ST. LOUIS — EverGrain, the sustainable ingredient company created by AB InBev, is launching a scientific advisory board to discover the full potential of brewers’ spent grain and its benefits to people and the planet.
Brewers’ spent grain is the nutrient-rich byproduct of the beer brewing process that’s quickly becoming the new “it ingredient” in upcycled products. Five scientists from leading universities in food, nutrition and health, agriculture, and environmental sciences will advise and collaborate with the EverGrain R&D team to accelerate the use of the protein- and fiber-rich grains in foods and beverages.
The EverGrain Scientific Advisory Board (ESAB) members include:
- Elke Arendt, Ph.D. from Ireland’s University College Cork, a professor in the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences specializing in cereals, malting, and brewing science with a particular focus on gluten-free foods and beverages, starter cultures, functional beverages, rheology, and food structure.
- Christophe Courtin, Ph.D. of KU Leuven in Belgium, a professor of food biochemistry at the Laboratory of Food Chemistry and Biochemistry specializing in the molecular biology of cereal starch, non-starch carbohydrates, and dietary fiber, with a focus on the functionality of dietary fibers in human health and applications in other areas of technology.
- Diederik Esser, Ph.D. at Wageningen University and Research in the Netherlands, a senior researcher specializing in the study of nutrition quality and bio-functional activity of emerging, sustainable protein sources, especially as they relate to the performance of endurance athletes and metabolic systems.
- Thomas Hofmann, Ph.D. at the Technical University of Munich, who is president of the Technical University of Munich and professor in the newly established Chair of Food Chemistry and Molecular Sensors specializing in screening, identifying, and quantifying chemical compounds that are naturally occurring and/or formed during processing and can influence the sensory, appearance, and metabolic health impact of foods and beverages.
- Justin Siegel, Ph.D. at the University of California, who is an associate professor of chemistry, biochemistry and molecular medicine and faculty director of the Innovation Institute for Food and Health specializing in understanding proteins and designing enzymes for diverse applications spanning many sectors, including the food and beverage industry.
The ESAB is led by EverGrain’s global head of R&D Steffen Münch and Harold Schmitz, Ph.D., ESAB chair and senior scholar in the Graduate School of Management at the University of California, Davis.
“We at EverGrain consider upcycled BSG as one of the most sustainable protein sources on Earth because it delivers high quality nutrition with a very low carbon impact,” Münch said. “Until now, BSG has gone to animal feed or simply been thrown away, so we are excited and privileged to team up with such talented scientists to increase the health and sustainability impact of this untapped super grain.”
