Uses of Bran
Bran is often used to enrich breads (notably muffins) and breakfast cereals, especially for the benefit of those wishing to increase their intake of dietary fiber. Bran may also be used for pickling (nukazuke) as in the tsukemono of Japan.
Rice bran, in particular, finds many uses in Japan, where it is known as nuka (糠; ぬか). Besides using it for pickling, Japanese people also add it to the water when boiling bamboo shoots, and use it for dish washing. In Kitakyushu City, it is called jinda and used for stewing fish, such as sardine.
In Myanmar, rice bran, called phwei-bya, is mixed with ash and used as a traditional detergent for washing dishes. Rice bran is also stuck to commercial ice blocks to hinder them from melting. It is also burned for fuel for rice mills in the rice growing regions of the Irrawaddy delta.
Use of rice bran as a food item is common among the people of the South Indian state of Kerala.
Rice bran and rice bran oil are widely used in Japan as a natural beauty treatment. The high levels of oleic acid makes it particularly well absorbed by human skin, and it contains over 100 known vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, including gamma oryzanol, which is believed to impact pigment development.
Bran oil may be also extracted for use by itself for industrial purposes (such as in the paint industry), or as a cooking oil, such as rice bran oil.
In Romania, the fermented wheat bran is usually used when preparing borscht soup.
Bran was found to be the most successful slug deterrent by BBC's TV programme, Gardeners' World.
It is a common substrate and food source used for feeder insects, such as mealworms and waxworms.
Wheat bran has also been used for tanning leather since at least the 16th century.
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