# Utilization of the Nutritional Potential of Wheat Bran Using Different Fractionation Techniques
## 2 Cereals and Their Potential Nutritional Benefits
At the same time, they are able to stabilize protein foams [34]. Furthermore, they can be used as texture-forming agents, especially water-soluble arabinoxylans. They have been used to produce oligosaccharides with physiological functions and also demonstrate the potential to reduce glucose and lipid absorption [28]. They have also been found to have a positive effect on the proper function of the intestinal tract, and their regular daily intake has been shown to improve immunoregulatory activity [29]. Cereal \(\beta\)-glucans are one of the components of dietary fiber and have positive effects on human health attributed to them. These positive effects are related to their structure and solubility. Their polysaccharide structure is mainly composed of blocks of three cellulose units linked by \(\beta\)-(1 \(\longrightarrow\) 4) bonds or blocks of four cellulose units linked by \(\beta\)-(1 \(\longrightarrow\) 3) bonds. The ratio of these two individual blocks of cellulose units with different bonding affects solubility, with very high or very low ratios resulting in lower solubility [37]. For the final polysaccharide, \(\beta\)-(1 \(\longrightarrow\) 3)-linked cellotriosyl units (58-72%) and cellottaoxyl units  
Figure 2: Structure of wheat arabinoxylan [31] (Reprinted with permission Ref. [31]. Copyright year 2023, copyright Li). Xyl—xylose, Gal—galactose, Ara—arabinose. (20-34%) predominate, but a small number of sequences with \(\beta\)-(1 \(\longrightarrow\) 4) linkages are also present, with up to 14 glucose units linked in sequence Figure 3[38]. The final structure of these polysaccharides is an important factor in determining their physical properties, which include water solubility, viscosity, and gel-forming ability. At the same time, their structure is responsible for their physiological action in the gastrointestinal tract [39]. Structural differences in cereal \(\beta\)-glucans are indicated by the ratio of trisaccharides to tetrasaccharides. Differences can be found within different cereal genera, but not within the same genus. Cereal \(\beta\)-glucans are present in large amounts, mainly in oats (4.5%), but also in wheat, mainly in bran, where they are found at around 2.5%. In oats and barley, \(\beta\)-glucans are found throughout the starch endosperm, whereas in wheat, the highest concentration is in the aleurone layer, and only a small fraction is in the rest of the starch endosperm [38]. Cereals are an important source of dietary fiber for humans, even with standard processing. They account for approximately 40% of total intake, of which half of the total cereal intake is consumed in the form of bread. Although \(\beta\)-glucan is a minor component in white wheat flour, approximately 0.5% on a dry matter basis, the high consumption of bread, pasta, and other wheat products makes it the main source of \(\beta\)-glucan in the diet of the majority of the population. The intake from wheat therefore far exceeds that from barley or oats, despite the high concentration of \(\beta\)-glucan in these two cereals. components are accompanied by other substances, in particular phenolic compounds, which also have interesting nutritional potential. What is the most widely used, and by far the most important, raw material for the production of bread, pastry, and pasta, foods that are extremely important and are consumed in large volumes and therefore contribute a great deal to human nutrition. The standard processing of wheat leads to the separation (extraction) of the pure endosperm in the form of baking and pastry flours, and nutritionally important components with proven health benefits become part of the bran [40]. What are the realistic pathways to increasing the content of these compounds in bakery and pasta products?