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Volume 14
Issue 23
10.3390/foods14234058
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Review

Extraction Techniques for Brewer’s Spent Grain Protein: A Comparative Review of Efficiency, Purity, and Functionality

by
Haocheng Tong
1,2,†,
Puxuan Zhang
3,†,
Liang Zhang
1,2,
Wei Zhou
1,2,
Zhengte Lin
1,2,
Tengfei Yu
3,*,
Guanchen Liu
1,2,* and
Donghong Liu
1,2
1
College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
2
Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Jiaxing 314100, China
3
Technology Research Institute, CR Snow Breweries, Beijing 100010, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Foods 2025, 14(23), 4058; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234058 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 12 October 2025 / Revised: 14 November 2025 / Accepted: 24 November 2025 / Published: 26 November 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Proteins from Plant Food: Processing, Functionality, Flavour, and Nutritional Properties)
Versions Notes

Abstract

Brewer’s spent grain (BSG), the primary by-product of beer production, represents a promising and sustainable source of plant-based protein. This review provides a comprehensive overview of extraction techniques for brewer’s spent grain protein (BSGP), encompassing conventional methods—such as alkaline, hydrothermal, ethanol, and enzymatic extraction—as well as emerging green approaches, including ultrasound-assisted, microwave-assisted, subcritical water, and deep eutectic solvent extraction. The influence of key extraction parameters on protein yield, purity, and structural integrity is critically examined, along with the resultant alterations in functional properties such as solubility, emulsifying capacity, foaming ability, and gelation behavior. Although through parameter optimization and the application of novel technology, the existing research has been able to increase the protein extraction rate and achieve better functional properties, the challenges of obtaining higher protein purity and extracting proteins on a larger scale remain. Collectively, these findings underscore the considerable potential of BSGP as a multifunctional ingredient in next-generation sustainable food formulations.
Keywords: alternative protein sources; BSGP; industrial by-product valorization; functional properties; sustainable extraction technologies alternative protein sources; BSGP; industrial by-product valorization; functional properties; sustainable extraction technologies

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MDPI and ACS Style

Tong, H.; Zhang, P.; Zhang, L.; Zhou, W.; Lin, Z.; Yu, T.; Liu, G.; Liu, D. Extraction Techniques for Brewer’s Spent Grain Protein: A Comparative Review of Efficiency, Purity, and Functionality. Foods 2025, 14, 4058. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234058

AMA Style

Tong H, Zhang P, Zhang L, Zhou W, Lin Z, Yu T, Liu G, Liu D. Extraction Techniques for Brewer’s Spent Grain Protein: A Comparative Review of Efficiency, Purity, and Functionality. Foods. 2025; 14(23):4058. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234058

Chicago/Turabian Style

Tong, Haocheng, Puxuan Zhang, Liang Zhang, Wei Zhou, Zhengte Lin, Tengfei Yu, Guanchen Liu, and Donghong Liu. 2025. "Extraction Techniques for Brewer’s Spent Grain Protein: A Comparative Review of Efficiency, Purity, and Functionality" Foods 14, no. 23: 4058. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234058

APA Style

Tong, H., Zhang, P., Zhang, L., Zhou, W., Lin, Z., Yu, T., Liu, G., & Liu, D. (2025). Extraction Techniques for Brewer’s Spent Grain Protein: A Comparative Review of Efficiency, Purity, and Functionality. Foods, 14(23), 4058. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14234058

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