Chemical, Rheological, Sensorial and Functional Properties of Gelatinized Corn- Rice Bran Flour Composite Corn Flakes and Tortilla Chips

Rice Bran By-Product: From Valorization Strategies to Nutritional Perspectives

The aim of this study is to review the innovative techniques based on bioprocessing, thermal or physical treatments which have been proposed during the last few decades to convert rice bran into a valuable food ingredient. Rice bran (Oryza sativa) is the main by-product of rice grain processing. It is produced in large quantities worldwide and it contains a high amount of valuable nutrients and bioactive compounds with significant health-related properties. Despite that, its application in food industry is still scarce because of its sensitivity to oxidation processes, instability and poor technological suitability. Furthermore, the health-related effects of pretreated rice bran are also presented in this review, considering the up-to-date literature focused on both in vivo and in vitro studies. Moreover, in relation to this aspect, a brief description of rice bran arabinoxylans is provided. Finally, the application of rice bran in the food industry and the main technology aspects are concisely summarized.

Quality characteristics of snacks produced from nixtamalized corn flours of new drought-tolerant yellow corn hybrids

Introduction. Producing new maize cultivars in areas with limited water resources is the main task of plant breeders. However, there is little information regarding their technological characteristics and industrial potential. Besides, snacks have gained worldwide acceptability and become part of modern food culture, especially among young people and children. Thus, our study aimed to produce corn snacks from new yellow corn hybrids planted under water stress in Delta region, Egypt. Study objects and methods. We investigated healthy processing techniques and used nixtamalization and baking instead of frying. We also evaluated the chemical composition and starch crystallinity of flour, the rheological properties of dough, as well as color attributes and sensory characteristics of baked snacks. Results and discussion. Significant differences (P ˂ 0.05) were found between all corn genotypes in their fat, protein, ash, crude fiber, and carbohydrate contents. The experimental drought conditions caused higher protein and fat contents compared to normal conditions. X-ray diffraction indicated that nixtamalization decreased starch crystallinity. Also, X-ray and rapid visco analysis showed that Y2 genotype exhibited the highest crystallinity and the lowest pasting properties, while Y3 and Y5 had the lowest crystallinity and the highest pasting properties. Baked snacks made from nixtamalized corn flour of genotypes planted under drought conditions had comparable quality characteristics in terms of color and sensory properties to the control snacks made from SC178 genotype planted under normal conditions. Conclusion. The new corn hybrids grown in limited water conditions and the developed snacks represent a healthy alternative to cornbased fried snacks.

Some Strategies for Utilization of Rice Bran Functional Lipids and Phytochemicals

Rice bran contains a great amount of functional lipids and phytochemicals including γ-oryzanols, tocotrienols, and tocopherols. However, utilization of those compounds is limited and needs some proven guidelines for better implementation. We introduce some effective strategies for the utilization of rice functional lipids, including an introduction of pigmented rice varieties for better bioactive compounds, biofortification of rice tocotrienols, plasma technology for improving rice phytochemicals, supercritical CO₂ extraction of high quality rice bran oil, and an example on the development of tocotrienol-fortified foods.

Bioactive compounds and antioxidant activities of some cereal milling by-products

The present study was performed to evaluate the phytochemicals profiles of some cereal milling by-products such as wheat (bran, germ and shorts), rice (bran, germ and husk) and corn (bran, germ and germ meal) to assess their potentiality as bioactive compounds sources. Distilled water, ethanol, methanol, and acetone separately were used as solvents for the extraction of phytochemicals compounds. The antioxidant activity (AOA), total phenolics content (TPC), and total flavonoids content (TFC) of the extracts were investigated using various in vitro assays. The results showed that tannins content was ranged from 113.4 to 389.5 (mg/100 g sample).The study revealed that TPC and TFC of cereal by-products extracts were significantly different for various solvents. TPC content varied from 366.1 to 1924.9 mg/100 g and TFC content varied from 139.3 to 681.6 mg/100 g. High carotenoids content was observed for corn germ meal and minimum for wheat bran. Distilled water, ethanol and methanol extracts showed significantly different antioxidant activity. Significant variations were observed with regard to AOA of different cereal by-products by using various solvents. The ethanol and methanol were observed to be the best solvents to extract phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity, while acetone extract showed less efficiency. Also, the cereal milling by-products were rich in bioactive compounds and could be used as a value added products.

Rice brans, rice bran oils, and rice hulls: composition, food and industrial uses, and bioactivities in humans, animals, and cells

Rice plants produce bioactive rice brans and hulls that have been reported to have numerous health-promoting effects in cells, animals, and humans. The main objective of this review is to consolidate and integrate the widely scattered information on the composition and the antioxidative, anti-inflammatory, and immunostimulating effects of rice brans from different rice cultivars, rice bran oils derived from rice brans, rice hulls, liquid rice hull smoke derived from rice hulls, and some of their bioactive compounds. As part of this effort, this paper also presents brief summaries on the preparation of health-promoting foods including bread, corn flakes, frankfurters, ice cream, noodles, pasta, tortillas, and zero-trans-fat shortening as well as industrial products such bioethanol and biodiesel fuels. Also covered are antibiotic, antiallergic, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, cardiovascular, allelochemical, and other beneficial effects and the mechanisms of the bioactivities. The results show that food-compatible and safe formulations with desirable nutritional and biological properties can be used to develop new multifunctional foods as well as bioethanol and biodiesel fuel. The overlapping aspects are expected to contribute to a better understanding of the potential impact of the described health-promoting potential of the rice-derived brans, oils, and hulls in food and medicine. Such an understanding will enhance nutrition and health and benefit the agricultural and industrial economies.