## 4 Conclusions  
The purpose of this work was to establish the optimal value of spent grain in spelt pasta with the preservation in parameters of the desired responses. Spent grain is an important source of protein, fiber, and compounds with antioxidant properties. As the results show, the optimal value for spelt pasta formulation with a good balance between sensory and nutritional aspects was 11.70%. The optimal level of spent grain was used without compromising the acceptability of the product. Spelt pasta fortified with spent grain is included in products with a high fiber and protein content and with antioxidant activity and high polyphenol content. The color of the pasta obtained was acceptable, and the cooking losses were within the limit of 12%, which fits them into good quality products. These results show that spent grain can be used successfully in the recipe for fortified pasta, obtaining high-quality products. Spent grain flours can be used in food formulations  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Factor**} & \multicolumn{3}{c}{**Spent Grain Pasta**} \\ \cline{2-4}  & **Predicted Value** & **Verified Value** & **Relative Deviation * (\%)** \\ \hline SG level & 11.70 & 11.70 & \\ Cohesiveness (adim.) & 0.291 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 0.302 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 3.64 \\ Firmness (g) & 5805.01 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 5786.06 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & \(-\)0.33 \\ Color (adim.) & 17.59 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 17.69 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 0.52 \\ Fracturability (g) & 3924.74 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 3976.25 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 1.30 \\ Crude proteins (g/100 g d.b.) & 6.54 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 6.67 \({}^{\text{b}}\) & 1.96 \\ Total dietary fiber (g/100 g d.b.) & 36.08 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 36.42 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 0.92 \\ Total phenolic content (\(\upmu\) GAE/g) & 21.71 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 22.84 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 4.94 \\ Antioxidant activity (\(\upgamma\) inhibition) & 19.72 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 20.12 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 1.96 \\ Cooking loss (\(\upgamma\)) & 5.92 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & 5.71 \({}^{\text{a}}\) & \(-\)3.71 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* relative deviation = ((experimental value \(-\) predicted value)/experimental value) \(\times\) 100, \({}^{\text{a}}\)b indicates that differences among predicted and observed values are significantly different (\(p\) < 0.05).  
\end{table}
Table 4: Predicted and verified optimal sample.  
Figure 3: Sensory scores for pasta.  
because of their potential to improve the nutritional quality of the product and may have a lower glycemic index compared to pasta based on white flour from durum wheat. The valorization of spent grain can improve the sustainability of the brewing process and the whisky production process. With the help of experimental modeling, pasta recipes can be developed to meet consumer requirements or by directing recipes to certain categories of consumers, depending on needs.  
Conceptualization, A.C. and A.D.; Methodology, A.C.; Formal Analysis, A.C. and A.D.; Investigation, A.C.; Resources, A.D.; Writing--Original Draft Preparation, A.C.; Writing--Review and Editing, A.C. and A.D. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
No funding was obtained for this work.  
Not applicable.  
The data presented in this study are available in this article.  
We would like to thank Alexandrion Group Romania for providing the spent grain used in this work. The authors acknowledge financial support from Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava, Romania.  
The authors declare no conflict of interest.  
Samples were available from Alexandrion Group Romania.