Sood, MonikaAshraf, Shafia2021-07-232021-07-232021-0436674https://krishikosh.egranth.ac.in/handle/1/5810170769Wheat bran, a byproduct of wheat milling industry which is commonly used for feeding animals has dense nutritional composition and potential application in human diet that have attracted market interest. However, its preservation for safe use is still challenging. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to identify the best stabilization method which would safely preserve the bran and its incorporation into value added product. For the stabilization of wheat bran different methods (microwave, hot air oven, roasting and chemical method) were used. The assessment of physico-chemical characteristics and functional characteristics of wheat bran depicted that the highest crude protein (15.56%), ash (6.31%), crude fibre (12.52%), total phenols (356.70 mg GAE/100 g) and antioxidant activity (56.56%) were observed in microwave stabilized wheat bran, while as the minimum protein (13.61%), ash (5.32%), crude fibre (11.72%), total phenols (168.38 mg GAE/100 g) and antioxidant activity (38.31%) were recorded in unstabilized wheat bran (control). The rancidity indicators viz., free fatty acid and peroxide values were found lowest in microwave treated samples corresponding to values of 4.37 per cent and 5.16 meq O2 per Kg, respectively. Microwave treated wheat bran also recorded the maximum water absorption capacity (394.77 g/100 g) and minimum fat absorption capacity (285.13 g/100 g). Further lower (1.52×104 cfu/g) mean total microbial growth was observed in microwave than other methods. During the storage period of 90 days, the mean moisture content increased from 7.19 to 7.88 per cent, while as crude protein, ash, crude fat and crude fibre decreased from 15.29 to 14.01 per cent, 5.87 to 5.58 per cent, 5.96 to 5.39 per cent and 12.58 to 11.81 per cent, respectively. Based on overall nutritional composition and stability, microwave stabilized wheat bran was found to be more effective than hot air oven, autoclave, roasting and chemical methods. On the basis of physico-chemical, functional and bioactive characteristics, microwave treated wheat bran was selected for the development of tortilla chips. For the preparation of tortilla chips, stabilized wheat bran was blended with corn masa at different levels (0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30%). The developed products were packed in LDPE bags, stored under ambient conditions for 90 days and assessed for various functional, physico-chemical and sensory characteristics. The highest a* (4.86) and b* (18.98) values and lowest L* value (57.01) were recorded in treatment T7 (70:30:: corn masa: stabilized wheat bran). Among proximate constituents, treatment T7 (70:30:: corn masa: stabilized wheat bran) recorded maximum crude protein (10.35%), ash (3.25%) and crude fibre (4.02%). However, treatment T1 (100:00:: corn masa: stabilized wheat bran) observed minimum calcium (123.65 mg/100 g), phosphorous (207.48 mg/100 g), magnesium (88.62 mg/100 g) and maximum total energy (456.51 Kcal/100 g). The highest phytic acid (3.91 mg/g) and total dietary fibre (21.85%) were observed in T7 (70:30:: corn masa: stabilized wheat bran). Results further showed that with the increase in proportion of wheat bran (0 to 30%), the mean water absorption capacity increased from 182.20 to 239.45 g per 100 g, fat absorption capacity decreased from 173.45 to 141.80 g per 100 g. Sensory evaluation of developed tortilla chips revealed that T5 (80:20:: corn masa: stabilized wheat bran) recorded maximum mean score for appearance (8.00), texture (7.67), taste (7.96) and overall acceptability (7.87). Hence, for development of tortilla chips, microwave stabilized wheat bran can be successfully incorporated upto 20 per cent to improve the sensory and nutritional quality attributes with a shelf life of 90 days.EnglishThesis