What are distillers grain?
A. This is the grain that remains after producing the ethanol. In the production of ethanol, enzymes and heat break down the starch in corn and convert it to sugar, which is then fermented and converted to alcohol. The remaining material from the grain is now free of starch, high in fiber, high in phosphorus, and has a very different mineral and amino acid profile than the corn that began the process. Many animals cannot efficiently digest the high fiber product and since there is no national standardization of content, many distiller grains have varied mineral and amino acid profiles making them a poor substitute for corn.
