Abstract
Wet brewer's spent grain (WBSG), a major brewing industry byproduct, is generated in large quantities annually and used as feed ingredient for animal production. The low cost of this feed also has a positive impact on the economics of production. This work focused on the supplementation of WBSG in the feeding diet and its effects on the yield, nutritional quality, and sensory attributes of fresh cheese. The investigation was conducted on two cohorts of Holstein-breed cows. The first group was fed on pasture supplemented with hay, silage, and concentrate, while the second group received the same diet with the addition of WBSG. Statistical analysis was carried out using analysis of variance test to compare cheeses on a nutritional and sensory basis. The results obtained reveal that incorporating WBSG can enhance the nutritional quality of fresh cheese. It was observed that lower titratable acidity was associated with a higher yield in the WBSG cheese group (p<0.001). Additionally, cheese derived from cows fed on WBSG exhibited a lower ratio of Σn-6 to Σn-3 fatty acids (p<0.001), as well as a higher ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids (p<0.05). The vitamin E analysis showed highly significant differences and predominant amounts for fresh cheese WBSG. Additionally, they exhibited superior sensory attributes such as darker color, grainy and softer texture, and a more pronounced odor. The utilization of WBSG use is promising for the breeding of dairy cattle and makes it possible to obtain a fresh cheese with attractive sensory quality.