Why has rice oil become a new favorite among parents?

my country is a vast country with more than 10 to 20 kinds of edible oils. People in different regions have formed their own habits of eating oil. The favorite of the Northeast is soybean oil, the Huanghuaihai region has a tradition of eating peanut oil, the soul of Sichuan cuisine is rapeseed oil, and the companion of Hunan cuisine is camellia oil. This depends largely on local oil crops and dietary traditions. As the saying goes, the land and water nurture the people.

With the development of science and technology, people's health concepts are constantly upgrading, and the choice of oil is gradually freed from the constraints of emotions and habits. The dietary tradition of "eating whatever is available" has gradually transitioned to "eating whatever is nutritious". Especially for families with children, children and adolescents are in a critical period of growth and development. Their nutritional status is directly related to their intellectual and physical development, so they need to pay special attention to nutritional matching. Therefore, another emerging edible oil, rice oil, has quietly become popular in the parent circle due to its unique nutritional characteristics.

1. From Japan to China

"Special oil for student meals"

The first country to use rice bran oil on a large scale in student meals was Japan.

Japan is a country that pays great attention to food education and dietary nutrition. It is also one of the countries with the best dietary structure among Asian countries. They have long promoted the daily consumption of rice oil (called brown rice oil or rice oil in Japan), believing that it is the " heart oil " that protects heart health. According to China Oils and Fats Network: Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (equivalent to China's Ministry of Health) has designated rice oil as the designated oil for Japanese primary and secondary school students' nutritious meals [1]. Miyazawa Yofu, president of the Japanese Nutrition Society and professor at Tohoku University, once specially introduced: Rice oil is rich in nutrients and can meet the needs of children's growth, especially the need for 7-14-year-old children to strengthen their supplementation of oryzanol and vitamin E.

The "こめ油" in the title of this report refers to rice oil.

In addition to Japan, rice bran oil is also widely consumed in the United States, India, South Korea and other countries[2-3].

my country is the world's largest rice producer and consumer, with rich rice oil resources, but because the production technology bottleneck has not been solved for a long time, rice oil has been difficult to scale up. In recent years, with the support of national policies and the efforts of a large number of oil and fat scientific and technological personnel, the domestic rice oil industry has developed rapidly and has become a commonly used oil that is deeply loved by everyone.

2. Nutritional characteristics

Why rice oil?

Rice oil is derived from fresh rice bran. As a new representative of healthy edible oil, it has a relatively balanced fatty acid composition and is rich in active nutrients from cereals, mainly represented by oryzanol, phytosterols, and vitamin E. It has a potential protective effect on cardiovascular health, especially in regulating blood lipids, blood sugar, and blood pressure levels . It can prevent and control cardiovascular diseases and is also beneficial for preventing the current epidemic of obesity among children and adolescents [3].

1. The fatty acid composition is more balanced

Reasonable fatty acid composition is helpful for blood lipid balance and cardiovascular health, and prevents chronic diseases such as hyperlipidemia and atherosclerosis. As a single oil, the fatty acid composition of rice oil is more balanced than other vegetable oils, and is closer to the fatty acid ratio recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the American Heart Association (AHA) .

Fatty acid composition of rice bran oil and common vegetable oils | [4]

2. The unique ingredient "oryzanol" can reduce anxiety and stabilize emotions

Oryzanol is a unique component in cereals (mainly rice) and their products, and is also one of the characteristic components of rice oil. It has not been found in other oils or exists only in very small amounts.

Content of oryzanol and other substances in common edible oils[5-6]

Oryzanol is a combination of ferulic acid, triterpenoids and phytosterols. It has strong antioxidant activity and can effectively inhibit lipid oxidation . Studies have found that the antioxidant activity of oryzanol is more than 4 times higher than that of vitamin E[7], and other literature has also mentioned that it is 6 times higher[8].

Oryzanol can not only relieve fatigue, soothe the nerves and help sleep, but also relieve anxiety, depression and other negative emotions. It also plays an important role in protecting the health of the nervous system and improving the quality of life [9].

In addition, it also shows potential health benefits in anti-atherosclerosis, anti-cancer, anti-ulcer, immune regulation, anti-diabetes, and muscle strengthening.

Health benefits of oryzanol | [10]

We will discuss the health effects of O-oryzanol in detail later.

3. Phytosterols can lower cholesterol and protect cardiovascular health

Rice oil is rich in phytosterols, which can inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in food, reduce the synthesis of endogenous cholesterol and promote the excretion of cholesterol in the body. These three methods can effectively reduce cholesterol in the human body, protect cardiovascular health, and prevent and treat cardiovascular-related diseases.

4. Natural antioxidant vitamin E

The vitamin E in rice oil includes tocopherol, tocotrienol and other types, which have natural antioxidant properties and are very important in all stages of our growth, especially for maintaining the normal functions of the reproductive, muscle, nervous and immune systems. In addition, vitamin E can also play an anti-aging role.

3. Suitable for cooking

A good partner for Chinese cooking

Rice oil is not only nutritious, but also very suitable for Chinese cooking. It has a high smoke point and strong stability , and can meet a variety of requirements such as frying, stir-frying, and deep-frying.

Food fried in rice oil absorbs relatively less oil , has a light and crispy texture, bright color, and basically no oily or greasy smell. This greasy substance is called "oil intoxicating substance" (acrolein) in Japan. The amount of acrolein produced when frying rice oil is very small, only 1/2 or even 1/3 of that of other commonly used oils[11].

Moreover, rice oil is rich in antioxidant oils and is not easy to oxidize and become rancid and produce a rancid smell. Ordinary vegetable oils tend to become more acidic and deteriorate after frying once, while the degree of acidification and deterioration of rice oil is very low.

Rice oil has a unique natural fragrance and can also be used as a seasoning oil to better preserve the original flavor of natural ingredients.

4. Scientific purchase

How to choose rice bran oil?

The quality of rice oil on the market varies greatly, mainly because the content of nutrients it retains (mainly oryzanol and phytosterols) varies greatly, which is closely related to the extraction process, refining technology, etc.

Scientific extraction processes and advanced refining technologies can retain more active ingredients. The content of oryzanol and phytosterols can reach 10,000 ppm or even higher . Therefore, when parents choose rice oil, they can focus on the content of these two as a reference for selecting rice oil.

References:

[1] China Oils and Fats Network https://www.chinaoils.cn/news/12467.html
[2]Ruijie Liu, et al. Effect of refining process on physicochemical parameters, chemical compositions and in vitro antioxidant activities of rice bran oil[J], LWT-Food Sci Technol, 2019,109: 26-32.
[3] Nayik et al. Rice bran oil, the Future Edible Oil of India: A mini Review. J Rice Res 2015, 3:4.
[4]Pal YP, Pratap AP. Rice Bran Oil: A Versatile Source for Edible and Industrial Applications. J Oleo Sci. 2017;66(6):551-556.
[5] Bi Yanlan, ed., Oil Chemistry, Chemical Industry Press;
[6] Xu Shenggeng, Qiu Aiyong translated Bailey Grease (USA) by YH Hui - China Light Industry Press
[7]Lai, Oi-Ming. Rice Bran and Rice Bran Oil || Nutritional Studies of Rice Bran Oil. 2019, Pages 19-54.

[8] Li Li. High utilization of rice and nutritional and health value of rice oil[J]. Grain and Food Industry, 2012, 19(6): 3-4+7.
[9] Ma Zongqi, Qiu Nianwei. The role of oryzanol in relieving students' exam stress[J]. Journal of Qufu Normal University (Natural Science Edition), 2009, 35(03): 77-80.
[10] Szcześniak KA, et al. Investigation of nutriactive phytochemical - gamma-oryzanol in experimental animal models. J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2016 Aug;100(4):601-17.
[11] Chen Yu. Research on rice frying oil based on thermal stability[D]. Wuhan University of Technology, 2019.