Effects of wheat debranning on the sensory quality and antioxidant activity of Chinese steamed bread

Abstract Background and objectives Although bran‐enriched foods are rich in bioactive compounds, the bioaccessibility of these bioactive compounds and their antioxidant activity after digestion in Chinese steamed bread (CSB) are poorly understood. The effects of wheat debranning on the sensory quality of CSB and antioxidant activity after digestion were studied, in order to provide special foods with different bran content for the consumers with diverse healthy status. Findings For CSB, wheat debranning improved the color, textural properties, and sensory score but reduced the antioxidant activity and total phenolic content (TPC). After in vitro digestion, the TPC and antioxidant activity of the chyme‐soluble fraction (CSF) reached the highest value at degrees of debranning between 3% and 7%. Compared with debranning process, the effects of in vitro digestion on antioxidant activity were more significant. Conclusions Degrees of debranning between 3% and 7% can offer the highest nutritional value of CSB. Although debranning process had some effects on the TPC and antioxidant activity of CSB, they were very limited when compared with those of digestion. The bran recombination process was better for the preparation of CSB than direct ground process. Significance and novelty In addition to sensory qualities, this study also investigated the effects of digestion on the release of antioxidant activity of CSB with different degrees of debranning. Since the total antioxidant activity only slightly decreased after debranning of 0‐16% degrees, intaking CSB with lower bran content may also have considerable healthy benefit.