Enhancement of nutritional, hydration properties, and antioxidant abilities of black wheat bran by steam explosion treatment

Steam explosion treatment (SET) can effectively disrupt the bran structure to enhance its functional quality. This study treated black wheat bran (BWB) by SET under pressures of 0.5-1.5 MPa for 30-90 s. Results demonstrated that SET elevated the mineral and soluble fiber contents in BWB. In contrast, the bitterness value and phytic acid content of BWB treated at 1.0 MPa for 90 s decreased by 9.97% and 75.39%, respectively. SET induced a porous structure and improved the grinding performance and hydration properties of BWB. The water holding capacity and swelling capacity of BWB treated at 1.0 MPa for 90 s increased by 20.07% and 27.17%, respectively. Moreover, BWB treated at 1.0 MPa for 90 s exhibited the highest levels of the free and bound phenolics, flavonoids, and anthocyanins, accompanied by increases in DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP abilities of 37.57%, 31.83%, and 45.82%, respectively. During storage, SET significantly suppressed the rise in fatty acid value in both BWB and whole wheat flour. Whole wheat flour formulated with SET-treated BWB (1.0 MPa, 90 s) displayed superior storage stability compared to flour containing untreated BWB. Thus, optimized SET represents a promising strategy for improving the nutritional and functional properties of cereal bran. • SET promoted the conversion of IDF to SDF in BWB, especially at 1.0 MPa for 90 s. • SET destroyed the microstructure of BWB with more fragments and porous structure. • SET decreased the phytic acid content and bitterness value of BWB. • SET increased the extractability of phenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanins in BWB. • SET improved the hydration properties and antioxidant abilities of BWB.