Wheat bran pellets are made from wheat bran, a by-product of dry milling of common wheat into flour and grits production, which predominantly consists of husks and variable proportions of the endosperm, by adding a suitable binder and then pressing the composition under high pressure in pelletizing machines or extruders to form cylindrically shaped pellets.
In milling, flour is directly separated from bran in a one-step milling and screening and this type of bran has a higher starch content and a higher nutritive value. Wheat bran is suitable for livestock feeding preferably for cattle and very palatable to most classes of animals. Wheat bran is a bulky feed that can be used to lighten dense, heavy feed mixtures. It can be readily incorporated into mashes. Good bran should have a fair coating of flour and be in the form of large, dry and non-adherent flakes. It is usually sold raw or pelleted.
Wheat bran pellets generally have the same characteristics as the original plant residues, in particular in terms of the product’s oil and water content. Wheat bran pellets are light gray in color. A darker or brownish color is indicative of excessively high temperatures during processing or excessively long storage.