 300px|right bran, also known as miller's bran, is the hard outer layers of cereal grain. it consists of the combined aleurone and pericarp. along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, and is often produced as a by-product of milling in the production of refined grains. when bran is removed from grains, the grains lose a portion of their nutritional value. bran is present in and may be milled from any cereal grain, including rice, corn (maize), wheat, oats, barley and millet. bran should not be confused with chaff, which is coarser scaly material surrounding the grain, but not forming part of the grain itself. bran is particularly rich in dietary fiber and essential fatty acids and contains significant quantities of starch, protein, vitamins, dietary minerals and phytic acid, which is an antinutrient that prevents nutrient absorption. the high oil content of bran makes it subject to rancidification, one of the reasons that it is often separated from the grain before storage or further processing. the bran itself can be heat-treated to increase its longevity. ==composition== {| class="wikitable" border="1" |- ! align="center" | nutrients (%) ! wheat ! rye ! oat ! rice ! barley |- | align="center" |carbohydrates w/o starch | align="center" |45â50 | align="center" |50â70 | align="center" |16â34 | align="center" |18â23 | align="center" |70â80 |- | align="center" | starch | align="center" |13â18 | align="center" |12â15 | align="center" |18â45 | align="center" |18â30 | align="center" |8â11 |- | align="center" | proteins | align="center" |15â18 | align="center" |8â9 | align="center" |13â20 | align="center" |15â18 | align="center" | 11â15 |- | align="center" | fats | align="center" |4â5 | align="center" |4â5 | align="center" |6â11 | align="center" |18â23 | align="center" |1â2 |} == rice bran == rice bran is a byproduct of the rice milling process (the conversion of brown rice to white rice), and it contains various antioxidants that impart beneficial effects on human health. a major rice bran fraction contains 12%-13% oil and highly unsaponifiable components (4.3%).{{citati
Cereals Food_ingredients