Rice is one of the most widely consumed staple foods in the world, and its consumption provides more than one fifth of the calories consumed worldwide by humans. With such a high consumption rate, you may be surprised to find out that rice bran, the most nutritious aspect of rice, is usually discarded.
Rice bran is one of four parts in a grain of rice. It is found just under the hull of the rice seed and contains all the natural minerals and nutrients needed for the plant to grow. Basically, the rice bran is the nutritional storehouse of the rice grain.
So why is excluded from most rice products? The problem associated with rice bran was explained back in 2009 by research chemist Talwinder S. Kahlon, with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, "Rice bran, a byproduct of the milling process, contains the enzyme lipase, which rapidly degrades the oil, making the bran rancid and inedible... Stabilized rice bran [in which the lipase has been deactivated] 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."
In recent years, a process has been developed that creates superior stabilized rice bran with a significantly longer shelf life, thereby providing more accessibility to this superfood. It is created using a process of heating and then cooling the bran. This process has created a nutraceutical from what was once considered a rice-milling by-product. Each year 63 – 76 millions tons of rice bran are produced in the world and more than 90% of it is sold cheaply as animal feed. This new stabilization process has created an opportunity to turn something nutritionally unusable into what is considered by many to be one of the world’s most powerful superfoods.
Tested by the U.S.D.A., stabilized rice bran is an extremely powerful source of vitamins and minerals, essential amino acids, Omega-3, 6, and 9 fatty acids, and complete soluble and insoluble fiber. It's high in fiber, obviously, but also high in protein and is one of the premier sources of antioxidants -- containing over 100 of them. These are some of the reasons why you’ll find it as an ingredient in Jon Barron’s Accelerator Meal Replacement shake.
Consider some of these major health components found in stabilized rice bran:
- Hypoallergenic protein with all essential amino acids
- Rich in E complex vitamins (contains the highest natural source of tocopherols and tocotrienols in nature)
- Rich in B complex vitamins
- IP6 (inositol hexaphosphate)
- The only source of Gamma-Oryzanol in nature
- Minerals (including high amounts of potassium, magnesium and manganese) and trace minerals
- Polyphenols, phytosterols, and sterolins (high quantities of Beta-sitosterol and Beta-sitosterolin)
- Mixed carotenoids, including lutein and zeaxanthin
- Dimethylglycine (DMG)
- Trimethylglycine (TMG)
- Lecithin (phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl serine)
- Ferulic Acid
- Alpha Lipoic Acid
In addition, stabilized rice bran also contains vitamins, antioxidants and nutrients that help lower cholesterol, fight diseases, enhance the immune system, and fight free radicals. The phytonutrients found in ingredients like rice bran have also been shown to benefit people with conditions such as cancer, fatty liver, kidney stones, and heart disease. It’s no wonder it’s considered one of the world’s great superfoods!
For more on stabilized rice bran, see how Jon Barron uses it in his Shake of the Gladiators.