The Government is backing the initiative with a $660,000 investment in the $1.24 million project A new research partnership in Western Australia is set to give beer by-products a second…

The Government is backing the initiative with a $660,000 investment in the $1.24 million project

A new research partnership in Western Australia is set to give beer by-products a second life, transforming them into high-value food and fibre products.

The Value-Adding to Brewery Spent Grain project will investigate how brewers’ spent grain (BSG) can be repurposed into ready-to-eat foods, food ingredients, health supplements, and even plant-based leather.

The Government is backing the initiative with a $660,000 investment in the $1.24 million project, which is being delivered with the End Food Waste Cooperative Research Centre.

Australia’s brewers generate more than 300,000 tonnes of protein- and fibre-rich BSG every year, equivalent to about 20 kilograms of by-product for every 100 litres of beer produced. Currently, most of it is sent to low-value animal feed or landfills.

The project will be led by ChemCentre in collaboration with Curtin University and the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, alongside industry partners including the WA Brewers Association, Spinifex Brewing Co, Nanollose and Maalinup Aboriginal Gallery.

By creating new uses for BSG, the program aims to boost sustainability, open up market opportunities for WA’s craft brewing sector, and help reduce food waste.