a b s t r a c t Keywords:Brewer's spent grain Microwave-assisted extraction Polyphenols Antioxidant activity Kilning temperature HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS/MS analysis The antioxidant activity and phenolic composition of brewer's spent grain (BSG) extracts obtained by microwave-assisted extraction from two malt types (light and dark malts) were investigated. The total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity among the light BSG extracts (pilsen, melano, melano 80 and carared) were significantly different (p b 0.05) compared to dark extracts (chocolate and black types), with the pilsen BSG showing higher TPC (20 ± 1 mg GAE /g dry BSG). In addition, the antioxidant activity assessed by 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) and deoxyribose assays decreased as a result of increasing kilning temperatures in the following order: pilsen N melano N melano 80 N carared N chocolate N black. HPLC-DAD/ESI-MS/MS analysis indicated the presence of phenolic acids, such as ferulic, p-coumaric and syringic acids, as well as several isomeric ferulate dehydrodimers and one dehydrotrimer. Chocolate and black extracts, obtained from malts submitted to the highest kilning temperatures, showed the lowest levels of ferulic and p-coumaric acids. These results suggested that BSG extracts from pilsen malt might be used as an inexpensive and good natural source of antioxidants with potential interest for the food, pharmaceutical and/or cosmetic industries after purification.

In recent years, there has been a growing interest in phenolic compounds and their presumed role in the prevention of various degenerative diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Xanthohumol, a prenylated chalcone from hops and beer, is among the phenolic compounds which have received the most attention in recent years. This compound has a range of interesting biological properties that may have therapeutic utility. Based on the health-promoting properties of xanthohumol, the production of a beer enriched in this substance would be of huge interest to the brewing industry, for the benefits this could bring to consumer's health. This paper reviews recent and important data with respect to the health benefits or biological activities of xanthohumol and beer. In addition, an overview of the chemistry and biotechnological aspects of xanthohumol is presented.

S Ten different barley cultivars and their corresponding malts were used to obtain different fractions. Phenolics extracted belonged to free, soluble esters and insoluble‐bound fractions. Total phenolic content (TPC) of the free fraction, as measured according to the Folin‐Ciocalteu method, ranged from 37.7 to 167.2 mg gallic acid equiv/kg of dried material (GAE/kgdw) for barley and between 34.1 and 72.3 mg GAE/kgdw for malt. The bound phenolic content ranged from 210.3 to 320.5 and between 81.1 and 234.9 mg GAE/kgdw for barley and malt, respectively. The contribution of bound phenolics to the TPC was significantly higher than that of free and esterified fractions. Catechin and ferulic acid, quantified by high performance liquid chromatography with diode array detector (HPLC‐DAD), were the most abundant phenolics in the free and bound fractions, respectively. The p‐coumaric acid content was lower in hulless genotypes, as compared to hulled genotypes, showing that it is mainly concentrated in the hull. The antioxidant activities of the phenolic fractions were investigated using the radical scavenging assay (DPPH) and ferricyanide reducing power. The bound phenolics demonstrated a significantly higher antioxidant capacity compared to the free and esterified phenolics. During the malting process, a significant decrease of the bound phenolics was observed with a corresponding increase of the esterified fraction.