Nutritional qualities, antioxidant properties and sensory acceptability of fresh wheat noodles formulated with rice bran

The present work evaluated the potential of rice bran as a functional ingredient in fresh noodles. Fresh noodles supplemented with 0, 2, 5, and 10% (w/w) bran were evaluated for acceptability by a consumer sensory panel (n = 30). The noodles with the highest sensory acceptability were then characterised for their dietary fibre (DF), crude protein, crude ash, crude fat content, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant capacity in terms of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity. Results showed that different levels (2, 5, and 10%) of either the bran of NSIC Rc 298, a non-pigmented rice variety, or Minaangan, a red rice, had generally no significant effect on the acceptability of all the sensory parameters, except for colour; in which noodles with 0% NSIC Rc 298 bran was more preferred. Regardless of the pigmentation, rice bran supplemented at 10% significantly enhanced the DF, crude fat, crude ash, TPC, and antioxidant capacity of the noodles without affecting the overall acceptability. Rice bran could therefore be used to produce high-quality fresh noodles with health-promoting properties. (C) All Rights Reserved