Righting Rice Bran

Rice, a staple for 70% of the world's population, has a rich history that is traced back to 5,000 B.C. Although rice is a versatile grain enjoyed in a variety of ways, the white form Americans most often enjoy is not necessarily the most nutritious.

Rice bran—the brown layer between the outer husk and inner white rice grain—contains about 60% of the rice kernel's nutritional value. Traditional milling methods strip away these important nutrients. Now, through a proprietary process, an all-natural, stabilized rice bran that is chemical-, additive- and GMO-free is available.

A One-Year Shelflife

During typical milling, the bran of the rough rice kernel is removed during polishing to obtain the white rice grain. This process exposes oils found in the bran and germ to lipase enzymes that hydrolyze the fats. This increases free fatty acids and, thus, rancidity.

The stabilization process used by the RiceX Company (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) combines pressure, heat and dwell time to neutralize the lipase enzyme. This helps prevent oxidation and rancidity for up to a full year, while maintaining a rich nutritional profile. The extended shelflife allows processors to add rice bran to a myriad of products to enhance their nutritional profiles and deliver added functionality to finished goods.

The company's line of stabilized rice bran contains more than 70 antioxidant compounds and is one of the richest sources of B vitamins found in nature. Other important nutrients that draw consumer attention are tocopherols and tocotrienols, carotenoids, phytosterols, fiber, and all nine essential amino acids. The rice oil is high in mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The ingredients are easy to incorporate into formulations, as they have a mild nutty flavor that is easy to mask. Rice Bran adds considerable nutrition at a competitive price and lends itself to a clean product label. For example, in a flavored, 1% fat milk-based beverage that contains 5.07% RiceX™ SRB-fine and 2.53% RiceX™ Solubles, the product's nutritional profile increases significantly. The unsaturated fatty acids rise some 170%; vitamin E, potassium, magnesium, tocopherols, carotenoids and dietary fiber each rise 100%; vitamin B3 increases 220%; and protein 24%.

RiceX Stabilized Rice Bran is available in four forms. RiceX™ Stabilized Rice Bran (SRB) is a complete food ingredient that is supplied to the food and natural food industries for baked goods, snacks, extruded bars, crackers, cookies breads, food supplements and cereals to increase nutrient value and lengthen shelflife through its antioxidant content. The Stabilized Rice Bran-Fine (SRB-Fine) has the same nutrient potent profile as SRB but is further processed to be more uniform in particle size.

RiceX Solubles is a powdered emulsion of SRB and germ and is non-chemically treated to remove the insoluble fiber. This powder is used to enhance meal replacements and dietary supplements, natural food drinks and sports products.

RiceX™ Fiber Complex is a hypo-allergenic nutrient that is nearly 50% dietary fiber. It can fortify RTE cereals, performance bars and beverages for seniors. It is an alternative to psyllium husk and other bulking agents.

Stabilized rice bran offers processors the chance to enhance their products nutritionally, making them more attractive to today's health-conscious, well-informed consumer. It is stable enough to be used in mainstream products and competitively priced for use on a widespread basis.

For more information:
Micky Gross at 916-933-3000,
micky@ricex.com
www.ricex.com
Ricex Company Write in 400