Nutritive value, antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds profile of brewer’s spent yeast extract

• Brewer’s spent yeast extract a new ingredient for food and nutraceutical industries.
• High nutritional composition and antioxidant activity of spent yeast extracts.
• Brewer’s spent yeast extracts contain free and both phenolic compounds.

Spent yeast is the second major by-product from brewing. Mechanical disruption of yeast cell wall can be used to obtain β-glucan rich ingredients and separate inner yeast content, both with potential applications as food and nutraceutical ingredients. In this work, the nutritional composition, including minerals and B-complex vitamins, together with the antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds profile of yeast extract, prepared by mechanic disruption of brewer’s spent yeast and removal of yeast cell wall, was investigated. The lyophilised yeast extract presented 64% of proteins with high proportion of essential amino acids and 4% of RNA; macrominerals (Na, K, Ca, Mg), trace elements such as Zn (11.9 mg/100 g dw), Fe (1.76 mg/100 g dw), and Mn (0.564 mg/100 g dw), and vitamins B3 (77.2 mg/100 mg dw), B6 (55.1 mg/100 g dw) and B9 (3.01 mg/100 g dw). Two phenolic compounds were quantified as free forms, gallic acid and (±) catechin, whereas other bounded phenolic compounds were also quantified. The nutrients content, antioxidant properties and phenolic composition of the lyophilised brewer’s spent yeast extract indicates that it can be an interesting food or nutraceutical ingredient. Thus, its recovery will be beneficial in terms of sustainability and environmental impact.