The World’s Rice Consumption

Rice is the staple food of more than one third of the world’s population. In some countries especially in Asia, Middle East and Latin America, a meal wouldn’t be complete without rice. With the increasing population of the world, the production of rice has already increased over the decades, from 200 million tons in 1960 to 685 million tons in 2008. The top producers of rice in the world are China, which contributes more than 26 percent of the supply, followed by India with more than 20 percent.

The biggest exporters, on the other hand, are the United States, Vietnam and Thailand. Brazil, the Philippines and Bangladesh imports the most tons in a year in conjunction to the locally produced rice supply. China consumes the most rice, dedicating most of their harvest for local consumption and allotting only a small percentage for export.

Though people had been eating rice for generations, health experts are becoming concerned about the nutritional value of polished rice. During the polishing process, many parts of the rice grain are removed in order to achieve a white and refined rice grain. In rice markets, the longer and whiter the grain, the more expensive the rice is. The shell or the chaff is first removed, followed by the bran, the cereal germ, the bran residue and leaving only the endosperm. The white long grain is the endosperm. It is packed with high levels of energy with approximately 265 kilocalories in a 100 gram serving. But like any other grain variety, most of rice’s nutrients are shed off during the polishing process when the bran and the cereal germ are removed. Brown rice has been the solution for some people in order to get the nutrients that they need. But a relatively new product in the market is black rice bran. It has been in the market for years but due to its sticky texture when cooked and “unappealing” color, black rice bran has remained an exotic rice variety with no definite place in people’s plate until recent studies showed that black rice bran is the new brown and much more.

Black Rice Bran against Inflammation-Related Diseases

A study conducted by a group of researchers from the US Department of Agriculture Western Regional Research Center, led by Mendel Friedman, have shown that the consumption of black rice bran can alleviate the inflammation associated with different health conditions like asthma and allergies. The study was published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry. Friedman and his team had previously conducted different studies on the health benefits of black rice bran consumption. In the process of rice polishing, the bran, which is dark and almost black in color, is removed revealing what is popularly known as brown rice. But the researchers wanted to know whether eating the rice with the bran still intact can have higher nutritional value. And as their study showed, black rice bran suppressed the release of the inflammatory agent known as histamine which triggers allergic reactions and causes other health conditions. The previous experiments were done in vitro or through the use of cell cultures.

Friedman wanted to bring their study a bit further. In their new study, the team observed and analyzed the results of using black rice bran extract in fighting skin inflammation in mice. After injecting the extract into the mice, they observed a reduction in skin inflammation by around 32 percent. They used a control group of animals in order to compare the result of using black rice bran extract. It was also observed that the extract inhibited the production of substances known to cause inflammation. Notably, brown rice did not produce similar effects.

When the mice were fed with a diet containing 10 percent of black rice bran, they noticed a reduction in swelling caused by skin irritation commonly known as allergic contact dermatitis. Friedman and his team’s findings further prove and demonstrate the anti-allergic and anti-inflammatory benefits of black rice bran. With the help of a few more large scale studies, the rice variety has all the potentials of becoming a therapeutic means for the prevention and treatment of diseases and health conditions linked with chronic inflammation.

The Antioxidant Properties of Black Rice Bran

Physical properties of plants and fruits like their color are very indicative of their health benefits. The purple and reddish color of blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries are caused by a plant pigment called anthocyanins. This has been proven by different studies to have a strong antioxidant property. Anthocyanins can reduce inflammation and the risk of developing serious diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, cancer and diabetes. The consumption of dark colored berries can make the body benefit from the antioxidant properties of anthocyanins. It comes as no surprise that black rice bran is also packed with antioxidant anthocyanins. It has also been found to contain more of the compound than berries.

White polished rice lacks the nutrients offered by brown rice since most of rice’s nutritional value is found in the bran. The purplish to black color of bran covering the outer layer of rice is due to the same plant pigment anthocyanin which is found in other dark colored fruits. This means that the less polished the rice is, the more nutrients and anthocyanin a person gets, making black rice bran a powerhouse of nutrients and disease-fighting compounds.

Studies have shown that a single teaspoon of black rice bran contains as much anthocyanin as blueberries in the same serving size but with less sugar and more dietary fiber. It can serve as a healthy alternative for people who are not fond of eating berries.

In ancient China, the consumption of black rice bran was restricted to the nobilities. But times have changed and people can easily gain access to the food ingredient without being punished for violating a sacred law. Though black rice bran remains to be a non-mass manufactured rice variety, people can find it in specialty corners in supermarkets and in Asian deli shops. But the supply of black rice bran is expected to grow in the days to come as its health benefits slowly comes to light.

Sources
eurekalert.org
pubs.acs.org
sciencedaily.com
healthmad.com