Towards integrated biorefinery from dried distillers grains: Evaluation of feed application for Co-products

In this paper, we presented an integrated C5-based biorefinery concept to produce C5-platform of biofuels and biochemicals using corn fiber from Dried Distillers Grains (DDG). The process utilizes a selective hydrolysis process to generate a xylose-rich hydrolyzate stream and two co-product streams: fine fraction generated during mechanical pretreatment of DDG using Mesh 20 sieve and residual fiber after hydrolysis. Utilization of these two co-product streams is critical to the success of the biorefinery. This paper discusses how the two streams are generated, their composition, and their potential value in animal feed applications. Composition analysis of the first co-product stream showed that it is enriched in proteins compared to original DDG (11% higher crude protein content; 36% higher lysine content). The second co-product stream has 113% higher fat content compared to original DDG, as well as 15% higher total digestible nutrients, and 15% higher digestible energy. The results of this study suggest that these co-product side streams can be potentially applied as additives in animal feed, allowing for cost-effective utilization of DDG for bio-products without negatively impacting feed markets associated with DDG.