Wheat Bran Stabilization and its Use in the Preparation of High-Fiber Pasta

Wheat bran was explored as a source of fiber in the preparation of high-fiber pasta. Ground raw wheat bran having an ash content 5.99%, crude protein 15.1% and fat content 5.83% was subjected to moist heat treatment (steam heat-treated bran) and dry heat treatment (dry heat-treated bran), wherein the lipase activity was reduced by 50%. Treated bran samples were stable for 3 months without developing any rancid flavor and bitterness. Pasta samples were prepared by substituting semolina with 40% and 50% of bran samples. There was no further significant inactivation of lipase activity upon extrusion followed by drying of pasta, irrespective of the type and the amount of bran sample used. The cooked weights of the pasta were in the range 257-268 g/100 g, whereas the cooking loss decreased from 12.8% to 9.3% for treated bran-incorporated pasta. Sensory scores for pasta containing treated bran samples were higher. The total dietary fiber increased by 5.2 times upon replacement of semolina by 40% of treated wheat bran. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis studies showed faint bands in treated bran samples as well as treated bran-incorporated pasta samples.