Valorisation of Spent Grain from Malt Whisky in the Spelt Pasta Formulation: Modelling and Optimization Study

Abstract

Although durum wheat flour is conventionally used to produce pasta, in this study, emphasis was placed on the use of spelt flour in the formulation of the pasta recipe, with the replacement with spent grain obtained from distilleries for its content of fiber and protein. D-optimal design was used to optimize the influence of spent grain addition for the quality attributes of spelt pasta. In order to optimize the spelt pasta matrix, the spent grain content was varied (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) so that all responses were optimized (maximize cohesiveness, fracturability, proteins, total dietary fiber, total phenolic content, and antioxidant activity, minimize cooking loss, in-range firmness, and color paste). The optimal addition of spent grain in the spelt pasta recipe was 11.70%, yielding values with differences of less than 5% from the values predicted by the model and producing finished products with good nutritional properties without negative consequences on quality. Spent grain is a valuable byproduct that deserves to be used for fortification in order to obtain pro-health food. This study presents a formulation of spelt pasta with the addition of spent grain using mathematical modeling and statistical optimization.

Study of the Utilization of Spent Grain from Malt Whisky on the Quality of Wafers

“…The total dietary fiber content was higher in the wafer sample (11.64% ± 0.04%) compared to the control sample (9.82% ± 0.03%) due to the addition of spent grain that contains a higher amount of fiber; the same trend was observed in study reported by Chetrariu and Dabija, 2022 [36].…”

Spent Grain: A Functional Ingredient for Food Applications

“…Pasta is a ready-to-eat product made from durum wheat [ 79 ]; however, lately it is also obtained from other flours, flour mixtures with or without additional vegetables or other by-products, resulting in quality products that retain a good consistency after cooking. Several researchers have investigated the partial replacement of flour with ingredients from agro-industrial by-products to make pasta [ 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 ]. The increasing worldwide consumption of pasta is due to its high digestibility, slow carbohydrate release, relatively low glycemic index compared with bread, pizza or other cereal products, high shelf life, versatility and ease of cooking [ 56 ].…”

Studies on the Manufacturing of Food Products Using Unconventional Raw Materials

“…These findings demonstrate that spent grain can be successfully included in a fortified pasta recipe to provide highquality outcomes. Because they may enhance the products' nutritional value and have a lower glycemic index than pasta made with durum wheat white flour, spent grain flours can be employed in food compositions [6]. According to the results of another study, the inclusion of spent grain in the wafer formulation produced goods with a high level of acceptance, altered batter texture, enhanced all parameters, and only lowered adhesiveness.…”