Rice Bran as a Functional Food: An Overview of the Conversion of Rice Bran into a Superfood/Functional Food

Abstract

Rice bran is a byproduct of the rice milling process; it constitutes 10% of rice, with a potential global production of 48 million tons per year. The major portion of this is used as animal feed or discarded as waste material. However, rice bran is attracting attention from researchers because it is widely available, cheap and rich in nutrients such as protein, fat, carbohydrates, bioactive compounds and dietary fiber. Many foodprocessing techniques that have improved rice bran resources have been pioneered, such as enzyme treatment and fermentation. We have been investigating the functional role of rice bran since 2003. Our experiments revealed that rice bran and its active compounds, such as γ-oryzanol, tocopherol, tocotrienol, adenosine and ferulic acid, play a role as a functional food. In this review, we summarize how rice bran is a super food and functional food to illustrate the global interest in rice bran and its functional aspects and medicinal qualities. We also describe the techniques to prepare functional bran and the composition and health benefits of functional bran, which may encourage entrepreneurs to produce rice bran-based food on a large scale and meet the global demand for super foods and functional foods.

Upgrading the Nutritional Value of Rice Bran by Solid-State Fermentation with Pleurotus sapidus

“…The unsaturated fatty acid levels were higher than the saturated ones. The main FAs identified in all samples (P. sapidus biomass, RB and FRB) were linoleic, oleic, and palmitic acids and these results are consistent with those mentioned in the literature [6][7][8]26]. In FRB, the linoleic and oleic FAs showed a small increase compared to the control substrate after six days of SSF, while the arachidic and behenic FAs disappeared after four days of fermentation, suggesting that the fungus could play a role in such (bio) transformations (Table 2).…”

“…Several authors reported the beneficial effects of the fermented rice bran using Rhizopus oryzae or Lentinula edodes, not only in the enhancement of the nutritional quality of the final product but also its bioactivity [2,4,24]. Oil removal after fermentation could avoid various drawbacks like lipids oxidation, generation of unpleasant flavors, and loss of nutritional value [5,6,25]. Moreover, the product could be stabilized, thus extending product shelf life (e.g., feed supplement).…”

“…Rice bran is an attractive raw material since it contains minerals (Fe, P, and Mg), proteins, and fibers and it is an excellent source of lipids. Moreover, rice bran is a rich source of antioxidant compounds (e.g., polyphenols, vitamin E, tocotrienols) that prevent the oxidative damage of DNA and other body tissues [5,6]. The oil represents 90-96% of the lipid component of the rice bran, such as mono-, di-and triacylglycerols, free fatty acids, and waxes.…”

“…After fermentation, an increase in nutrient availability, biosurfactant content, and mono-and polyunsaturated fatty acid content was observed. The same process also allowed the release and transformation of phenolic (e.g., ferulic acid) and volatile compounds-a fact that further enhances the potential benefits of the fermented substrates [2][3][4]6,8,9].…”

Extraction, Characterization, and Application of Agricultural and Food Processing By-Products

“…process, 70% rice is obtained, while rice hull (20%), rice bran (8%), and rice germ (2%) are the by-products. The major portion of this is used as animal feed or discarded as waste material [54]. However, rice bran is attracting attention from Figure 15.…”