Adding wheat bran to bread boosts its nutritional value but often results in a dense, less appealing texture. New research from SLU is set to change that by modifying the fiber structure, improving the quality of bread made with wheat bran extracts.
Wheat is one of the world’s most important crops, with much of it being milled into flour, resulting in significant by-products, particularly wheat bran. While wheat bran is rich in valuable nutrients, it is primarily used as animal feed. While adding wheat bran to bread enhances its nutritional value, it also makes the bread dense, a texture that many consumers find unappealing.
“Most swedes prefer white, fluffy bread to whole grain,” says Solja Pietiäinen, the author of the thesis from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences. “At the same time almost 70% of the people here don’t eat enough fiber. I wanted to address that by making a fiber ingredient that can be used to produce bread with a lot of fiber and improve the bread quality.”
To solve this Solja Pietiäinen has focused on a particular fibre (arabinoxylan) in wheat bran and how its properties can be improved, according to a press release.
Fibers are extracted from the wheat bran with water and pressure, modified with enzymes and then be used in baking to reduce the negative effect of fibers in bread
“By reducing the size of the fibre, I have been able to bake bread from wheat bran that has both better texture and higher volume,” says Pietiäinen. “At the same time, this is a bread with a high fibre content. In other words, the kind of bread most people prefer but more nutritious.”
Wheat bran is often viewed as a by-product of flour production, but this research could change that perspective. Increasing the use of wheat bran as an ingredient not only enhances consumer health but also improves the efficiency of cereal processing. This approach is more sustainable and generates greater value from the by-product, benefiting consumers, the industry, and the planet.
