More from the RIBT White Paper However large the

More from the RIBT White Paper

However large the world’s population becomes, it will represent the opportunity of a lifetime for suppliers of functional ingredients, particularly rice bran. The opportunity definitely applies to all ingredient suppliers, but especially for nutritious ingredients that are currently ignored but yet widely
available at favorable yield-cost ratios. Soon the world of ingredient portfolio will include a variety of rice bran ingredients, including rice bran protein, rice fiber, rice oil, and hypoallergenic rice lecithin aimed at delivering better tasting foods with a superior nutritive profile compared to many
other ingredients in the market today.However, the introduction of innovative lipase deactivation resulting in lipid stabilization has allowed rice bran to move up into a higher hierarchy of the food chain

The nutritional value of rice bran can further be exploited through processing to obtain macro- and
micro-ingredients such as protein. Innovative technologies are being developed to create concentrated forms of functional rice bran protein ingredients ranging from 35% concentrate to 90% isolate. Rice bran protein hydrolysate, for instance, can be synonymous with great tasting nutrition from a whole grain source. It should be noted however that the definition of functional claims, including whole grain, can differ in various countries.

A new protein is born
Recent technological advancement has resulted in a rice bran protein with very promising attributes. Still at its exploratory phase this ingredient being developed at the RiceBran Technologies rice
protein plant in Montana, U.S. containing 40% of premium protein together with dietary fibers and
complex carbohydrates. Rice bran protein excels in a high PDCAAS in which especially the high lysine content is noteworthy; a rather unique property for a cereal origin product. The same is true for its arginine content. It is well documented that arginine is considered rate-limiting for protein synthesis and boosts the release of a variety of bioactive compounds. For example, arginine stimulates the synthesis of creatine which is important for sports performance as well as muscle maintenance of the elderly. This amino acid is also a precursor of nitric oxide that improves vasodilation while also promoting the release of growth hormone. Come to think of it, rice bran protein is higher in arginine than any of the known proteins such as derived from whey, casein, soy, potato, lupin and pea. These unique favorable properties allow for a wide range of food, beverage and meat applications including emulsion and foam stabilization in products such as whole grain rice milk, prepared food, gluten free baked products, sports performance, weight management, and structured extruded meat analog chunks and fibers.