<<Disclaimer:  Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

>From Don Kasarda, Albany, California  <[log in to unmask]>

There have been some questions on the list recently about bran as a fiber
source.  Unless wheat bran is very specially washed for the celiac market, I
would expect it to have some endosperm contamination (endosperm being the
part of the grain that has gluten proteins and is the source of white flour)
and would not recommend it.

I think rice bran is a good alternative for celiac patients.  Rice is a
major crop in California. There has been a problem with rice bran developing
rancidity because of lipase enzymes and this laboratory has developed a
process for rice bran stabilization that involves extrusion cooking, which
inactivates the lipase.  If anyone wishes to try to find some retail sources
of the stabilized rice bran, he or she might might contact one of the
companies using the extrusion cooking process developed here. The following
address is for one of them:

Food Extrusion, Inc.
Daniel L. McPeak, CEO
1241 Hawk's Flight Court
El Dorado Hills, CA 95630
Tel. 916/933-3000.

Alternatively, if a full-fat fresh rice bran could be obtained right after
milling (from the California or East Texas/Louisiana mills), storing the
bran in a freezer should prevent development of rancidity.