Evaluation of quality attributes, nutraceutical components and antioxidant potential of wheat bread substituted with rice bran

•Addition rice bran improved some properties of bread and quality attributes.•Rice bran substitution increased the content of nutraceutical components.•Rice bran addition of 30% increased the antioxidant activity of wheat bread 5-fold.•Baking increased the phenolics content but decreased the vitamin E content.•Breads substituted with 30% rice bran were overall acceptable.

In the present study, the effect of stabilized rice bran (RB) substitution on quality attributes, nutraceutical components and antioxidant potential of wheat bread was investigated. An increasing tendency was observed in protein, fat, ash, total dietary fiber content as well as in color and firmness of the breads as the level of substitution increased. Moreover, the RB substituted breads contained higher levels of vitamin E, phenolic content and antioxidant activity in comparison to the control. Baking resulted in a decrease in the vitamin E content and total flavonoids, whereas the amounts of phenolics as well as the antioxidant activities increased. Sensory evaluations revealed that breads substituted with 30% RB were overall acceptable, however, substitution level higher than 10% negatively affected the sensory properties in terms of color crumb and texture. Therefore, a significant improvement in the nutritional composition of the wheat bread with RB substitution was observed.