Intact aleurone cells limit the hydrolysis of endogenous lipids in wheat bran during storage

This work aimed to elucidate the effect of aleurone cell integrity on the hydrolysis of endogenous lipids in wheat bran and flour. The distribution of lipases in the bran dissected layers (aleurone layer, outer pericarp and intermediate layer) and the lipid hydrolysis in the bran fractions and flour containing the aleurone cells with different integrity were investigated. The results indicated that 80% of the lipase activities in bran layers were associated with the aleurone layer. After centrifugal impact milling, the aleurone layer in commercial bran could be detached into the monolayer cell clusters with decreasing integrities as the particle size decreased. In the oil phase, intact aleurone cells did not limit the lipase activities in the bran fractions because the oil could penetrate into aleurone cells. During storage, the hydrolysis rates of endogenous lipids in the bran fractions and their mixed flour increased as the integrity of aleurone cells decreased; while after the aleurone cells were broken, the hydrolysis rates of endogenous lipids increased to be in line with the lipase activities in bran fractions, indicating the limitation of intact aleurone cells on lipid hydrolysis. These results gave a new understanding of the effect of aleurone cell structure on the interaction between lipases and lipids in wheat bran, and will facilitate the production of stable wheat bran and whole wheat flour.