After the extraction, the crude rice bran oil is often refined in order to improve its quality and commercial value. The fundamental steps of the refining process include dewaxing, degumming, neutralization of the free fatty acids, bleaching, and steam deodorization.
What is rice bran?
Rice bran is a byproduct of the rice milling industry obtained from milling of brown rice to produce white rice. It contains 15%–20% of oil. Apart from oil, rice bran is a promising source for proteins, carbohydrates, dietary fiber, vitamins, tocopherol, γ-oryzanol, and phospholipids (Tao, 1989; Houston, 1972; Saunders, 1986).
What is rice bran oil (RBO)?
Rice bran oil (RBO) is considered to be a superior quality oil as it has a balanced fatty acid profile, and it contains a number of minor components with proven nutritional benefits such as γ-oryzanol, tocotrienol, tocopherol, and squalene (Houston, 1972 ).
What is rice bran wax used for?
Some industrial manufacturers also used it for oil recovery. However, the recovered oil was utilized for nonedible applications. In addition, a few researchers ( Prasad et al., 2008, Prasad et al., 2009) developed a process for the upgradation and bleaching of crude rice bran wax.