Wheat bran is a long-standing ingredient in milling and baking, traditionally used in a coarse form — for fibre enrichment, levain management or dough texture. IBM offers a micronised version: a more precise formulation tool with a constant particle-size profile, designed for baking applications. REALDYME's expertise with this material dates back to the company's founding in 1978.
BAKING APPLICATIONS
In baking trials conducted with IBM and reviewed by an independent expert (LEMPA), the fat content of a sandwich bread recipe was cut by half: loaf volume stays close to the standard product, with a proportionate increase in dough hydration and a softer crumb than a fibre-free control. This improved hydration also lasts longer — the mixing water remains bound for twice as long as with non-micronised bran — resulting in a more elastic, easier-to-shape dough and a crumb with a more even cell structure from one loaf to the next. In a study carried out on their own micronised wheat bran, Lin et al. (Food Chemistry, 2022) also found that bran micronisation delayed bread staling — by up to 8.3% compared with coarse bran, under their test conditions.
fat in the recipe tested
staling delay in the cited study
At a 5% inclusion rate in a levain refreshment formula, IBM increases total titratable acidity by 25 to 28% and lactic acid content by 24 to 35%, with faster, more even proofing. Fermentation at room temperature gives the same result as standard fermentation at 30 °C — a tolerance benefit for production lines subject to temperature fluctuations.
inclusion in the refreshment tested
total titratable acidity
In France, average fibre intake remains around 20 g per day, compared with the 25 to 30 g recommended by ANSES — around two-thirds of the target. Wholemeal bread closes this gap, but most French consumers still buy white bread. An independent expert report (LEMPA) concludes that bread made with IBM-enriched flour is superior in outward appearance, keeping quality and reducing-sugar content — not only compared with a control loaf, but also compared with bread supplemented with commercial bran. Fibre enrichment is also one of the criteria taken into account by certain nutritional labelling systems, including Nutri-Score: a reformulation lever to be assessed according to the complete recipe.
average fibre intake in France
ANSES recommendation
Would you like to incorporate IBM into a sandwich bread recipe, a levain refreshment, or a fibre-enriched loaf?
