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Cereal Bran: Novel Processing Techniques, Nutritional Composition and Health Benefits
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Cereal Bran: Novel Processing Techniques, Nutritional Composition and Health Benefits

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Grain".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2025 | Viewed by 2313

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Sen Ma

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Grain Engineering, College of Food Science and Engineering, Henan University of Technology, Zhengzhou, China
Interests: food science; cereal science; dietary fiber; protein and starch
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhongwei Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, China
Interests: cereal byproduct; dry fractionation; wheat aleurone; cell wall; arabinoxylan

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cereal bran, the primary byproduct of milling wheat, rice, corn, oats, and barley, is rich in dietary fiber, proteins, lipids, phenolics, minerals, and vitamins, making it a promising source for healthy food processing. This Special Issue will focus on innovative techniques such as grinding, dry fractionation, and fermentation that enhance the functional properties and health benefits of cereal bran and its components.

By examining current research and developments, we aim to highlight how these novel processing methods can improve the bioavailability of nutrients in cereal bran and the overall health benefits of their consumption. We invite contributions that investigate the relationship between new processing techniques and nutrient retention, the role of bran in promoting health benefits, and its potential in developing functional foods. Together, we will uncover the diverse advantages of cereal bran and its role in advancing dietary practices for improved health outcomes.

Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Cell wall polysaccharides in cereal bran;
  • Phytochemicals in cereal bran;
  • Novel processing techniques for improving cereal bran quality;
  • Health benefits of cereal bran and its components;
  • Health-promoting foods of cereal bran.

Prof. Dr. Sen Ma
Dr. Zhongwei Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cereal bran
  • dietary fiber
  • lipids
  • enzymes
  • phytochemicals
  • novel processing techniques
  • health benefits
  • health-promoting foods

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 9234 KiB  
Article
Effects of Aqueous Extracts from Wheat Bran Layers on the Functional Properties of Wheat Starch and Gluten
by Bingbing Wu, Chunlei Yu, Zhongwei Chen and Bin Xu
Foods 2025, 14(11), 1988; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14111988 - 4 Jun 2025
Viewed by 285
Abstract
Wheat bran (WB) is rich in bioactive compounds, but its incorporation into food products often negatively affects dough properties. The soluble components in WB, including polysaccharides, minerals, and proteins, exhibit significant variations across different bran layers and may dissolve and interact with flour [...] Read more.
Wheat bran (WB) is rich in bioactive compounds, but its incorporation into food products often negatively affects dough properties. The soluble components in WB, including polysaccharides, minerals, and proteins, exhibit significant variations across different bran layers and may dissolve and interact with flour components during food processing, affecting dough properties. This study aims to investigate the influence of aqueous extracts from different WB layers (aleurone layer, AL; non-aleurone layer, NAL) and their components on the functional properties of wheat starch and gluten. The results indicate that the AL-rich fraction yielded a higher extract content (30.6%) compared to the NAL-rich fraction (15.1%), attributable to the higher cellular content in the AL. Both the extracts and residues from AL and NAL significantly lowered the denaturation temperature of wheat gluten. The aqueous extracts reduced the storage (G′) and loss (G″) moduli of wheat gluten, primarily attributed to the effect of polysaccharide components, whereas the protein and ash fractions elevated the G′ and G″ at suitable dosages. The extracts elevated the gelatinization temperature of starch, but reduced enthalpy (ΔH). Moreover, the pasting viscosity of starch with WB extract decreased due to the combined effects of protein and ash fractions. These findings provide insights into the roles of water extracts from different WB layers and their components in modulating wheat-based product quality. This study also offers a theoretical basis for optimizing WB utilization in foods, thus providing a theoretical foundation for promoting whole-wheat foods or foods containing WB. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cereal Bran: Novel Processing Techniques, Nutritional Composition and Health Benefits)
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18 pages, 5762 KiB  
Article
Physicochemical, Functional, and In Vitro Fermentation Characteristics of Buckwheat Bran Dietary Fiber Modified by Enzymatic Extrusion
by Tingting Bu, Yue Yu, Xiao Kong, Weicheng Wu, Zhiguo Zhang, Weiwei Hu, Komarova Natallia, Ming Cai, Kai Yang and Peilong Sun
Foods 2025, 14(8), 1300; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14081300 - 9 Apr 2025
Viewed by 497
Abstract
The effects of cellulase–xylanase synergistic treatment combined with twin-screw extrusion on the physicochemical, functional, and in vitro fermentation characteristics of buckwheat bran dietary fiber (BBDF) were investigated. Compared to single enzymatic hydrolysis, the synergetic modification was more effective in promoting the soluble DF [...] Read more.
The effects of cellulase–xylanase synergistic treatment combined with twin-screw extrusion on the physicochemical, functional, and in vitro fermentation characteristics of buckwheat bran dietary fiber (BBDF) were investigated. Compared to single enzymatic hydrolysis, the synergetic modification was more effective in promoting the soluble DF (SDF) ratio (increased from 10.68% to 32.67%), functional properties, and prebiotic activities of BBDF and decreasing the insoluble DF (IDF) content. Under 0.6% (w/w) cellulase and xylanase with mild extrusion conditions (40–80 °C), the modified BBDF exhibited the highest capacities for glucose and cholesterol adsorption. FTIR and XRD experiments indicated that the enzymatic extrusion destroyed the intermolecular interactions of BBDF. Furthermore, enzymatically extruded BBDFs showed 2.2-fold higher short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) yields during in vitro fecal fermentation (total SCFAs: 87.8 mM vs. 40.0 mM in control), with butyrate production reaching 2.5 mM (+76.3%), among which the mildly extruded BBDFs exhibited superior prebiotic effects. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cereal Bran: Novel Processing Techniques, Nutritional Composition and Health Benefits)
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18 pages, 8384 KiB  
Article
Changes of Barley Bound Phenolics and Their Characteristics During Simulated Gastrointestinal Digestion and Colonic Fermentation In Vitro
by Yansheng Zhao, Fei Leng, Songtao Fan, Yiwei Ding, Tong Chen, Hongbin Zhou and Xiang Xiao
Foods 2025, 14(7), 1114; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14071114 - 24 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 498
Abstract
Phenolic compounds in cereals, known for their biological activities, are primarily found in a bound state within the bran. Their changes during digestion are linked to physiological activities. In this study, the dynamic changes and fermentation characteristics of barley bound phenolics (BBPs) were [...] Read more.
Phenolic compounds in cereals, known for their biological activities, are primarily found in a bound state within the bran. Their changes during digestion are linked to physiological activities. In this study, the dynamic changes and fermentation characteristics of barley bound phenolics (BBPs) were investigated through an in vitro rat gastrointestinal digestion and colonic fermentation. UPLC-HRMS revealed that the release rate of BBPs during colonic fermentation was significantly higher than that during gastric digestion (0.13%) and intestinal digestion (0.43%), reaching 5.02%. After 48 h of colonic fermentation, gallic acid and ferulic acid accounted for 35.05% and 27.84% of the total released phenolic acids, respectively. Confocal microscopy confirmed that BBPs were predominantly released in the colon. Additionally, BBPs significantly increased the content of acetate during colonic fermentation compared to the control samples, correlating with a decrease in pH value. 16S rRNA sequencing further revealed the modulatory effects of BBPs on colonic microbiota structure: BBPs significantly enhanced the Chao1 and Shannon indices of the microbiota. Notably, BBPs inhibited the growth of potentially harmful bacteria such as Proteobacteria and Enterobacteriaceae while promoting the proliferation of beneficial bacteria such as Akkermansia and Bifidobacteriaceae, thereby modulating the structure of the gut microbial community. These findings suggested that BBPs may promote gut health through prebiotic activity in the colon. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cereal Bran: Novel Processing Techniques, Nutritional Composition and Health Benefits)
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18 pages, 4787 KiB  
Article
Effects of Different Pretreatments on Wheat Bran and Its Arabinoxylan Obtained by Sequential Extraction with Dilute Alkali and Alkali–Urea Mixture
by Axiang Liu, Shengjie Zhang, Wentao Wang, Hanxue Hou, Yangyong Dai, Cheng Li and Hui Zhang
Foods 2025, 14(4), 696; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14040696 - 18 Feb 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 675
Abstract
Arabinoxylan (AX), an abundant and highly valuable component in wheat bran, has its structure and function influenced by the extraction method. A two-step extraction method, involving sequential extraction with a dilute alkali followed by a concentrated alkali–urea mixture, was employed to extract AX [...] Read more.
Arabinoxylan (AX), an abundant and highly valuable component in wheat bran, has its structure and function influenced by the extraction method. A two-step extraction method, involving sequential extraction with a dilute alkali followed by a concentrated alkali–urea mixture, was employed to extract AX from wheat bran. This approach aimed to obtain AX with a high phenolic acid content while achieving a relatively high extraction yield. The dilute alkali extraction could effectively retain the phenolic acid content in the AX extract (≤89 μg/g). However, its yield and sugar content were relatively low. In contrast, the alkali–urea extraction could achieve a relatively high yield (≤55%) and sugar content (≤75%). Different pretreatments (defatting, deproteinization, and delignification) were performed before extraction, causing significant changes to the chemical composition and cell wall structural characteristics of destarched wheat bran, which, in turn, affected the yield and composition of the AX extracts. Deproteinization effectively increased the sugar content, phenolic acid content, and overall yield of the extracts. Different pretreatment and extraction methods significantly affected the DPPH radical scavenging rate and Fe2+ chelating rate of the AX extracts but had little impact on the ABTS radical scavenging rate. The antioxidant activity of AX extracted using alkali–urea was unexpectedly higher than that extracted using a dilute alkali. This suggests that the antioxidant activity of AX does not entirely depend on its phenolic acid content but is influenced by various other factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cereal Bran: Novel Processing Techniques, Nutritional Composition and Health Benefits)
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