RICE BRAN OIL- An edited paper presentation

A PAPER PRESENTED BY DR Shashank R Joshi

MD,DM,FICP,FICN Endocrinologist, Lilavati Hospital , Hon Asst. Prof,Grant Medical College (This paper was presented at 33rd Annual Conference of General
Practitioners' Association-Greater Bombay - 28&29th Dec.2002)

Basics
Functional role of fat in the diet:

1. Fat is a most concentrated source of energy. One gram of fat gives 9 kcal of energy.

2. Fats are essential in the diet for the absorption and mobilization of fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamin A, vitamin E and fat-soluble antioxidants.

3. Vegetable oils are the only sources of essential fatty acids to the body. Essential fatty acids (EFA) are those fatty acids, which the body cannot synthesize and need to be supplied through diet. EFA's are the precursors for a group of chemically related compounds, known as prostaglandins. Prostaglandins play a key role in regulating many physiological processes in the body, such as controlling blood pressure, vascular damage in the brain and the heart, preventing blood clot in the arteries, lowering cholesterol, uterine contractions during child birth and menstrual cycles, inflammation and other conditions.

4. Fat also helps in raising HDL the so-called good cholesterol.

5. Fat in the diet imparts certain textural qualities, taste and palatability to the food.

QUANTITY OF FAT
According to the American Heart Association, the optimum intake of fat for an adult is 30% of its total caloric intake. Therefore for an adult man consuming 2000 calories, the upper limit of total fat (visible and non-visible) is 65 gm/day.

From the data-base generated on fatty acid composition in Indian foods and National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau diet surveys, the daily invisible fat intake is estimated to be 15gm in rural poor and 25gm in the urban middle and high-income groups. Thus the daily requirement of visible fat intake works out to be some where between 20 to 50 gms depending upon physical activity and physiological status.

QUALITY OF FAT
The American Heart Association recommends use of oils having an equal proportion of saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)/saturated fatty acids (SFA) ratio of 0.8 to 1.0 and linoleic acid (Omega6) alpha linolenic acid (Omega3) ratio of 5-10 in the diet. A perusal of these recommendations would reveal that there are basically three parameters to adjudge any oil as the healthiest cooking oil. i.e. ratio of saturated/ monounsaturated/ polyunsaturated fatty acid, ratio of essential fatty acids (Omega6/Omega3) and presence of natural antioxidants.

If we look to the composition of the various vegetable oils commonly used in India, we shall find that no single oil could meet the requirement of these recommendations but some are nearer to the recommendations.

COMPOSITION OF COMMON VEGETABLE OILS

	Fatty Acids % Weight			Essential Fatty Acids	Antioxidants*
	SFA	MUFA	PUFA	Omega6/Omega3
MustardOil/ Rapessed Oil	6	67	27	2	Tocopherols
Sunflower Oil	12	21	67	57	Tocopherols
Safflower Oil	10	15	75	69	Tocopherols
Soyabeen Oil	16	24	60	10	Tocopherols
Groudnut Oil	20	50	30	32	Tocopherols
Rice Bran Oil Recommended	20 below 33%	45 above 33%	35 about 33%	15 5-10	Tocopherols Tocotrienols & Oryzanol Maximum possible

Rice bran oil a unique cooking oil produced from rice, is the only oil which besides having balanced fatty acid composition and an ideal Omega6/Omega3 ratio contains three categories of natural anti-oxidants i.e. tocopherols, tocotrienols & oryzanol as against only one category i.e. tocopherols found in all other conventional oils. These natural anti-oxidants help in controlling production of free radicals in the body which can cause injury to the inner lining of blood channels and initiate coronary diseases, certain cancers, cataracts, rheumatoid arthritis, parkinson's disease and contribute to the ageing process.

High content of natural anti-oxidants present in the rice bran oil, impart higher oxidative stability and a longer self life as compared to other edible oils. In a recent study conducted by the Central Food Technological Research Institute, Mysore, oxidative stability of natural anti-oxidants enriched refined rice bran oil has been found to be five times more than the groundnut oil.

Although the PUFA content of rice bran oil is much lower than the other conventional oils, but it has higher cholesterol reduction power than even the PUFA rich oils.

Rice bran oil is the healthiest cooking oil having desirable fatty acid composition with higher oxidative stability alongwith better cholesterol reducing power than all other edible oils. It contains certain unique micro-nutrients which are important for promotion and maintenance of good health.

"The World’s “Healthiest Oil” is also the best “Tasting Oil”. A properly refined rice bran oil has a pale yellow colour and is completely odourless & taste less. In a blind taste test at the university of Oregon U.S.A., comparing refined rice bran oil, palm oil, safflower oil, soyabean oil, corn oil, and sunflower oil, rice bran oil won hands down.

Rice Bran Oil is extensively used in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan and Thailand as a premium edible oil. It is the conventional & the most favourite cooking medium of the Japanese, the longest living human beings on this earth and is popularly known as a "Heart Oil" in Japan. In recent years U.S. Scientists have also shown a tremendous interest in the cholesterol lowering properties of rice bran oil & this oil has acquired the status of ‘Health Food’ with the Americans.

India has now many rice bran oil brands such as Tandul, Ricela, Akshath..etc. It will be the cooking medium of first choice. It is equivalent to Olive oil which is the oil of choice for the Mediterranean Europeans. Therefore, for the Indians, we have Indian made Rice bran oil.