Structural, antioxidant and adsorption properties of dietary fiber from foxtail millet (Setaria italica) bran.

Background: Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) bran is a by-product of millet processing, rich in dietary fiber (DF) and has great application value. A comparative study was conducted to explore the differences in structural and functional properties among millet bran DF, soluble dietary fiber (SDF) and insoluble dietary fiber (IDF).

Results: There was a significant difference in the content of monosaccharides between SDF and IDF, in which xylose, arabinose and glucose were the main compositions. The results of scanning electron microscopy showed that DF and IDF had different forms of network structure, and SDF presented a sign of mutual adhesion. The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were 0.54 and 0.08 g kg in SDF. Antioxidant activity of SDF was higher than that of IDF based on the evaluation of free radical scavenging and iron reducing capacity in vitro. Meanwhile, the glucose dialysis retardation index of IDF and SDF was 12.59% and 9.26% at 30 min, respectively. And, there was no significant difference in the adsorption capacity of glucose among different samples (P > 0.05). Furthermore, SDF had strong α-amylase inhibition (17.92% inhibition rate) and sodium cholate adsorption capacities; the adsorption amount was 16.76 g kg in 2.00 g L sodium cholate solution.

Conclusion: Foxtail millet bran DF, especially SDF, has good functional properties and would be a suitable ingredient for health-beneficial food production. However, the relevant verification trials in vivo need to be carried out in the next steps. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.