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October 30, 2017

31/10/2017: Bran – A long history, and a prosperous future

Bran has had a long rich history within human consumption and agriculture

Despite the key importance of the grain, the name is derived from the Celtic and Gaelic where the literal translation is along the lines of stench, filth or rotten. This may be in large part to the amount of phosphorous it contains, particularly Wheat Bran.

However, Bran is vital to human health, as are many of the other cereal family members. Bran, or miller's bran is the hard outer layer of cereal grain. It consists of the combined Aleurone and Pericarp, which are the cell walls.
 


It is not the same as Chaff, which is the coarse material that surrounds the grain. Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, and is often produced as a byproduct of the milling process when dealing with refined grains.

Due to the byproduct status, it is commonly used as livestock feed since it’s so cheap and quite nutritious. Bran is removed from grains, and this process reduces the nutritional content. This is particularly problematic as in its raw form, Bran is a rich source of fiber and contains essential fatty acids.

Bran also has high quantities of starch, protein, vitamins, and assorted minerals. Therefore retaining or enhancing as much of this nutritional composition is paramount. The raw nutritional analysis of Oat bran for example shows how good it is as a source of both animal and human food, registering just 246 calories per 100 grammes. It has seven grammes of total fat, 66 grammes of carbohydrate and 17 grammes of protein.

The vitamin analysis gives daily values of 58 percent for Magnesium, 30 percent for Iron and 10 percent for Vitamin B-6. *(These figures are based on a typical adult 2000/day calories diet). Bran can be found in nearly all cereal grain, including rice, corn (maize), wheat, oats, barley and rye.

As such, it is often used to enrich breads such as muffins and breakfast cereals all with the aim of increased dietary nutrition, particularly in children, the elderly, or pregnant women. The Phytic acid within Bran may also be an agent for fermentation, particularly in Japan and other Asian cultures where Tsukemono is used for the Kaiseki portion of a Japanese Tea Ceremony.

Rice bran and rice bran oil are also widely used as a natural beauty treatment. The high levels of Oleic acid are absorbed by human skin with a near 100 percent application rate, and the oil from bran contains over 100 known vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

It has industrial applications in the paint industry and has found favour as a common substrate and food source used for feeder insects, such as mealworms and wax-worms. Wheat bran also gives whole-wheat flour its characteristic darker shade and fuller body. This is a key ingredient in baked goods.


Read the full article, HERE.
 

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.


For additional daily news from milling around the world: global-milling.com

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