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. 2025 Jun 18;26(12):5830.
doi: 10.3390/ijms26125830.

Biochemical Analysis of Wheat Milling By-Products for Their Valorization as Potential Food Ingredients

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Biochemical Analysis of Wheat Milling By-Products for Their Valorization as Potential Food Ingredients

Chiara Suanno et al. Int J Mol Sci. .

Abstract

Wheat bran forms the outermost part of the kernel, which is typically discarded as a by-product. Depending on the milling process, bran can be separated into four fractions: coarse bran (CB), coarse weatings (CW), fine weatings (FW), and low-grade flour (LGF). This study aimed to analyze the macronutrient and bioactive compound profiles of these four by-products across five cultivars and two wheat mixtures. Dietary fibers, free and bound phenolics, phytic acid, fatty acids, and aleurone layer markers were examined in all samples. The results indicate that insoluble fibers, phenolic compounds, and phytic acid decreased from CB to LGF, whereas soluble fiber content exhibited a greater variability among fractions. In all samples, coarse bran was the richest fraction in the protein 7S globulin. The same fraction from the two commercial mixtures and Manitoba cultivar exhibited significantly higher levels of bound ferulic acid compared to the other cultivars (+34%). Manitoba CB also had the highest oleic acid content (18.04% of total lipid content) among all samples, followed by the Rumeno cultivar (17.75%), which also had the highest linolenic acid content (6.35%). Given their health-promoting and technological potential, these by-products could be selectively used to enrich food products and dietary supplements with functional nutrients.

Keywords: Triticum aestivum; bakery products; biowaste upcycling; circular economy; food security; food sustainability; human nutrition; nutraceutical potential.

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Conflict of interest statement

Author Elisa Papi was employed by the company Mulino Pivetti S.P.A. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Representation of the four different by-products deriving from the roller milling process. The purpose of this milling process is the production of flour which represents the final and desirable product of this process.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Concentration of soluble (A) and insoluble (B) dietary fibers contained in the MBPs of all commercial cultivar and mixtures. Data are expressed as g/100 g DW. Different letters (shown in the line below the values) indicate significant differences among MBPs within each cultivar/mixture, while different numbers (also shown below the values) indicate significant differences between cultivars/mixtures for each MBP. Statistical significance was assessed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s HSD post hoc test (p < 0.05).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Concentration of soluble-conjugated and insoluble forms of p-coumaric acid (A) and ferulic acid (B) contained in the MBP of each commercial mixture. Data are expressed as mg/g dry weight. Different letters (shown in the line below the values) indicate significant differences among MBPs within each cultivar/mixture, while different numbers (also shown below the values) indicate significant differences between cultivars/mixtures for each MBP. Statistical significance was assessed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s HSD post hoc test (p < 0.05).
Figure 4
Figure 4
The concentration of palmitic acid (A), oleic acid (B), and linolenic acid (C) contained in the MBPs of all commercial mixtures, expressed as a percentage over the total lipidic content. Different letters (shown in the line below the values) indicate significant differences among MBPs within each cultivar/mixture, while different numbers (also shown below the values) indicate significant differences between cultivars/mixtures for each MBP. Statistical significance was assessed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s HSD post hoc test (p < 0.05).
Figure 5
Figure 5
Concentration of phytic acid contained in MBPs of each commercial mixture, expressed in g/100 g of sample dry weight. Different letters (shown in the line below the values) indicate significant differences among MBPs within each cultivar/mixture, while different numbers (also shown below the values) indicate significant differences between cultivars/mixtures for each MBP. Statistical significance was assessed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s HSD post hoc test (p < 0.05).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Concentration of α-amylase (A), 7S globulins (B), and starch (C) contained in the MBPs of all commercial mixtures. Data are expressed as CU/g, Abs450/mg and g/100 g dry weight, respectively. Different letters (shown in the line below the values) indicate significant differences among MBPs within each cultivar/mixture, while different numbers (also shown below the values) indicate significant differences between cultivars/mixtures for each MBP. Statistical significance was assessed using one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey’s HSD post hoc test (p < 0.05).

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