Wheat Bran
Wheat bran can be defined as the outer hard layer of the grain and is the combination of the pericarp and aleurzone. With the germ, it is an integral part of the whole grain. It is also the byproduct, when the grain is milled for producing the refined grain. The grains lose an essential portion of the nutrients when the Wheat bran is removed from the grains. Wheat bran is completely different from the chaff, which is the scaly coarser material which surrounds the wheat grain, but it is not the part of the grain. Wheat bran is very rich in essential fatty acids and the dietary fiber and it also contains big quantities of the protein, starch, dietary minerals and the vitamins which is good for putting on the weight.
For the people, who are on dieting and would like to increase the quantity of the dietary fiber, Wheat bran is used to enrich the breakfast cereals and the breads and the muffins. In Japan, Wheat bran is often used for the pickling (nukazuke), as in the tsukemono.
The bran of the other grains like rice also has many purposes. In Japan, when they are boiling the bamboo shoots, rice bran is also added in the water and uses that water for washing the dishes. In some parts of the Japan, is also used for the stewing fish like sardine. In some parts of the world, for hindering the commercial ice block from melting, rice bran is stuck to them. Some people also burn the Wheat bran for using them as the fuel. In southern part of the India, wheat and rice bran is also used as the food item.
More about Wheat bran
In Japan, Wheat bran and the bran oil are used by the people as the natural beauty treatment as the bran contains many vitamins, minerals and the antioxidants which are good for the human skin.
You can also extract bran oil for industrial purposes. You can use the bran oil in paint industry. The Wheat bran which is fermented is used for preparing sour soups which is called borscht in Romania. In one of the most successful BBC’ TV programme Gardeners’ World, rice and Wheat bran was found as the most successful slug deterrent.
Rice and Wheat bran is one of the common food sources which is used for the feeder insects for e.g. wax worms and the mealworms. It is also one of the major food components which is used as the food for American Bison, rabbits, cattle, guinea pigs and other animals. It is also an excellent source of the nutrients for the people who are thin and are required to put on weight.
Bran can be defined as the hard outer layer which surrounds any grain. When the grain is refined, the hard outer layer that is bran is discarded along with the chaff. With bran, the grain loses a big part of the nutritional value. Rice and Wheat bran and its extracts are widely used around the world for industrial and domestic purposes.