Methods for managing the composition of distillers grain co-products

A method of managing the protein content of multiple distiller's grain co-products of a fermentation process, including the steps of:

• separating whole stillage or spent grains into wet cake and thin stillage;
• removing a protein rich distiller's grain co-product having greater than 40 wt % protein on a dry matter basis from the thin stillage and producing a reduced protein thin stillage;
• and
• removing at least some non-protein components from the wet cake and producing a protein enriched wet cake.

A method of managing protein, including the steps of:

• separating whole stillage or spent grains into wet cake and thin stillage;
• removing a protein rich distiller's grain co-product having greater than 40 wt % protein on a dry matter basis from the thin stillage and producing a reduced protein thin stillage;
• adding a micro-organism to the reduced protein thin stillage and growing biomass having higher protein content on a dry weight basis than wet cake;
• consuming at least some of the non-protein components of the reduced protein thin stillage during the course of growing the biomass;
• and
• harvesting the biomass.

A system of managing the protein content of multiple distiller's grain co-products in a grain fermentation facility including the steps of

• separating whole stillage or spent grains into wet cake and thin stillage;
• removing a protein rich distiller's grain co-product having greater than 40 wt % protein on a dry matter basis from the thin stillage and producing a reduced protein thin stillage;
• removing non-protein components from a group consisting of the reduced protein thin stillage, the wet cake, and both the reduced protein thin stillage and the wet cake;
• and
• achieving a desired protein content in multiple distiller's grain co-products by combining, proportionately and as needed, protein containing streams chosen from the group consisting of thin stillage, wet cake, reduced protein thin stillage, reduced protein thin stillage having non-protein components removed, additional protein removed from reduced protein thin stillage, wet cake having non-protein components removed, protein rich distiller's grain co-product, biomass grown on reduced protein thin stillage, evaporated concentrates of substantially liquid streams in the preceding list and dried forms of substantially wet solids in the preceding list.