Bran

About Bran:

• It is the edible broken seed coat, or protective outer layer, of wheat, rye, or other cereal grains, separated from the kernel.
• In flour processing, the coarse chaff, or bran, is removed from the ground kernels by sifting or bolting in a rotating, meshed, cylindrical frame. 
• It provides dietary fiber and many different bioactive substances, including phenolic compounds, which can exert a beneficial effect on human health. 
• Removing the bran from millets results in decreasing the protein, dietary fibre, fat, mineral and phytate content in them while increasing the carbohydrates and amylose content.
• Dehusked millets are nutritious and should be promoted in Indian diets to improve diet quality, debranned millets are nutritionally inferior and can increase the glycemic load of Indian diets.

What are Millets?

• Millets are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. 
• This crop is favoured due to its productivity and short growing season under dry, high-temperature conditions (hardy and drought-resistant crops).
• Millets are a powerhouse of nutrients, which score over rice and wheat in terms of minerals, vitamins, and dietary fibre content, as well as amino acid profile. 
• Though rich in both iron and zinc, wheat’s protein content comprises glutens, known to trigger gastrointestinal and autoimmune disorders in many people.
• Millets are high in minerals such as calcium, iron, phosphorus, and potassium, and they are an excellent source of phytochemicals such as phenolic compounds when compared to other major cereals (rice, wheat, maize).
• Millets provide a range of health benefits such as antiaging, anticarcinogenic, anti-atherosclerogenic, antibacterial and antioxidant effects.