Bioactive compounds in whole grain wheat

Bread can be healthier! Consuming whole-grain foods can prevent cardiovascular diseases, type-2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome. This is due to bioactive compounds in whole grain, such as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. We found that the different fractions of a wheat grain vary much in their content. The external fractions of the grain, the bran and specially the aleurone, are the richest. We observed that processing the bran in whole-grain breads increased three times the levels of bioactive compounds in blood and urine in humans. This thesis shows that a daily consumed food like bread can be improved to deliver beneficial compounds.