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Agro-industry yields ample quantity of several byproducts with considerable importance. These byproducts are mostly under-utilized, often used as animal feed or rejected as waste; hence their true potential is not harnessed. The use of such superfluous resources is of not only economic significance but also a form of commercial recycling. Rice bran is an important byproduct of rice milling industry with a global potential of 29.3 million tons annually. It is gaining great attention of the researchers due to its nutrient-rich composition, easy availability, low cost, high antioxidant potential, and promising effects against several metabolic ailments. Bioactive components of rice bran, mainly γ-oryzanol, have been reported to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypocholesterolemic, anti-diabetic, and anti-cancer activities. Rice bran oil contains appreciable quantities of bioactive components and has attained the status of "Heart oil" due to its cardiac-friendly chemical profile. Nutraceutics have successfully been extracted from rice bran using several extraction techniques such as solvent extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, microwave-, and ultrasonic-assisted extraction. Current paper is an attempt to highlight bioactive moieties of rice bran along with their extraction technologies and health benefits.

Iron and zinc are 2 important nutrients in the human diet. Their deficiencies in humans lead to a variety of health-related problems. Iron and zinc biofortification of cereals is considered a cost-effective solution to overcome the malnutrition of these minerals. Biofortification aims at either increasing accumulation of these minerals in edible parts, endosperm, or to increase their bioavailability. Iron and zinc fertilization management positively influence their accumulation in cereal grains. Regarding genetic strategies, quantitative genetic studies show the existence of ample variation for iron and zinc accumulation as well as inhibitors or promoters of their bioavailability in cereal grains. However, the genes underlying this variation have rarely been identified and never used in breeding programs. Genetically modified cereals developed by modulation of genes involved in iron and zinc homeostasis, or genes influencing bioavailability, have shown promising results. However, iron and zinc concentration were quantified in the whole grains during most of the studies, whereas a significant proportion of them is lost during milling. This makes it difficult to realistically assess the effectiveness of the different strategies. Moreover, modifications in the accumulation of toxic elements, like cadmium and arsenic, that are of concern for food safety are rarely determined. Trials in living organisms with iron-and zinc-biofortified cereals also remain to be undertaken. This review focuses on the common challenges and their possible solutions related to agronomic as well as genetic iron and zinc biofortification of cereals.

Summary Instant study was an attempt to elucidate the suitability of wheat bran for extrusion cooking and to check the effect of different extrusion parameters on the dietary fibre profile as well as on water solubility index. Response surface methodology was used to optimise the extrusion parameters. From results, it was concluded that extrusion cooking had a positive effect on total and soluble dietary fibre. Whilst the insoluble dietary fibre decreased appreciably with the varying processing parameters, the decrease in insoluble fibre and increase in soluble fibre were probably due to disruption of covalent and noncovalent bonds in the carbohydrate and protein moieties leading to smaller and more soluble molecular fragments. Additionally, water solubility index was greatly enhanced by varying extrusion temperature and screw speed. Conclusively, the findings suggest the usefulness of extrusion cooking to beneficially modify the wheat bran for value addition.

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