Valorization of brewer's spent yeast waste by the development of beta-glucan-rich extracts and their incorporation in dairy products

• Grant number: 24/13174-1
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: June 01, 2025
• End date: May 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Food Science and Technology - Food Science
• Principal Investigator: Alan Giovanini de Oliveira Sartori
• Grantee: Alan Giovanini de Oliveira Sartori
• Principal researcher abroad: Christian Arnoldo Vergara Ojeda
• Institution abroad: Universidad de La Frontera (UFRO), Chile
• Host Institution: Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALQ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Adna Prado Massarioli ; Carlos Eduardo Orrego Alzate ; Erick Sigisfredo Scheuermann Salinas ; Jimmy Anderson Martínez Ruano ; Luciano Henrique Campestrini ; Luciano José Pereira ; Ramiro Mendonça Murata ; Severino Matias de Alencar

Abstract

Chile and Brazil rank among the top countries in beer consumption and production in the world. The two countries have an average consumption between 59 and 62 liters per year per inhabitant. Together, they produce 152 million hectoliters of beer annually, surpassing the United States as the second-largest beer producer. However, the beer industry faces a challenge in effectively managing waste, particularly spent brewer's yeast (BSY), which constitutes 15% of total waste. Despite its underutilization, BSY holds the potential for containing bioactive compounds such as beta-glucans. These compounds have a commercial interest in the food industry, characterized by improving anticancer, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. Our research proposal aims to optimize the extraction process of beta-glucans from BSY by conventional and emergent techniques in the brewing industries of Chile and Brazil. Also, we will evaluate the incorporation of the extract into a dairy matrix to impart bioactive properties and assess toxicity, bioaccessibility, anti-inflammatory and prebiotic activities, and bioactive composition of the extracts and of the final product. This collaborative research seeks to lay the groundwork for creating a commercial market for innovative foods enriched with bioactive compounds utilizing this by-product within the context of circular economy. (AU)