Upcycling: Brewer’s spent grain from Appenzell in the Alps

Sustainability and a balanced diet are currently high priorities for many people and are therefore megatrends. Our supply partner Upgrain dries and separates brewer’s spent grain and produces a diverse range of products with high protein, fibre, and mineral content. These products offer a way to appeal to both trends. With the production location being in beautiful Appenzell in the Alps, each product presents a perfect storytelling opportunity.

Increasing greenhouse gas emissions and the scarcity of agricultural land pose major challenges for food production. The aim is to minimise these problems in the future by achieving a circular economy and more efficient production methods.

Upgrain dries and separates residues of malting barley from the brewing process. This by-product from the brewing industry would traditionally not be used for any further human consumption. However, new gentle and purely physical methods now make this possible.

Given that this side stream is inevitable, upcycling the by-product can make large amounts of nutrients available with extremely low greenhouse gas emissions and without any need to encroach on new land. The products are made exclusively from barley, and so they have a pleasant cereal flavour without any off-notes from hops, for example.

What are the advantages of powders from brewer’s spent grain?

• Upcycling by-products – producing without new agricultural land & with low greenhouse gas emissions
• Swissness – production in the Appenzell Alps
• Agreeable, slightly earthy cereal flavour
• High protein, fibre, and mineral content 
• Low starch and sugar content
• Purely physical processing
• Easy application

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A wide range of applications for upcycled malting barley

After malting and fermentation in the brewing process, the carbohydrate content is negligible. This means the relative proportion of proteins, fibres, and fats increases in the dry matter. Drying preserves the products and enriches the dry matter further still. Due to the effects of heating, the proteins are largely denatured and insoluble.

Upgrain Protein is therefore especially suitable for applications aiming to enrich the product with protein but without greatly influencing the product matrix. The mild, slightly earthy flavour of Upgrain Protein makes it appropriate for practically all applications.

Upgrain Fibre fine offers two major advantages. One is that the fibre can be used to enrich the dietary fibre content, and the other is that the fibre is highly suitable for applications where water retention is desired. For example, it can be used in baked goods to keep them fresh, in meat (alternatives) and pasta to improve the bite, or in fillings to keep them moist.

Upgrain Classic is a hybrid of Upgrain Protein and Upgrain Fibre, and that make it an all-rounder. For example, Classic can replace a certain percentage of typical white flour, in order to improve the sustainability and nutritional value of a product.