Microwave Heating for Rice Bran Stabilization

Experimental evidence obtained from physical, thermal and nutritional studies have shown that microwave heating is an effective method for the inactivation of lipase that is responsible for rice bran degradation and instability. Rice bran, stabilized by microwave heating at 2450 MHzfor 3 min, was found to be stable for up to four weeks in storage. Free fatty acid (FFA) content of microwave stabilized bran increased from 4.0% to 4.9% in long grain rice bran and from 4.6% to 6.25% in medium grain rice bran, even when stored under unfavorable storage conditions (33°± 2°C, 75 ± 5% relative humidity). In contrast, increases in the untreated bran FFA ranged from 4.0% to 68.3% and 4.6% to 56.8% in long and medium grain bran, respectively.