Isolation and characterization of wheat bran starch and endosperm starch of selected soft wheats grown in Michigan and comparison of their physicochemical properties

Three soft wheat varieties with relatively high crop yields and different levels of milling softness equivalence were studied to characterize bran starch properties compared with those of endosperm starch from the same wheat sample. Bran starch had more short chains than had endosperm starch, and was found to have a higher percentage of B-type granules, higher amylose content, higher crystallinity, broader gelatinization temperature range, higher enthalpy of gelatinization, lower retrogradation degree, and lower pasting peak and setback viscosities than had the counterpart endosperm starch. Bran starch of variety Aubrey had the highest crystallinity (21.75%) and gelatinization temperature (62.9 °C), while bran starch of variety D8006 had the highest percentage of B-type granules and lowest retrogradation degree (21.7%). Results of this study provide a foundation for better utilization of bran starch during whole grain food processing.