A first for the Netherlands: emulsifier from brewing grain
The largest residual stream from beer brewers, brewing grain, is used in food production.
Published on June 10, 2025
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Brewer's grain accounts for approximately 85% of the by-products from beer brewing – millions of tons of fiber- and protein-rich biomass that is typically used as animal feed or discarded. Dutch company MaGie Creations has developed a process that converts this underutilized material into a clean-label, effective, and scalable emulsifier.
This launch provides food producers with a powerful alternative to synthetic and ultra-processed emulsifiers – an option that meets the growing demand of consumers for natural ingredients from sustainable sources.
From bakery products to meat substitutes
PowerBond, as the emulsifier is called, works in a wide range of foods – from bakery products to meat and meat substitutes – making it a realistic, price-competitive alternative to many existing additives.
Global food challenges
By transforming a key by-product of the beer industry into a valuable ingredient, MaGie Creations is addressing three of the most significant global food challenges simultaneously: how to feed a growing world population more sustainably, how to transition away from ultra-processed foods, and how to create value from underutilized waste streams.
‘Minimal processing of the raw material’
Ellen van der Starre, product development manager at MaGie: “By thoroughly researching brewing grain, we discovered the functional properties that are naturally present in this valuable biomass, which enabled us to create PowerBond, an emulsifier that requires minimal processing of the raw material, without creating new waste streams.”
The solution developed by the Dutch food tech scale-up is a first: it is the first emulsifier based on brewer's grain, which is fully utilized without any waste.
