Fiber-Fortified Food

As far as fiber intake goes, even well-meaning consumers find it difficult to eat all of the recommended vegetables and whole grains. For them, processed snack and other food products with added fiber are especially appealing. Ingredients such as TruBran™ F75M Corn Bran from Grain Processing Corporation can help food manufacturers develop such items. Finely milled from 100% natural yellow corn, TruBran contains a minimum of 75% dietary fiber and is heat treated for stability.

“TruBran corn bran has a clean flavor profile,” says Tonya Armstrong, senior applications scientist. “Since this product is a golden-brown color, it works best in applications that have a similar color profile, such as a snack, cereal, baked item or nutrition bar. In these applications, the TruBran corn bran can be added from 5% to 15% without affecting the flavor or texture of the product.”

Depending on the application, it can be used anywhere from 1% to 30% of the formula. For extruded and preformed dough snacks, “we have used up to 30% of the TruBran F75M corn bran, and it has made a good snack product,” Armstrong says. “For bakery applications, 1% to 10% levels of the TruBran F75M corn bran work well.” The company also offers TruBran F75R corn bran, which has a coarser particle size (60% through a 60 mesh screen).

The company has completed several trial formulations that demonstrate the ingredient’s functionality. When added to a snack or baked good, the corn bran performs well in the oven and in the fryer. In snacks, such as tortilla chips, the addition of corn bran helps improve the structure and crunchiness. In tortilla chip formulations, 5% to 7% of corn bran can be added, which equates to about 5 grams per 30- gram serving.

In baked goods, TruBran corn bran adds fiber without affecting the taste and texture. For example, in an oatmeal breakfast-cookie formulation, adding 4% to 7% will ensure a good source of fiber at 4 grams per 55-gram serving, while maintaining a clean flavor profile and a smooth mouthfeel.

Whole-grain, high-fiber coextruded bars have become popular snacks for kids and adults. Formulators can add 15% to 17% of this corn bran to a whole-grain, high-fiber snack-bar jacket, which gives 4 grams fiber per 24- gram serving. In a savory cheese-cracker formulation, a level of 5% to 6% can be added, which contributes approximately 2 grams of fiber per 30-gram serving. It also provides a golden-brown color during baking and mixes well with the other dough ingredients.

Corn tortillas with TruBran corn bran provide a good source of fiber as part of a meal or entrée. Adding 4% to 5% corn bran to the corn tortilla formula provides 3 grams of fiber in a 30-gram serving. 

Grain Processing Corporation 
1600 Oregon Street 
Muscatine, IA 52761 
Phone: 563/264-4265
Fax: 563/264-4289 
E-mail: [email protected] 
Website: www.grainprocessing.com