14

1.
Rice Bran: Production, Composition,
Functionality and Food Applications,
Physiological Benefits
I
Taiwinder S. Kahion

CONTENTS
Production ............................................................................................................305
Composition.........................................................................................................307
FoodApplications...............................................................................................308
Safety.....................................................................................................................30)
PhysiologicalBenefits .........................................................................................309
Cholesterol Lowering with Rice Bran.....................................................309
HamsterStudies ............................................................................. .309
RatStudies ......................................................................................312
OtherSpecies ...................................................................................313
HumanStudies...............................................................................314
Bile Acid Binding by Rice Bran.........................................................................316
Whole Grain Recommendation..........................................................................
MarketPotential..................................................................................................316
Summary.............................................................................................................. 316
References.............................................................................................................318

Production
The world production of rice paddy in 2006 was 631 million metric tons. It
resulted in 421 million tons of milled rice, of which 372 million tons were
consumed as food. At least 114 countries grow rice and more than 50 have
an annual production of 100,000 metric tons or more. The 11 top rice-grow-
ing countries are China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand,
Myanmar, Philippines, Brazil, Japan, and the United States, producing 28.2%,
22.4%, 8.8%, 6.5%, 5.9%, 4.6%, 4.2%, 2.4%, 1.7%, 17%, and 13% of the world

305
 306 Til,ir Iu'i -cilii',iIs: Teed .Applicatiwis III ii 1 icaItli Bcne/its

rice crop, rvsprctl\cl\. The United States contributes 9.5 million metric tons
to the annual world rice production. Thailand, Vietnam, the United States,
India, Pakistan, and China exported 8.9, 5.9, 4.5, 4.2, 4.2, and 1.2 million tons,
respectively: a total of 28.9 million tons of milled rice. Rice, wheat, and corn
contribute to 50% of the human caloric intake; rice comprises 23%, wheat
17%, and corn 10% of the calories consumed [1]. Rice is primarily used for
human consumption, whereas a larger proportion of wheat and corn are
used as animal feed. On average, per capita rice consumption is 56.9 kg per
year. Consumption in the developing countries is around 68.5 kg per capita
per year, and 12.8 kg per year for developed countries. More than 60 0/,, of the
calories consumed by the populations of East Asian countries such as Ban-
gladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam come from rice. Most rice
is consumed as white, milled, polished rice.
Rice as harvested from the field is called paddy. In the rice milling process,
first the outermost layer, the hull, is removed to produce brown rice. This
process is least damaging to the nutritional value of the rice and avoids the
unnecessary loss of nutrients that occurs with the further processing to pro-
duce white milled rice. Brown rice would be considered whole grain. One
hundred kilograms of paddy on milling yields 56 to 58 kg white rice, 10 to
12 kg broken rice, 18 to 20 kg husk, and 10 to 12 kg rice bran. Rice bran, a by-
product of the milling process, contains the enzyme lipase, which rapidly
degrades the oil making the bran rancid and inedible. Researchers at the
Western Regional Research Center, USDA-ARS, Albany, California, success-
fully stabilized rice bran by heating it to 125C-135C for 1 to 3 seconds at 11%
to 15% moisture, and holding the extruded bran at an elevated temperature
97C-99C for 3 minutes prior to cooling, thereby deactivating the lipase [2].
Stabilized rice bran (SRB) has an estimated shelf life of about six months and
could potentially be used as a food ingredient. Oil can be extracted from the
bran and used as a healthful food component.
Each year, 63 to 76 million tons of rice bran (rice milling by-product) is
produced in the world and more than 90% of rice bran is sold cheaply as
animal feed. The remainder is stabilized and could be used as a value-added
health food product. Currently there is some market for SRB as a horse-feed
supplement. In the United States, rice oil is being extracted from 15% to 20%
of the rice bran.
Parboiling, a steam treatment of paddy, gelatinizes the starch beneath the
bran layer of the rice kernel, and yields more white rice, less broken rice,
and higher fiber bran. Parboiling stabilizes rice bran by deactivating lipase,
but it could destroy the beneficial antioxidants responsible for its health-
promoting properties. Steam cooking conditions destroy antioxidants [3].
Antioxidants derived from the diet scavenge and neutralize free radicals,
a by-product of metabolism. Free radicals have been implicated in heart
disease and cancer.
 307
Rice Bran

TABLE 14.1

Composition of Rice Bran

Stabilized
- Percent of
Parboiled
L
Rice Bran Rice Bran

Total Dietary Fiber

Soluble Dietar y Fiber
20.9
1.9
27
1.' tul
Nitrogen 2.4
22.4 29.6
Fat
Source: 1141

TABLE 14.2
Composition of Rice Bran Oil
Component %

Unsaponifiable Matter 4.1

Saturated Fatty Acids:
Palmitic 17.0
1.7
Stearic
Arachidic (1.6
Monounsaturated Fatty Acids:
Oleic 39.4
Vaccenic 0.)
Gadolcic 0.6
Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids:
Linoleic 34.3
Linolenic 1.3

Source: 1151

Composition
The composition of stabilized and parboiled rice bran is given in Table 14.1,
and of rice bran oil in Table 14.2. Nutritional studies have identified dietary
fiber, bran oil, unsaponifiable matter, sterols, and protein as rice bran's health-
ful components. The total dietary fiber (TDF) content of rice bran ranges from
21% to 270%, with less than 2% as soluble dietary fiber (Table 14.1). The protein
content of stabilized rice bran ranges from 12% to 16%, and in parboiled rice
bran from 14% to 20%. Rice bran protein is efficiently digested and has high
nutritional value; it has a protein efficiency ratio of 1.6. Concentrates from
 308 Fifier liigiedie;its: Food Applications and Health Benefits

TABLE 14.3

Composition of Rice Bran Oil Unsaponifiable Matter

Sterol %
'lint Sterols 43
Cainpesterol
Stigmasterol
[i-Sitosterol
Triterpene Alcohols 28
24-Methylene Cycloartenol
Cycloartenol
Aliphatic alcohols, hydrocarbons 19
4-Methyl Sterols 10
Source: [7]

rice bran protein have an efficiency ratio of 2.0 to 2.2, comparable to casein
(2.5), a milk protein [4]. Rice bran contains 22% to 30% crude fat including
1.8% gum and 0.4% wax [5]. The crude fat content of commercial stabilized
rice bran is 18% to 22%. The fatty acid composition of rice bran oil consists of
41% monounsaturates, 36% polyunsatu rates, and 19% saturates (Table 14.2).
The composition of unsaponifiable matter (UM) in rice bran oil is listed in
Table 14.3. Rice bran oil (RBO) contains over 4% of UM, but peanut oil contains
only 0.3% to 1% UM [ 6 ] . UM is a mixture of 43 0% plant sterols (campesterol,
stigmasterol, 13-sitosterol, and others), 28% triterpene alcohols (24-methylene
cycloartanol, and cycloartenol), 19% less polar compounds such as aliphatic
alcohols and other hydrocarbons, and 10% 4-methyl sterols [7]. Oryzanol, a
mixture of ferulic acid esters of triterpenoid alcohols, composes 20% to 30%
of UM and 1.1% to 2.6 0% of bran oil.

Food Applications
Rice bran has many food applications in prepared foods, nutraceuticals, and
functional foods. Some of the common applications of rice bran are in snack
foods, bakery products, cereals, crackers, pasta products, dough conditioners,
beverages, gluten-free foods, and medical foods. The USDA in partnership
with a nonprofit organization provides a nutritious rice bran drink to pre-
school children in the Latin American countries. Rice-bran-containing bev-
erage base can be used for isotonic drinks, iced tea drinks, enhanced juices,
mineral supplements, and sports beverages. "Rice Milk" non-dairy alterna-
tive to milk is made from organically grown rice. Healthy meal replacement
drinks made from stabilized rice bran are being introduced in the market.
 309
Rice Bran

Safety
Stabilized rice bran has shown no negative influence on shelf life or organo-
leptic properties of the various foods when used as an ingredient. Stabili7ii
rice bran has been shown to have no adverse effects on animal health or fecd
nutritional quality when fed at 60% of the diet in chicks [8, 91 or up to 40'' i
diet of pigs [101.

Physiological Benefits
Cholesterol Lowering with Rice Bran

Hamster Studies
The hamster has become the preferred rodent model for cholesterol stud-
ies, since it has a gall bladder, which is absent in the rat, and the lipoprotein
profile of hamster plasma by density gradient ultracentrifugation contains
distinct very low-density (20%), low-density (25%), and high-density (55%)
lipoprotein fractions. Furthermore, hamsters and humans are reported to
be similar in having significant levels of circulating plasma cholesterol and
an intrinsically low rate of hepatic cholesterol synthesis, and a similarit y in
their response to diet modification and drugs 1111.
Cholesterol lowering in hamsters by stabilized or parboiled rice bran in the
United States was first reported by USDA-ARS (Albany, California) scientists
[12] and was acknowledged by a feature article in the Journal of the Ameri-
can Oil Chemists' Society [13] in which the need was expressed for funding a
human study to validate these findings in hamsters. Diets containing 10%
TDF from intact full-fat rice bran (stabilized or parboiled) resulted in signifi-
cantly lower plasma and liver cholesterol compared with the 10% cellulose
control diet in hamsters fed 0.5% cholesterol [14]. Replacing one-third of the
stabilized rice bran fiber with wheat bran fiber also resulted in significantly
lower plasma and liver cholesterol (Table 14.4). In a subsequent study [15],
diets containing 10% TDF from stabilized rice bran significantly reduced
plasma cholesterol compared to those fed a cellulose control diet, both in
the presence and absence of 0.3% cholesterol in the diet. In the cholesterol-
fed hamsters, diets containing 11%, 22%, 33%, and 44% rice bran resulted in
plasma cholesterol reductions of 8%, ll%, 15%, and 21%, respectively, com-
pared with control values. Plasma cholesterol reductions were significant
only with the diet containing 44% rice bran. Although plasma cholesterol
reductions were significantly correlated with the level of rice bran in the diet
(r = 0.38),
the low correlation coefficient suggested that the rice bran level
alone was a poor predictor of plasma cholesterol lowering.

310 I i/)ei lii'r'tlu';it: I-out] Applications and Health Benefits

TABLE 14.4
I lamster Studies: Plasma and Liver Cholesterol Lowering by Rice Bran
Control Rice Bran Effect Ref.
Plasma cholesterol 402 274 Significant 14
ing/d L) 327 255 Significant 15
322 237 Significant 5
302 276 Not significant 16
281 266 Not significant 17
376 338 Significant 21
I 'ui cholesterol 57 31 Significant 14
(T11ig) 37 28 Significant 15
36 23 Significant 5
54 43 Significant 16
46 32 Significant 17
56 49 Significant 21

Several fractions of rice bran were evaluated for cholesterol-lowering

properties. Defatted rice bran resulted in a loss of cholesterol-lowering abil-
ity [14, 151, suggesting that the lipid fraction was necessary for maximum
ch olesterol-lowering potential. A combination of defatted rice bran plus RBO
or degummed, dewaxed RBO resulted in significant liver cholesterol reduc-
tions [5,15]. However, RBO extracted at 4C or 54C and wax and gum frac-
tions of RBO had no significant influence on cholesterol status compared
with their respective oil controls [5]. When recombined, it appeared that
defatted rice bran and RBO were less effective in lowering cholesterol com-
pared with intact full-fat rice bran, suggesting that either intact RBO was less
available or there was a loss/inactivation of cholesterol-lowering activity in
the rice oil fractionation process.
Since the liver is the principal organ responsible for the regulation of
plasma cholesterol levels, liver cholesterol levels also provide a measure of
the influence of diet on cholesterol metabolism. Liver cholesterol was signifi-
cantly lowered in hamsters by diet containing 10% TDF from rice bran or a 5:5
TDF combination of rice bran and a 13-glucan-enriched (19% total 3-glucans)
barley fraction in diets containing 0.25% cholesterol [16]. In the same study, a
diet containing a combination of rice bran and oat bran (5:5, TDF) with 2.6%
total 13-glucans (0.3% from rice bran, 2.3% from oat bran) resulted in signifi-
cant plasma and liver cholesterol reductions, suggesting that the contribution
of rice bran in lowering cholesterol in hamsters is likely due to components
other than 3-glucans or soluble fiber (Table 14.4). Measurement of diet slurry
viscosities revealed rice bran diet viscosity to be similar to that of the cel-
lulose (insoluble fiber) control diet (<10 cP over a three-hour period), rather
than to oat bran diet viscosity (104 cP), indicating that cholesterol lowering
 311
Rice Bran

LI
by rice bran is related to a mechanism other than gel forming and sequester-
ing or entrapment of lipid, bile acids, or their metabolites.
In the earlier studies [5, 14, 151 in which either 0.3% or 0.5% cholesterol was
fed, rice bran resulted in significant plasma cholesterol reductions, but when
dietary cholesterol was lowered to 0.25%, plasma cholesterol was not signifi-
cantly reduced by the rice bran diet, suggesting that the plasma cholesterol
response is dependent on the level of hypercholeSterOlemia induced in the
animals [16].
The source of dietary protein is an additional influence on plasma choles-
terol elevations. It is common knowledge that vegetarians have lower plasma
cholesterol levels than persons consuming animal protein. In each of the
aforementioned hamster studies, the control diets contained casein as the
sole source of protein, while treatment diets contained some plant protein.
Therefore, a study was designed in which the contribution of plant protein
was made equal in all treatments [17]. Diets contained 0.3% cholesterol, 100%
TDF, 10.1% fat, and 3 1/o nitrogen with the same plant-to-animal N ratio (44:56),
using soy protein and casein in the control diet. Plasma cholesterol was ele-
vated in the control animals to 281 mg/dL, 13% lower than that (322 to 325
mg/dL) observed in previous studies [5,15] in which hamsters were fed 0.3%
cholesterol with casein as the sole source of protein in the control diet. In this
study, the unsaponifiable matter (UM) was isolated from rice bran oil and
added to cellulose or rice bran diets to provide a total of 0.4 9% or 0.8% UM in
the diets. Probably as a result of the lower level of hypercholesterOlemia in
the control animals, plasma cholesterol was not significantly lower in ani-
mals fed rice bran without added UM but was significantly lower in animals
fed stabilized or raw rice bran with 0.4% additional UM from RBO, com-
pared to the control group. Liver cholesterol was significantly lowered by
stabilized or raw rice bran with or without added U (0.8% or 0.4% U, respec-
tively), and by cellulose diets with added U (0.8%). Plasma and liver choles-
terol reductions were proportional to the amount of UM in the hamster diet.
Rice bran diets lowered cholesterol up to twice as much as cellulose diets
with equivalent levels of UM. Fecal fat excretion was significantly negatively
correlated to liver (r 0.97) and plasma (r = 0,83) cholesterol values. The
results of these hamster studies suggest that UM and other components of
rice bran have cholesterol-lowering activity, possibly through increased fecal
excretion of lipids.
Kahlon et al. [18] observed a reduction 49% to 65%) in foam cells in the
inner bend of the aortic arch in hamsters consuming rice bran diets contain-
ing 20% fat and 0.5% cholesterol for six weeks. The size of the plaque area
on the inner bend of the aortic arch is a marker for arteriosclerosis and heart
disease. Adding a megadose of vitamin E (1000 lU/Kg) resulted in further
reduction in the aortic plaque area, but the difference was not significant
over animals fed an adequate level (50 lU/kg) of vitamin E. Animals on the
rice bran diet excreted more neutral sterols compared to the control animals.
Animals consuming megadoses (21 times the normal dosage) of vitamin E
with their rice bran diets excreted more neutral sterols than animals receiv-

ia
 312 Fiber Ingredients: Food Applications and Health Benefits
T
ing an adequate level of vitamin E. Plant sterols as a major component of
these rice bran diets inhibit cholesterol absorption in the intestinal tract and
are a proposed mechanism for cholesterol lowering [19].
Rong et al. [20] reported significant reductions in plasma cholesterol (PC),
very low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), and low density lipopro-
tein cholesterol (LDL-C) in hamsters fed 1% oryzanol in diets containing 5%
coconut oil and 0.1% cholesterol for seven weeks. Areas of aortic foam cells
were reduced (679%) in animals on the oryzanol diet.
Kahlon et al. [211 reported significant reductions in PC, VLDL-C, and liver
cholesterol in animals on rice bran diets compared with corn bran or wheat bran
diets. Extrusion cooking (processing at two energy levels, 221 and 442 Wh/kg
dm) did not change the hypocholesterolemic properties of the rice bran.

Rat Studies
Although the current preference among researchers is to use the hamster
model for the evaluation of diet ingredient effects on cholesterol metabolism,
earlier work was conducted primarily with the laboratory rat. In cholesterol-
fed rats, Ayano et al. [22] reported that the neutral detergent fiber fraction
(high in hemicellulose) of rice bran had serum cholesterol-lowering effects,
while the acid detergent fiber fraction was ineffective. The hemicellulose
fraction was isolated from defatted rice bran and fed to rats at 2% of the diet,
resulting in significantly reduced plasma cholesterol (PC) levels (23); how-
ever, liver cholesterol was not significantly influenced in either study. Data
from the latter investigation suggested that the hypocholesterolemic effect of
rice bran hemicellulose involved increased excretion of bile acid, but not liver
accumulation of cholesterol or suppression of cholesterol absorption. Others
reported no significant PC reductions with diet containing 10% stabilized
rice bran from parboiled rice compared to 10% cellulose or fiber-free control
diets fed to rats for four weeks [24]; however, none of the diets contained
added cholesterol and the level of rice bran in the diet was low. When diets
containing 1% cholesterol, 0.2% cholic acid, 10% TDF from raw or parboiled
rice bran, and 17% to 19% fat were fed to rats for 21 days, both plasma and
liver cholesterol levels were significantly reduced by the rice bran diets com-
pared with the fiber-free control diet [25]. Topping et al. [26] found signifi -
cantly lower plasma and liver cholesterol in rats fed cholesterol-free diets
containing 79/o TDF from heat-stabilized rice bran compared to 7% TDF from
unprocessed wheat bran. The cholesterol reductions were related to increase
in hepatic low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor activity. Supplementing
5% fish oil in the diet achieved further reductions in PC.
Cholesterol-lowering effects of rice bran oil and rice bran oil UM were
reported in rats fed 1% cholesterol and 0.5% cholic acid diets for eight weeks
[27]. Results showed that either 10% RBO or 0.4% rice bran oil UM signifi-
cantly lowered PC and liver cholesterol compared to peanut oil. In another
study with cholesterol-fed rats, significantly lower PC, LDL-C, and VLDL-C
were observed with 10% RBO compared with those fed peanut oil [28]. An
Rice Bran313

addition of 0.5% oryzanol to RBO diet showed a further significant decrease

in PC. Rice bran oil also lowered liver cholesterol and triglycerides signifi-
cantly. Evidence of a possible mechanism for the hypocholesterOlemic activ-
ity of oryzanol was reported in a subsequent study in which a significant
increase in fecal cholesterol and bile acid excretion and a 20% reduction in
cholesterol absorption in vitro were observed after rats were fed 0.5% oryz-
anol and 1% cholesterol diet [29]. An additional mechanism for reducing
atherosclerotic risk with oryzanol was suggested by significantly lower ADP-
L
induced platelet aggregation and total inhibition of aggregation by collagen
when 0.5% oryzanol was added to 1% cholesterol rat diet [30].
Other components of rice bran reported to have cholesterol-lowering activ-
ity in rats include wax isolated from RBO, which significantly lowered plasma
and liver cholesterol and increased fecal fat excretion when fed at 10% of the
diet [31], and rice bran protein, which significantly lowered serum choles-
terol compared to casein or fish protein in rats fed cholesterol-free diet [32].
The hypocholesterolernic effect of rice protein was attributed to the higher
arginine/lysine ratio in rice protein relative to animal protein.
Morita et al. [33] reported significant serum cholesterol reduction in rats
fed a rice protein diet compared with those fed a casein diet. Sunitha et al.
[341 observed significant reduction in PC, LDL-C, and liver cholesterol in rats
fed rice bran oil plus safflower/sunflower oil in a 70:30 ratio for four weeks.
The fecal neutral sterols and bile acid content increased in animals on a diet
containing rice bran oil.

Other Species
Rabbits fed 20% rice protein diet had significantly lower PC, VLDL-C, and
LDL-C compared to those fed casein [35]. In addition to the higher argin-
ine/lysine ratio of rice protein compared to that of casein [1.13 vs. 0.44), the
authors also suggested that the lower percentage of acetate-generating amino
acids (valine, leucine, isoleucine, phenylalanine tryptophan, and lysine) in
rice protein versus casein (33.49% vs. 38.17%, respectively) may have been
partly responsible for the cholesterol-lowering effects.
In male cynomolgus monkeys, rice bran oil significantly lowered PC and
LDL-C without affecting high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) com-
pared with a diet containing a mixture of butter oil, corn oil, and olive oil in
an eight-week feeding study [ 36 1. In contrast, feeding a 50% rice bran diet
to female cynomolgus monkeys fed increasing amounts of cholesterol for
9 months resulted in no PC reductions [37] A stabilized rice bran diet with
7% TDF significantly lowered PC but not liver cholesterol in C5713L/6 mice
compared to a fiber-free control diet when diets contained 0.06% cholesterol
from ground beef [381.
In chicks fed a diet containing 0.5% cholesterol, 60% full-fat rice bran, and
24% fat, PC and LDL-C were significantly lowered while HDL-C was signifi-
cantly increased, compared with the 7% fat control diet; however, when diets
were made isocaloric (10.8% fat), LDL-C significantly increased and HDL-C

Mi
 314
Fth'r liir'djeizt: Tood Applications and Health Benefits

TABLE 14.5

Human Studies: Plasma Cholesterol Lowering by Rice Bran (RB) and Rice
Brnn Oil RBO

Plasma Cholesterol, mg/dL -

Control Treatment Effect Ref.
21 days (bog RB)
235 211 Significant
43
21 days (bOg RB) 217 208
Not significant 43
IS days (RBO) 247 204 Significant 49
30 days (RBO)
247 183 Significant
49
4 weeks (60g RB) 245 242 Not significant 42
21 days (15g RB)
176 172 Not significant
46
21 days (30g RB) 176 169
Not significant 46
42 days (84g RB) 267 245 Significant 44

increased with no effect on PC [39]. Defatted rice bran increased PC, LDL-C,
and HDL-C, suggesting that PC-lowering properties of rice bran in chicks
may be associated with rice bran oil.

Human Studies
Unpolished rice showed a repressive effect on serum cholesterol and trig-
lyceride elevations in adult males compared with those fed polished rice;
the beneficial effect was attributed to the dietary fiber of the unpolished rice
[401. Five healthy young men consumed brown rice with 279 g of neutral
detergent fiber (NDF) per day for 14 days, resulting in significant increases
in fecal wet weight, dry weight, water, and fat excretion compared with those
fed white rice with 13.7 g of NDF per day E411. PC and HDL-C levels were
not significantly different from those with a polished rice diet, possibly due
to the fact that total cholesterol concentrations in the subjects were in the
lower part of the normal range. In a four-week study, 24 mildly hypercholes-
terolemic men consuming 60 g/d of rice bran diet containing 11.8 g dietary
fiber, had 4 9/o (n onsignificant) reductions in LDL-C and apo-B, significant
increases in their HDL-C/PC ratio, and no change in PC compared to those
consuming wheat bran [42] (Table 14.5). It was concluded that a consumption
of realistic amounts of a single food source of dietary fiber could provide
a modest benefit to the antiatherogenic profile of plasma lipoproteins. In a
three-week crossover design study, significant reductions in PC and LDL-C
were observed in 11 subjects with moderately elevated blood cholesterol after
consuming 100 g/d of rice bran or oat bran [43]. Reductions were 10% (signifi-
cant) during the first three weeks and 5% (nonsignificant) during the second
three-week period, with an overall reduction of 7% (Table 14.5). Cholesterol
reductions with rice bran and oat bran were similar. In a six-week non-cross-
over design study [44], moderately hypercholesterolemjc adults achieved sig-
nificant reductions in serum total and LDL cholesterol by consuming 84 g/d
 315
Rice Bran

of heat-stabilized, full-fat medium grain rice bran product or oat bran. The
bran supplements were added to the subjects' usual daily intake of a low-fat,
low-cholesterol diet and did not replace any dietary components. There were
no significant differences between the serum cholesterol reductions with the -
rice bran product (8.3%) versus those with the oat bran (13.0%).
Addition of a mixture of 30 g each of rice bran and oat bran to the daily
diets of 17 moderately hypercholesterolemic and hypertriglyccridemic indi-
viduals for six weeks resulted in no significant reductions in TC or HDL
cholesterol [4 5]. The authors suggested that the level of dietary fiber tested
may have been inadequate or that increasing soluble fiber intake may not
be the sole answer to reduce hyperlipidemia. Consuming 15 or 30 g/d of
rice bran by 18 normocholesterolemic subjects for three weeks resulted in
no significant changes in TC, LDL cholesterol, or I-IDL cholesterol, although
triglycerides (a risk factor) were significantly reduced with 15 g/d rice bran
consumption compared with 15 g/d wheat bran [46]. Again, the normocho-
lesterolemic state of the subjects may have been partly responsible for the
lack of effect on TC and LDL-C and HDL-C.
A 60 g mixture of rice bran oil and safflower oil (70:30) given for seven days
to 10 females per group was more effective in lowering TC than either of the
oils alone [47, 481; most of the subjects had normocholesterolemic basal levels
at the start of each treatment. Other investigators also reported a beneficial
effect when customary cooking oil was replaced with rice bran oil for 15
and 30 days, resulting in significant reductions in TC and triglycerides in 12
hypercholesterolemic and hypertriglyceridemic subjects [49] (Table 14.5). Sig-
nificant cholesterol-lowering effects of y-oryzanol were reported in hyperlip-
idemic patients who were given 300 mg/d y-oryzanol for three months [50].
Consuming a diet supplemented with 35.5 g/d of full-fat rice bran for 18 days
significantly lowered serum cholesterol in 10 subjects, compared to a fiber-
free control period, whereas 30 g/d of defatted rice bran was not effective
[51], suggesting that cholesterol reductions were due to the lipid component
of rice bran.
HypercholeSterolemic human subjects showed the same cholesterol-
lowering effect as the animal model when fed cereal fiber, rice bran, and
oat bran diets. In experiments conducted over 15 and 30 days, Raghuram
et al. [49] reported a reduction in TC among 12 hypercholesterOlemic men,
who replaced their normal diet of peanut cooking oil with rice bran oil
(Table 14.5). However, there were no reductions in total cholesterol in nor-
mocholesterolemic men who ate 15 or 30 grams of dietary fiber per day [46].
HypercholesterOlemic subjects who consumed the NCEP step-1 diet and a
tocotrienol-rich extract of rice bran oil significantly reduced TC and LDL-C
[52]. Hypercholesterolemic individuals who consumed rice bran oil or the
tocotrienol-rich fraction from rice bran oil reduced TC and LDL-C [53, 541.
Numerous and exhaustive human and animal studies have shown that sta-
bilized rice bran, rice bran oil, and tocotrienol-rich fraction of rice oil lower
TC, LDL-C, and improve the HDL/TC ratio.
 ILA

316 Fiber Ingredients: Food Applications and Health Benefits

Bile Acid Binding by Rice Bran

Binding bile acids and increasing their fecal excretion has been linked with
cholesterol lowering in plasma and liver [55-57]. in vitro bile acid binding by
stabilized rice bran on dry matter basis has been observed to be 12% to 25%
of that by cholestyramine (a bile acid binding drug) [58, 59].

Whole Grain Recommendation

USDA's new food guide (2005) recommends consuming 50% of grains as
whole rather than refined. The healthful potential of rice bran has been doc-
umented by various in vitro, animal and human studies. It would be advis-
able to consume brown rice as whole grain rice rather than fortifying milled
white rice with stabilized rice bran. Brown rice takes 45 minutes to cook
as compared with 20 minutes for white rice. Process technologies need to
be perfected to reduce cooking time for brown rice and consumers need to
receive the information that brown rice is a preferred food. Instant brown
rice, partially cooked brown rice, or rice flour blasted brown rice to facilitate
water penetration are in the works at various research facilities to reduce the
cooking time for brown rice and to facilitate its consumer acceptance.

Market Potential
Currently only a small fraction of the rice bran produced worldwide is sta-
bilized and sold as health food. Rice bran and its fractions are sold at differ-
ent price levels depending upon the final use or application. The wholesale
price for stabilized rice bran ranges from $2.92 to $4.25 per Kg. Retail prices
vary from $6.14 to $58.64 per Kg (Table 14.6). If all the rice bran and rice oil
produced were sold as health food, the price would lower to encourage con-
sumer preference. The stabilized rice bran at $1 per Kg would have a poten-
tial market value of $63 to $76 billion per year (world production = 63 to 76
million tons). It would be utilized as a food ingredient and its full healthful
potential could be realized.

Summary
Animal and human studies show cholesterol lowering with rice bran in
hypercholesterolemic individuals, with reductions occurring usually in the

p.--.
 317
Rice Bran

TABLE 14.6
Stabilized Rice Bran Prices
Source

Wholesale
2.92
Rice Bran (spot price)
Rice Bran Deoiled 4.25 1
Retail
Health Foods Markets
Rice Bran Organic 9:50
Rice Bran Soluhles 87.89
6.14
Rice Bran
Rice Bran Syrup 27.48
Rice Bran (low fiber) 55.01
Rice Bran (with fiber) 58.64
Rice Bran (with fiber) 49.50
Rice Bran Beverage 102.65
4.45-15.38
Rice Bran Oil
Notes: 63-76 million toils/year. 863-76 billion potential value per year.

LUL (atherogenic) fraction. Specific rice bran fractions showing hypocholes-

terolemic activity include rice bran oil, unsaponifiable matter, dietary fiber,
and protein. There is a dose response to the level of rice bran and rice bran oil
unsaponifiable matter for cholesterol reductions, but intact full-fat rice bran
appears to be the most effective. This suggests that incorporation of intact
stabilized rice bran into food products would be more effective than the for-
tification of food with isolated individual concentrated fractions of rice bran.
Consuming brown rice as whole grain would be highly desirable.
Possible mechanisms for cholesterol lowering with rice bran include inter-
ference with absorption/reabsorptio n of dietary and/or endogenous lipid in
the gastrointestinal tract and increased excretion of bile acids, which results
in utilization of more cholesterol for bile acid synthesis. In addition, changes
in hepatic LDL receptor activity have been reported with rice bran feeding
[18], and the inhibition of cholesterol synthesis by tocols and tocotrienolS
present in rice bran oil may also contribute to cholesterol reduction [ 421 . The
evidence to date suggests that several mechanisms may be simultaneously
involved in the cholesterol-lowering effects of rice bran.
Atherosclerosis is a disease that apparently takes from 40 to 50 years to
develop. The concept of a 2% reduction in risk with each 1% reduction in
cholesterol in high-risk individuals is well accepted. With reported plasma
total and LDL cholesterol reductions of 4% to 10% in subjects with moderate
hypercholesterolemia the available information suggests that inclusion of
rice bran in the diet, along with a reduction of fat calories to 30% and satu-
 318
Fiber Ingredients: Food Applications and Health Benefits

rated fat to less than one-third of total fat, could prove to be healthful for the
general population. Commercial interest generated by the health effects of
rice bran has contributed to the introduction of numerous value-added rice-
bran-containing foods and food products such as breads, breakfast cereals,
cakes, cookies, extruded snacks, muffins, pies, and snack bars. The popular-
ity of the new rice bran products is encouraging and expected to continue
with health-conscious consumers. Incentives are needed for the rice industry
to increase the production and availability of stabilized rice bran for its incor-
poration into more healthful, value-added foods for human consumption.

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