Glass transition behavior of corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS)

Distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a major co-product from the corn ethanol industry, has high feed value for its chemical composition. The ratio of wet distillers grains (WDG) and condensed distillers solubles (CDS) added during the production process determines the chemical composition of DDGS. Effect of changing this ratio and the influence of moisture content on glass transition behavior of DDGS was studied. Five prediction models were evaluated to explain the glass transition of DDGS. The mixed trends in the result indicated the complex behavior of DDGS particles and revealed that both moisture content and chemical composition impact the glass transition behavior of DDGS. Onset glass transition temperature ranged from 20 to 30 °C depending on the chemical composition. Kwei equation predictions were better than the predictions by Gordon–Taylor equation. The glass transition temperature of DDGS can be mathematically explained by combining the moisture content and chemical components protein, fiber, glycerol, and sugar percent. The artificial neural network (ANN) model gave a better prediction of onset and midpoint glass transition temperature of DDGS and this might be due to the accurate mapping of the interaction between chemical components.

► The glass transition behavior of corn DDGS was studied.
► Increased addition of CDS during production process decreased the onset Tg of DDGS.
► Moisture content and chemical composition influenced the Tg of DDGS.
► ANN model can be used to predict the Tg of DDGS from chemical composition.