enzymatic mechanism. Instead of relying on slow hydrolytic enzymes produced by intestinal microflora, the process uses added enzymes that rapidly break down the inert structures in a controlled manner, dramatically reducing the time required for hydrolysis and enabling earlier release of soluble fibers in the digestive tract.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The resulting hydrolysate has high bioavailability of soluble fibers, reducing gastrointestinal issues and enhancing nutritional benefits, while also reusing brewery waste and producing a low glycaemic index beer.
Implementation Method 1
enzymes like xylanase, amylase, and glucanase to break down insoluble fiber structures
Implementation Method 2
adding to the mixture thus obtained up to 2 wt %, based on the weight of the mixture, an enzyme consisting of: a) xylanase, or b) an enzymatic complex of xylanase, amylase and glucanase
Implementation Method 3
deactivating the enzyme of step ii), by increasing the temperature to 80-90° C. for at least 5 minutes
Implementation Method 4
separating the liquid component from the solid component obtained at the end of step iii), thus keeping the liquid component
Implementation Method 5
separating the liquid component from the solid component obtained at the end of step iii), thus keeping the liquid component
Data Source
AI summary
A product hydrolysate from brewers' spent grain is disclosed, and the process for the preparation thereof, as well as uses thereof in food for humans and feed for animals. This hydrolysate contains a high percentage of pentosans at a low molecular weight which therefore offers a high bioavailability of soluble fibres. This allows the drawbacks associated with a high consumption of wholegrain products to be overcome, while also allowing consumers to benefit from the nutritional components contained therein.