## 3 Results and Discussion  
### Effect of Processing on the Chemical Compositions of Wheat Grains  
The content of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, dietary fibers, and ash in the analyzed grain samples is presented in Table 1.  
The findings indicate that the puffing process applied to wheat grain resulted in a 9.2% reduction in the protein content, which is correlated with the loss of protein-rich components such as the aleurone layer [44]. Furthermore, the production of puffed grain necessitates exposure to high temperatures, which generally impacts both the quality and quantity of amino acids, particularly resulting in the degradation of heat-sensitive amino acids [26]. Research indicates that the puffing process of wheat grains results in a loss of approximately 36.4% of the initial fat content. This loss is particularly linked to the decomposition of fats into free fatty acids and monoglycerides, as reported by [PERSON] et al. [45] and [PERSON] et al. [46]. Another credible explanation has been provided by [PERSON] et al. [47], revealing the formation of an amylose-fat complex that appeared after the release of free fatty acids. Along with the loss of proteins and fat, which typically diminished the quality of puffed wheat grains [48], the puffing process has been found to decrease the dietary fiber content by 23.1% and to result in a loss of minerals by 32.6% [49]. As the proportion of dietary fiber decreased, there was a corresponding increase in the content of less significant compounds, particularly carbohydrates such as starch, maltose, and glucose [47]. This increase was quantified at 9.3%. The results of the analysis of mono- and disaccharides, starch, and soluble and insoluble dietary fibers are presented in Table 2. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Variables**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Content, g/100 g DW**} \\ \cline{2-3}  & **Wheat Grains** & **Puffed Wheat Grains** \\ \hline Moisture & 9.10 \(\pm\) 0.11  & 5.90 \(\pm\) 0.15  \\ Protein & 15.09 \(\pm\) 0.24  & 13.70 \(\pm\) 0.04  \\ Fat & 1.54 \(\pm\) 0.09  & 0.98 \(\pm\) 0.06  \\ Carbohydrates & 66.07 \(\pm\) 0.11  & 72.20 \(\pm\) 0.07  \\ Crude fiber & 15.37 \(\pm\) 0.09  & 11.82 \(\pm\) 0.11  \\ Ash & 1.93 \(\pm\) 0.06  & 1.30 \(\pm\) 0.02  \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Note. Average (\(n\) = 3) \(\pm\) standard deviation. Different letters in the same row indicate significant differences at \(p\leq\) 0.05.  
\end{table} 
Table 1: The chemical compositions of whole and puffed-wheat grains. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Variables**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Content, g/100 g DW**} \\ \cline{2-3}  & **Wheat Grains** & **Puffed Wheat Grains** \\ \hline Starch & 64.40 \(\pm\) 0.1  & 71.17 \(\pm\) 0.1  \\ \hline Mono- and disaccharides, incl. & 1.67 \(\pm\) 0.09  & 1.03 \(\pm\) 0.02  \\ xylose & – & 0.06 \(\pm\) 0.01  \\ arabinose & – & – & – \\ fructose & 0.04 \(\pm\) 0.01  & 0.35 \(\pm\) 0.01  \\ glucose & 0.07 \(\pm\) 0.01  & 0.11 \(\pm\) 0.01  \\ sucrose & 1.00 \(\pm\) 0.03  & 0.20 \(\pm\) 0.01  \\ maltose & 0.14 \(\pm\) 0.01  & 0.19 \(\pm\) 0.01  \\ lactose & – & – \\ unknown & 0.40 \(\pm\) 0.14  & 0.12 \(\pm\) 0.01  \\ \hline Total dietary fiber (TDF), incl. & 15.37 \(\pm\) 0.09  & 11.82 \(\pm\) 0.11  \\ insoluble dietary fiber (IDF) & 11.72 \(\pm\) 0.1  & 8.41 \(\pm\) 0.63  \\ soluble dietary fiber (SDF) & 3.65 \(\pm\) 0.1  & 3.41 \(\pm\) 0.37  \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} Note. Average (\(n\) = 3) \(\pm\) standard deviation. “–” indicates not detected. Different letters in rows indicate significant differences between samples (\(p\leq\) 0.05).  
\end{table} 
Table 2: The content of mono- and disaccharides, starch, and soluble and insoluble dietary fibers in whole and puffed wheat grains. Removing the outer layers and subsequent thermal treatment (puffing) of wheat grains increased the relative starch content in the final product.