ANALYTICAL CHARACTERIZATION OF RICE (ORYZA SATIVA) BRAN AND BRAN OIL FROM DIFFERENT AGRO-ECOLOGICAL REGIONS

In view of growing need and consciousness about the nutritional and functional properties of vegetable oils, physicochemical characterization of non-conventional oil seed crops is of much concern to cope the existing challenges. The present research work was aimed to characterize rice (Oryza sativa) bran oil from different covariant agricultural regions of Punjab, Pakistan. The investigated rice bran was found to contain oil, protein, fiber and ash content in the range of 13.92-19.81, 15.30-17.60, 7.64-9.65 and 7.50-9.50%, respectively. Physical and chemical parameters of the hexane-extracted rice bran oils were as; density (40°C) 0.909-0.921g/cm³, refractive index (40°C) 1.4586-1.4596, iodine value 103.75-113.15 g of I2/100 g of oil, peroxide value 2.47-3.20 meq/kg, acid value 40.39-45.01%, p-anisidine value 2.99-3.50, conjugated diene contents 2.01- 3.11 and conjugated triene contents 0.89-1.01. Furthermore the rice bran oil was found to contain C16:0, C18:0, C18:1 and C18:2 as major fatty acid and α, γ and δ tocopherols in its composition. Rice bran and rice bran oil has many physio-chemical, nutritional and compositional properties fairly comparable to those with the conventional vegetable oils; being used as important constituents of human diet and other commercial purposes.