McClatchey, Bridget Colleen2013-09-302013-09-302013-06https://hdl.handle.net/11299/157496University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. June 2013. Major:Food Science. Advisor: Mirko Bunzel, PhD. 1 computer file (PDF); x, 101 pages, appendices A-C.The aim of this thesis project was to obtain corn bran AX of varying structure by using different extraction conditions, oxidatively cross-link them, and determine the microbial fermentability of both the non-cross-linked and cross-linked samples. To reach this goal the following objectives were defined: *Determine the influence of NaOH concentration used for AX extraction on structural characteristics of extracted AX. *Determine the influence of a post extraction procedure, ball milling, on the structural characteristics of extracted AX. *Cross-link differently extracted AX by using laccase and oxygen. *Determine the effects of ferulate cross-linking on fermentability in an in vitro fermentation experiment and analyze fermentation end products (pH, gas volume, and SCFAs). *Determine the release/formation of phenolic metabolites by gut microorganisms as well as the percentage of original FA being metabolized by gut microbiota.en-USArabioxylansCross linkingDietary fiberFerulic acidThesis or Dissertation