“Bran has many applications,” notes Patricia Panel-Dusséaux, Marketing Manager at LCI. “It has the dual benefit of a strong impact on the nutritional profile while also being increasingly used for its functional properties, particularly in extruded products.
“Westhove wheat bran ultrafine is a clean label, heat-treated wheat bran fibre exhibiting fine grain size and a specific distribution pattern favouring the development in extruded products of snacks with an authentic, ‘better for you’ look, while having a neutral impact on taste and texture. Westhove wheat bran ultrafine can also be used in savoury biscuit/cracker applications.”
LCI have also developed Sofabran 184/400 which contains several types of cleaned, heat-treated maize fibre, with different grain sizes according to application. The maize used originates from LCI’s IP-traced industrial stream, is clean label and gluten free.
Sofabran gives remarkable direct extrusion results and is easy to use in industrial processes. It is non-hygroscopic, low dust, stable in mixes, and has excellent disability. Sofabran also provides good results in control of snack shape - a very important point with the new, more complex mould shapes available from manufacturers.
“With Sofabran, it is possible to achieve new, finer and more even textures – in particular, thanks to the impact of the fibres on nucleation. Sofabran also reduces oil absorption when frying,” she adds.
