What's better than beer? More beer, of course. It's a motto scientists in Singapore have taken to heart.

Researchers at Nanyang Technological University have found a way to turn brewing waste into nutrients for feeding yeast. That yeast can be used to brew -- you guessed it -- more beer.

Yeast is essential to fermentation, the conversion of grain sugars into alcohol. Meanwhile, the brewing process produces a significant amount of waste.

By using waste to produce more of an essential ingredient, researchers at NTU have managed to make the brewing process significantly more efficient.

"We have developed a way to use food-grade microorganisms to convert the spent grains into basic nutrients that can be easily consumed by yeast," William Chen, a food scientist at NTU, said in a news release. "About 85 percent of the waste in brewing beer can now be turned into a valuable resource, helping breweries to reduce waste and production cost while becoming more self-sustainable."

Food-grade microbes could ultimately help scientists integrate waste-to-nutrient conversion technologies into other food and beverage production processes.

Spent grains left over from the brewing process are stripped of their essential nutrients. What's left is lignin. It is tough and largely unusable. But microbes can help break down lignin's tough fibers into smaller, more nutritious fragments. These fragments can be mashed into a liquid and fed to yeast.

Researchers described the process in the journal AMB Express.

Tweet

Disneyland China falls a-fowl of huge turkey leg demand
Los Angeles (AFP) July 13, 2017
Over nearly a century Disney has exported US culture across the globe, but the company was astonished to find one slice of Americana wildly popular in China - the turkey leg. The entertainment giant opened its $5.5 billion theme park in Shanghai in June last year, expecting to shift mainly bok choy, Mickey Pork Buns and Minnie Red Bean Buns to hungry customers. "If you go to Disneyland ... read more

Related Links
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only