Functional Properties and Utilization of Rice Bran Dietary Fiber in Bread

Rice bran is the major by-product generated during the first step of milling and is composed of high dietary fiber. The objective of this research aimed to determine the functional properties of dietary fiber from rice bran and apply dietary fiber into bread products to improve the quality and consumer acceptance. The water-retention capacity, water-holding capacity, and swelling capacity of dietary fiber from rice bran were 16.4, 15.5 and 10.1 g water/g sample respectively, and the fat-binding capacity of dietary fiber was 3.26 g oil/g sample. Therefore, dietary fiber from rice bran has good potential in various food products due to its functional properties. When incorporating 0, 1, 3, and 5% of dietary fiber in bread, the loaf weight was the same as the control. The loaf volume, specific volume, and gas retention decreased compared to those of the control sample. In contrast, hardness increased compared to those of the control sample. Adding 1% of dietary fiber gave the same physical properties as the control. The higher fiber and moisture content in bread corresponded to the amount of dietary fiber added. However, results from sensory evaluation showed that the addition of more than 1% dietary fiber decreased liking scores in all attributes (appearance, color, odor, taste, texture, and overall). The results of this study could be used in the basic knowledge of rice bran utilization in other food products.