Abstract
Cereal by-products (wheat germ, maize bran–germ mixture, rye bran, and wheat bran) from the flour milling industry were characterized for their nutritional value and chemical composition, as well as for antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Carbohydrates (including sucrose) were the major nutritional constituents (56.35–78.12 g/100 g dw), followed by proteins (11.2–30.0 g/100 g dw). The higher energy value (432.3 kcal/100 g dw) was presented by the wheat germ. This by-product also presented the highest citric acid content (0.857 g/100 g dw), the most abundant organic acid detected. Unsaturated fatty acids predominated in all samples given the high content of linoleic (53.9–57.1%) and oleic (13.4–29.0%) acids. Wheat germ had the highest levels of tocopherols (22.8 mg/100 g dw) and phenolic compounds (5.7 mg/g extract, with a high apigenin-C-pentoside-C-hexoside content). In turn, while the wheat bran extract was particularly effective in inhibiting the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), the rye bran extract was the only sample capable of protecting erythrocytes from oxidative hemolysis. Regarding antibacterial properties, in general, the lowest minimum inhibitory concentrations were observed against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. These results highlight the characterized by-products as sustainable ingredients for the development of novel bakery and functional food products and contribute to a better bioresource-use efficiency and circularity.
Highlights
Cereal grains are rich in phytochemicals and nutrients, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, dietary fibers, proteins, and tocopherols, among other constituents, which have a vital role in preventing cardiovascular and digestive system diseases, overweight and obesity, inflammation, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer [1]
Cereal by-products represent an unexploited source of nutrients and bioactive compounds and could serve as low-cost materials for the development of novel functional and fortifying ingredients for foods and functional foods, as well as for non-food products
The macronutrient and micronutrient composition of wheat, rye, and maize bran and/or germ supplied by the milling industry are described, as well as their composition in phenolic compounds and in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities
Summary
Cereal grains are rich in phytochemicals and nutrients, such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, carbohydrates, dietary fibers, proteins, and tocopherols, among other constituents, which have a vital role in preventing cardiovascular and digestive system diseases, overweight and obesity, inflammation, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer [1]. The food industry has focused on the production of functional foods based on different types of cereals, due to the growing consumer’s demand for healthier foods [4,5]. The sector is taking into account the sustainability and the efficient use of the by-products generated by the crops or during cereal processing [7]. These result in valuable by-products during milling, such as bran, germ, coat, husk, or endosperm, which could be a good source of potentially marketable ingredients and bioactive compounds [6]. The milling industries commonly release these by-products in the field or direct them to animal feed, bioethanol production, cosmetics, meat substitutes, and nutraceutical/pharmaceutical products, among other applications [8]
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