I’ve looked at a few posts here about spent grain. Seems fairly common to use as an ingredient in bread and cookies. I guess one could use it for other recipes as well. But, I got to thinking last week, could spent grain be a good source as a fiber supplement? I take a fiber supplement every day. So, I thought if this were possible I could not only save a little money but also repurpose something that usually gets thrown out in the woods. I’ve done very little research on this subject so far, but have found articles where studies have been done and there were mentions as to its health benefits.
My question is, has anyone here at this forum ever tried to use spent grain as a fiber supplement? I suppose it would have to be well dried out and ground up quite a bit so it would be water-soluble.
Anyway, look forward to any comments you may have.
The soluble fiber in barley comes from the beta-glucans. I’m pretty sure that the bulk of these are extracted and/or broken down during the mash. What is left in the husk is primarily insoluble fiber. It would certainly make for some interesting trips to the toilet, and probably a lot of gas as well. It is probably not my top choice as a fiber supplement.
Well, I’m glad you all have a great sense of humor. I needed a good laugh this morning… ;D
How 'bout this one… Sauteed Greenbriar root with a flower salad on the side! Would you believe people really do eat that? To tell the truth, I’ve considered trying it, just so I can say I did. :o
Anyway, I still think it’s possible to do something with the spent grains as a source of fiber. It just may take a bit more effort than it’d be worth. Keep in mind, most of the fiber supplements from the local grocery store are made from Psyllium husks. Heck! why not barely husk with some kernels mixed in?
FYI - Psyllium husks primarily contain a water-soluble polysaccharide as a source of soluble fiber. Unfortunately, you can’t extrapolate that to other seed varieties. If barley husks made a decent fiber supplement, then I’m pretty sure you’d see it available commercially. And it would probably be used in cereals and other foods. It would be far more cost effective to use what is already produced by the tons in the US as agricultural waste, rather than an imported plant material grown in Europe and Asia.
But it’s your colon. Let us know how it goes if you give this a try. ;D
You know, I wouldn’t have thought this topic could be cause to so many quippy retorts. But, when you think about it, whenever future flatulence is discussed, well, I guess you just got to laugh…
Okay, so I’ve been reading up a bit and haven’t found anything conclusive yet. There’s actually quite a lot of info out there though. Seems it’s been discussed for many years now. I’m going to keep searching in hopes of finding a recipe, so to speak, that defines a process for making the spent grain into something that can be used as a fiber supplement. I’ll keep you all posted on that. might be a while though. In the meantime, here’s a link to a few articles on the subject if you’re interested. A lot of it is sort of scientific lingo, but you can get the gist of it.
