Effects of wheat bran with different colors on the qualities of dry noodles

White, blue, black and purple red wheat bran powders were prepared by ultrafine grinding to the particle size distribution of 0.5–100 μm. The effects of wheat bran addition on the qualities of dry Chinese noodles were investigated. Rapid Visco Analyzer results suggested that peak viscosity, hot paste viscosity, cool paste viscosity, breakdown viscosity and setback viscosity of the blends decreased with the increasing bran levels from 2.0% to 6.0% (P < 0.05). Color of dough sheet (L*) decreased with the addition of wheat bran, while a* and b* values increased distinctly. Water absorption and firmness of the cooked noodles showed up trends with increasing addition of bran, while cooking loss showed a downtrend. Tensile strength and elongation rate decreased when bran addition was 2.0%, but increased when bran addition reached 4.0%–6.0%. Storage modulus (E′) and loss modulus (E″) showed decreasing trends with increases in bran addition at frequencies of 0.1–10 Hz. SEM revealed that bran presence could slightly decrease surface connectivity between starch granules and gluten. It is possible to produce fiber-rich noodles by using 2.0%–6.0% ultrafine-ground bran in wheat flour.