A Review on Rice Bran Protein: Its Properties and Extraction Methods

Rice bran protein has been found to be of high quality and of importance for food and pharmaceutical applications. It is a plant protein that can be derived from rice bran, an abundant and cheap agricultural byproduct. The protein content in rice bran is about 10-15% and it consists of 37% water-soluble, 31% salt-soluble, 2% alcohol-soluble, and 27% alkali-soluble storage proteins. Its unique property as being hypoallergenic and having anti-cancer activity makes it a superior cereal protein that may find a wide range of applications. There were already reports on the extraction of rice bran protein several decades ago. However, as of now, commercial rice bran protein is still unavailable in the market. This review is aimed at providing valuable discussions on rice bran protein, that is, storage protein, its various properties, and extraction methods for the development of an effective processing scheme. Also, an update on the current processing methods is also included.