The first comprehensive compilation of distillers grains information was published this summer. “Distillers Grains: Production, Properties, and Utilization” was edited by researchers Kurt Rosentrater and KeShun Liu.

“A lot of work has been done over the years and a lot of information has been published, particularly on feeding trials, but nowhere was there a one-stop shop,” said Rosentrater, who just recently moved from the USDA Agriculture Research Service in Brookings, S.D., to Iowa State University.

The hefty, 574 page reference book contains a comprehensive overview of DDGS, including a history of DDGS development and an overview of the U.S. fuel ethanol industry. Over 35 experts contributed to the book, writing research summaries on traditional uses in feeding beef, dairy, swine and poultry, as well as other uses in pet foods and minor livestock feeding. The book includes information on the physical and chemical aspects of DDGS and explains its composition and nutritional properties, including both corn and other starch-rich ethanol feedstocks.

The book also covers work on new uses, such as feeding fish and other animals, its use in human foods, in industrial materials or as a feedstock in thermochemical or anaerobic conversion technologies. It also includes information on process improvements, discussing news enzymes used in the fuel ethanol process and fractionation impacts as well as the extraction of DDGS lipids.

The list price for the book is $175. “Distillers Grains: Production, Properties, and Utilization” is available online at www.amazon.com,  www.aocs.org/store and www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439817254.