Healthy cereal-based snacks from by-products of the milling, malting, brewing an

The food processing industry generates large quantities of waste co-products. Over 1 million tonnes of vegetable trimmings and approximately 3.4 million tonnes of spent grain from the brewing industry are produced in the EU every year. With this in mind, the cost of manufacturing food and other products is now becoming increasingly dependent on the ability of the manufacturer to obtain value from all fractions of the process. For many food processing plants, much of the waste produced is disposed of, or used on a low technological and economical level.

The by-products which are being targeted in this project originate from the cider (apple pomace), malting, brewing (brewers spent grain) and milling (bran) industries. These by-products are underutilized (if used at all). However they are known to contain high levels of beneficial compounds such as dietary fibre, antioxidants, polyphenols and minerals. Phenolic compounds, in particular, are of considerable interest to scientists, manufacturers and consumers due to their influence on food quality, and protective and preventive roles in the pathogenesis of certain types of cancer and several other chronic diseases.

Snack foods have always been a significant part of modern life, and with the continuing growth of the processed food industry, the demand for specialty-type snacks is expected to increase. Few snacks are produced with nutrition in mind. However, it is the aim of this project to utilize the highly nutritious and under-used by-products of cereal and fruit processing for application in novel, high quality and healthy snack-type products.

Further Information

Gupta, M., Abu-Ghannam, N. and Gallagher, E. (2010). Barley for brewing: Characteristic changes during malting, brewing and applications of its by-products. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, 9:318-328.

Contact: Eimear Gallagher