ABSTRACT Background and Objectives Rice bran is a fiber‐rich by‐product of rice milling with potential as a functional ingredient in instant noodles, but it often impairs texture and appearance. This study examined the effects of rice bran particle size (coarse, medium, fine) and transglutaminase‐induced protein crosslinking on the physicochemical and sensory properties of instant noodles at a fixed substitution level. Findings Rice bran incorporation increased total dietary fiber, ash, and antioxidant activity in all formulations. Crude protein content remained comparable among samples. However, amino acid profiles changed, showing reductions in both essential and non‐essential amino acids, along with lower protein quality indices. The fine fraction, particularly with transglutaminase, retained tensile force and extensibility close to the wheat control and produced a smoother surface, whereas medium and coarse fractions were darker, speckled, and gritty, which reduced overall acceptability. CATA highlighted “yellowish” and “smooth surface” as desirable attributes, while “speckled surface” and “gritty” were undesirable. Conclusions Particle‐size reduction and enzymatic crosslinking are critical for producing rice bran‐enriched instant noodles with texture close to the control and strong panel acceptance, although darker color is unavoidable. Significance and Novelty This study connects fiber fortification, amino acid changes, and antioxidant gains with practical particle‐size and crosslinking strategies, supported by instrumental measures, CATA profiling, and hedonic data.
Ramadhan et al. (Sun,) studied this question.