Farmers in the United States often turn to beer waste – a byproduct of the brewing process – for cost savings on feed. The beer industry generates over 40 million tons of this waste each year, which can then be recycled into protein-rich animal food.
Brewery spent grains (BSGs) are an excellent source of protein and fiber that could potentially replace costly conventional supplements like soybean meal or cornmeal for dairy heifers.
Contents
Protein
Protein is an essential nutrient for our bodies, helping build muscles, bones and organs; aiding in growth and repair of tissues; as well as providing energy when our bodies require it. Protein plays a pivotal role in many key systems throughout our bodies.
The beer industry produces three major by-products: brewer’s spent grain (BSG), spent hops/hot trub and residual yeast. These can be utilized as sources of protein for dairy cows, turkeys and pigs.
BSG contains high levels of protein and fibre that are difficult for the human digestive system to digest.
Fiber
Fiber is an integral part of cows’ diets. It reduces feed intake, prevents rumen acidosis, and helps regulate blood sugar levels.
Fiber can also be added to the diet to increase energy and digestion of grains. Fiber content can be increased through byproducts like corn gluten feed, wheat middlings, hominy or soybean hulls.
Dietary fibre is a complex carbohydrate composed of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin from plant cell walls that is degraded in the rumen into dietary polysaccharides.
Vitamins
Beer waste contains some beneficial vitamins and minerals, such as B complex vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, folate), vitamin C and calcium. Unfortunately, it’s generally not used as a cow feed substitute due to its minimal vitamin content.
Cattle require the correct amounts of vitamins to get the most benefit from them. Forced feeding a grain mix or silage-based ration is the most efficient way to provide these essential nutrients to your animal.
Minerals
Minerals are natural substances found on Earth. Generally solid and inorganic, they possess a crystalline structure created through geological processes.
Minerals are ubiquitous in our daily lives; from kitchen and bathroom appliances, tableware, pigments and dyes used in cosmetics, watches, jewellery – even the silver in our watches! All these elements come from minerals.
Mineral intakes are essential for cattle health and production in beef production systems. Skeletal development, milk production, energy production, and basic bodily functions all depend on an adequate supply of minerals.
Antioxidants
Antioxidants are essential in cow feed, as they protect from the oxidation of fats and vitamins in the diet. Oxidized lipids, which are common in livestock diets, can damage animal tissues as well as performance.
Lipid oxidation is a process in which free unsaturated fatty acids found in feed and body tissues are degraded into peroxides by heat, air and other stresses. This can result in tissue damage, reduced performance of animals and eventually disease.
Animal feed antioxidants are becoming more and more essential, protecting nutritional supplements from oxidation and improving food quality. In 2014, the market for animal feed antioxidants was estimated at over 15 kilotons.
