Influence of Durum Wheat Bran Particle Size on Phytochemical Content and on Leavened Bread Baking Quality

Wheat bran is a conventional by-product of the wheat milling industry mainly used foranimal feed. It is a rich and inexpensive source of phytonutrients, so is in demand for fibre-rich foodproducts but creates quality issues when incorporated into bread. The purpose of this study was tocharacterize the physicochemical properties and phytochemical composition of different size durumbran fractions and show how they impact bread quality. Durum wheat (Triticum durum Desf.)was milled to create a coarse bran fraction (CB), which was further ground into a finer fraction (FB)which was sieved using four screens with apertures 425, 315, 250, 180, and <180 ?m to create aparticle size range of 1497 to 115 ?m. All fractions contained phytosterol with highest in the 180 andFB, while total phenolic acids and antioxidant capacity was highest in CB and 425. Use of the fractionsin a leavened common wheat (T. aestivum L.) bread formula at 10% incorporation negativelyimpacted bread loaf volume, colour, and texture compared to standard loaves, with CB having theleast impact. Results suggest that to combine the highest phytochemical content with minimal impacton bread quality, bran particle size should be considered, with CB being the best choice.