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Black Rice rivals pricey Blueberries as
source of Healthful Antioxidants
Newswise, August 2010 — Health conscious
consumers who hesitate at the price of fresh
blueberries and blackberries, fruits
renowned for high levels of healthful
antioxidants, now have an economical
alternative, scientists reported here today
at the 240th National Meeting of the
American Chemical Society (ACS). It is black
rice, one variety of which got the moniker
“Forbidden Rice” in ancient China because
nobles commandeered every grain for
themselves and forbade the common people
from eating it.
“Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains
more health promoting anthocyanin
antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of
blueberries, but with less sugar and more
fiber and vitamin E antioxidants,” said
Zhimin Xu, Associate Professor at the
Department of Food Science at Louisiana
State University Agricultural Center in
Baton Rouge, La., who reported on the
research.
“If berries are used to boost health, why
not black rice and black rice bran?
Especially, black rice bran would be a
unique and economical material to increase
consumption of health promoting
antioxidants.”
Like fruits, “black rice” is rich in
anthocyanin antioxidants, substances that
show promise for fighting heart disease,
cancer, and other diseases. Food
manufacturers could potentially use black
rice bran or the bran extracts to boost the
health value of breakfast cereals,
beverages, cakes, cookies, and other foods,
Xu and colleagues suggested.
Brown rice is the most widely produced rice
variety worldwide. Rice millers remove only
the outer husks, or “chaff,” from each rice
grain to produce brown rice.
If they process the rice further, removing
the underlying nutrient rich “bran,” it
becomes white rice. Xu noted that many
consumers have heard that brown rice is more
nutritious than white rice.
The reason is that the bran of brown rice
contains higher levels of gamma-tocotrienol,
one of the vitamin E compounds, and gamma-oryzanol
antioxidants, which are lipid-soluble
antioxidants.
Numerous studies showed that these
antioxidants can reduce blood levels of
low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) —
so called “bad” cholesterol — and may help
fight heart disease. Xu and colleagues
analyzed samples of black rice bran from
rice grown in the southern United States.
In addition, the lipid soluble antioxidants
they found in black rice bran possess higher
level of anthocyanins antioxidants, which
are water-soluble antioxidants. Thus, black
rice bran may be even healthier than brown
rice bran, suggested Dr. Xu.
The scientists also showed that pigments in
black rice bran extracts can produce a
variety of different colors, ranging from
pink to black, and may provide a healthier
alternative to artificial food colorants
that manufacturers now add to some foods and
beverages.
Several studies have linked some artificial
colorants to cancer, behavioral problems in
children, and other health problems.
Black rice is used mainly in Asia for food
decoration, noodles, sushi, and pudding. Dr.
Xu said that farmers are interested in
growing black rice in Louisiana and that he
would like to see people in the country
embrace its use.
The American Chemical Society is a
non-profit organization chartered by the
U.S. Congress. With more than 161,000
members, ACS is the world’s largest
scientific society and a global leader in
providing access to chemistry-related
research through its multiple databases,
peer-reviewed journals and scientific
conferences. Its main offices are in
Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.
