In Vitro Bile Acid Binding Capacity of Wheat Bran with Different Particle Sizes

The bile acid binding capacity of wheat bran with different particle sizes was determined. Unmilled wheat bran with an average particle size of 900 μm (WB‐900), milled wheat bran at two particle sizes, 500 and 200 μm (WB‐500 and WB‐200), and all three bran samples washed with water (WWB‐900, WWB‐500, and WWB‐200) were mixed with bile acids at pH 6.3 to determine their in vitro adsorption capacity. On a dry matter basis, the order of relative bile acid binding values was WB‐900 ∼ WB‐500 > WWB‐900 > WB‐200 > WWB‐500 > WWB‐200. Data suggests that the surface area as measured by the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) method and water holding capacity may significantly affect the bile acid binding capacity of wheat bran. As the BET surface area increased with decreasing particle size, the water holding capacity and bile acid binding decreased. Bile acid binding capacity of wheat bran appears to be linked to the ability of the samples to physically adsorb the bile acids. Bile acid binding capacity significantly decreased with reduction in particle size of wheat bran after water washing.