Sustainable Processing of Brewers’ Spent Grain for Plant-Based Yogurt Alternatives

During the preparation of beer wort, significant amounts of waste raw materials, such as brewers’ spent grain (BSG), are generated. In line with the zero-waste approach, a processing technology for BSG was developed to valorize this by-product. The developed method involves obtaining a BSG extract (plant-based milk), followed by filtration to remove insoluble residues and subsequent fermentation to produce vegan BSG-based yogurt-like products, with and without the addition of sucrose, as well as pectin, guar gum, and konjac gum as stabilizers. The samples were analyzed for pH, moisture and protein content, water activity (Aw), color, viscosity, and syneresis, and were also subjected to an organoleptic evaluation. Fermentation with starter cultures yielded BSG-based yogurt-like products with an optimal pH (~4.0), which, combined with Aw values below 0.95, ensures microbiological safety by inhibiting the growth of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. Due to phase separation, the use of stabilizers was necessary to achieve a yogurt-like texture. Their application also contributed to a reduction in syneresis—sometimes even preventing its occurrence—and led to an increase in viscosity, which ranged from 0.162 to 0.463 Pa·s, depending on the stabilizer used. The moisture content of fermented BSG extracts ranged from 88.2% to 91.7%. All samples showed similar protein content, approximately 50% on a dry matter basis. Furthermore, organoleptic assessment (5-point scale) revealed that sensory characteristics varied depending on the stabilizer and sugar used. The yogurt-like variant formulated with 0.5% pectin and 1% sucrose received the highest acceptance score (4.0), indicating good sensory quality.