Scientists at Mote Marine Lab are in the process of investigating if soggy barley, known as spent grain, could end Red Tide on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
It comes as scientist search for a way to eliminate the scourge of Red Tide, that kills thousands of fish and drives humans away from the beaches, and they think may have discovered it with the help of Darwin Brewing Company and its used grains, per the Tampa Bay Times in a piece published Monday. (RELATED: Beer Brewed To ‘Celebrate’ All Things ‘Progressive’ Taken Off Shelf Over Racist Look)
The brewery has been sending the spent barley to the lab for experiments. (RELATED: David Hookstead Is The True King In The North When It Comes To College Football)
“It was pretty surprising to see such an immediate effect,” Vince Lovko, a staff scientist at Mote shared about the effect of the grains on stunting molecules in algal blooms.
Beer drinking a moral imperative? Tampa Bay Times: Could beer help Florida raise a glass to the end of Red Tide? Researchers are trying to find ways to thwart the scourge of Florida’s Gulf Coast. They believe spent brewers’ grain has potential. https://t.co/YkoJ0piIuE @TB_Times pic.twitter.com/SdbfHN4drC
— Todd Stanfield (@tstanfield) September 1, 2020
According to the report:
Molecules called flavonoids are essentially “suppressing growth” of Karenia brevis — the microorganism behind Red Tide, said researcher Allen Place, a professor in the University of Maryland’s Institute for Marine and Environmental Technology. The flavonoids might undercut photosynthesis, which is how Red Tide gets its energy to live.
“If you look at all the microbreweries in the U.S., the amount of spent grain that is made is ridiculously large,” Place shared.
While Blue Hellenga, Darwin’s head brewer, shared that in a typical week the brewery produces about 5,500 pounds of the byproduct.
But scientist warn, it’s just the start of their research and more will need to take place before they can say for sure that the soggy barley is taking away the toxins.
“Do we just have a big blast of toxins for the short term?” Lovko asked. “That would only exacerbate a fish kill, and necessitate a second treatment option to eliminate toxins.”
