Relationships between chemical composition and quality-related characteristics in bread making with wheat flour-fine bran blends

The present study investigated the relationships between chemical composition and bread-making quality parameters of white flour substituted with 30% of fine bran from two wheat genotypes. Fine bran with particle diameters ranging from 265 to 155μm was sifted into two fractions (265-180 and 180-155μm) and was studied in an experiment with a full factorial design. Each fine bran fraction with its natural chemical composition was found to have a significant effect on bread volume and texture, achieving higher specific volumes and softer breads with 180- to 155-μm fraction (lowest fiber and protein content, but highest starch content) compared with the 265- to 180-μm fraction (highest fiber and protein content, but lowest starch content), at fixed water absorption of 62.5% during mixing. The study showed that the effect on bread-making quality characteristics in flour with fine bran is significantly related to dietary fiber, starch and protein contents. Practical Applications: Fiber fractions of different particle sizes are available, thus permitting different approaches to adding fiber to bread products. Here, we prove the usefulness of using fine bran from different types of wheat as an ingredient in bread flour formulations, and show the differences in bran composition based on wheat type and particle size. The present results expose the influences of different components of fine bran and its fractions. Flour replacement with 30% fiber from either of two different wheat grains significantly changes the qualitative and quantitative dough pattern of the resulting hydrated flour-fiber blends, allowing the development of quality fiber-enriched bread.