Stabilization of Vitamin A by Cereal Bran: The Importance of the Balance between Antioxidants, Pro-oxidants, and Oxidation-Sensitive Components

This study investigated the contribution of bran antioxidants and lipids to the stabilizing effect of cereal bran on vitamin A during accelerated storage. Hereto, wheat and rice bran samples subjected to a sequential extraction process were used. Vitamin A stabilization was more pronounced for wheat compared to rice bran. This was attributed to the higher antioxidant capacity and lower degree of lipid oxidation of wheat compared to rice bran. Removal of the chloroform/methanol-extractable fraction resulted in a substantial decrease in vitamin A retention from 78 to 26% for wheat bran and from 30 to 0% for rice bran after 2 weeks of accelerated storage. However, the vitamin A-stabilizing effect could not be attributed to specific components. The ability of cereal bran to stabilize vitamin A is therefore believed to be determined by the balance of antioxidants, pro-oxidants, and oxidation-sensitive components in the system.