Physicochemical and functional properties of dietary fiber from foxtail millet (Setaria italic) bran

Agricultural byproduct-foxtail millet (Setaria italic) bran was explored to extract dietary fiber by enzymatic methods and the physicochemical and functional properties of foxtail millet bran dietary fiber (FMBDF) were investigated. Results revealed that foxtail millet bran was a good source for dietary fiber production. The studies of physicochemical and functional properties showed that the water holding capacity and swelling power of FMBDF were 3.24 g/g and 2.06 ml/g, respectively. Meanwhile, FMBDF exhibited good adsorption capacities to lipophilic substances such as lard (3.34 g/g), peanut oil (2.32 g/g) and cholesterol (5.19 mg/g). Its bile salts adsorption capacity (143.03 μmol/g for sodium cholate and 76.65 μmol/g for sodium taurocholate) indirectly reflected its cholesterol-lowering effect. The chemical composition and microstructure studies of FMBDF demonstrated that these had a lot to do with its functional properties. The results indicate that FMBDF has a great potential to be used as functional ingredient in food products.