| Abstract: | A method is described which enables cereal fibre to be categorised by the rate of flow of water when packed into a column. This flow-rate method enables changes in physical characteristics of fibre, predictive of faecal bulking action, to be readily identified. Flow rate through coarse wheat bran was 200 ml h?1 and 120 ml h?1 for fine wheat bran. Heating wheat bran (40°C, 70°C) has an irreversible enhancing effect on flow rates. The initial ranking of the brans (coarse greatest, fine least) remains consistent despite changes resulting from cooking. Flow rates are affected by ionic strength of the eluting solutions. A 6 m urea elution reduces the flow rate and this reduction is reversed by eluting with lower ionic strength solutions. |
