Nutritional assessment and GC analysis of rice bran and bran oil of north Bengal: A prominent nutritive byproduct

The rice bran (BRRI 28) and the bran oil of north Bengal have not been studied previously. The yield of the oil extracted from the bran was much higher (20.30 %) than some previously reported data. The fatty acid analysis by GC-FID found that the percentage of palmitic, stearic, and arachidic acids was higher than previously published data. Caprylic and behenic acids were also found in this rice bran oil, which was not reported in the previous work. The oleic acid content of the bran oil in this study was found to be 35.69 %, which is higher than other edible oils. The nutritional value of the bran such as carbohydrates, fats, fiber, and protein content was 38.78 %, 20.30 %, 1.42 %, and 9.45 % respectively. Moisture and ash content were found at 9.49 % and 20.5 % respectively. The important minerals were found like Fe, Zn, Ca, Mg, K, Na, etc. The higher saponification (110.13 mg KOH/g) value of the oil indicated that it could be used as raw materials in good quality soap. The low iodine (46.25 I₂/100 g) value of the oil indicated that it was stable and could be used for cooking purposes. This research recommends this rice bran as a prominent nutritive byproduct.