Preparation of a rice bran enzymatic extract with potential use as functional food

The production, stabilization, by enzymatic treatment, physicochemical composition, and biological properties (including the anti-proliferative activity), of a water-soluble rice bran enzymatic extract (RBEE) are described. The main component of RBEE is proteins (38.1%) – in the form of peptide and free amino acids – having a 6% content of sulfur amino acids. The second component is fat (30.0%), with oleic and linoleic acids as the major components, and 1.2 mg/g of γ-oryzanol. Carbohydrates (14.2%) are comprised mainly of slowly absorbed carbohydrates. Preliminary studies on the anti-proliferative effect of RBEE on leukemia tumor cell growth in vitro are also reported. This property makes RBEE potentially useful as a functional food for the treatment and prevention of chronic pathological states associated with abnormal proliferation of cells, as is the case with cancer.