Investigation of the effect of particle size of corn fiber, as potential raw material, on techno-functional and physicochemical properties

Corn fiber (CF) is an undervalued co-product of the corn starch and corn milling industry. Similar to CF, sieving is also important in the cereal industry and should receive sufficient scientific attention. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of particle size on the techno-functional and physicochemical properties of CF as an alternative to fiber-rich raw materials for the food industry. Granulometry showed low uniformity (0.34) and low span (0.93), which could affect processing and product quality. The coarser fractions had lower density, solubility, paste viscosity, color, protein, ash, lipid, phenolic compounds, and antioxidant activity than the finer fractions. However, these coarse fractions had high porosity (83%), water absorption index (2.77 g gel/g), and dietary fiber content (75.56 g/100 g). All the evaluated responses had 37 strong positive correlations and 34 strong negative correlations (p < 0.01). In addition, principal component analysis at 91.09% of the total variance revealed four distinct clusters that possessed similar characteristics in both techno-functional and physicochemical properties. Coarse fractions could generate greater extraction yields of hemicellulose and cellulose, whereas fine fractions could be excellent materials for the production of foods with excellent nutritional and functional properties.