November 30 2023

Comprehensive Utilization of Rice Protein

Explore the versatile benefits of rice protein – from food additives to nutritional supplements and eco-friendly edible films. Discover more!

As the world’s largest producer of rice, China has witnessed a flourishing development in rice cultivation, offering new growth prospects for the agricultural economy through the deep processing and comprehensive utilization of rice. However, in the conventional processing of rice, focus has been predominantly on utilizing starch, leading to significant waste of high-quality rice protein present in by-products such as broken rice, rice germ, rice bran, and rice husk.

With continuous advancements in food technology, the nutritional richness and low allergenicity of rice protein have gained recognition, making it a prominent ingredient for the development of food and nutritional supplements. This article provides an overview of the comprehensive utilization of rice protein.

Research on rice protein, both domestically and internationally, encompasses various applications, including food additives to enhance physicochemical functionalities, natural thickeners, and foaming agents in personal care products, high-protein nutritional powders for specific populations, bioactive peptides for targeted functionalities, active ingredients for promoting health, protein feed for livestock and poultry, and environmentally friendly edible films. These applications are closely tied to the hydrolysis and modification of rice protein isolate (RPI).

Food additives refer to substances that improve the quality and sensory attributes of food. The appropriate molecular size and amino acid composition impart specific physicochemical properties to proteins, such as solubility, foaming, and emulsifying capabilities.

Rice protein, with its hydrophobic, flexible, and disordered structure, readily dissolves in water and concentrates at the gas-liquid interface, exhibiting foaming and emulsifying properties. Utilizing rice bran as a raw material, Wu Yujing employed a series of processes, including desugarization, enzymatic hydrolysis modification, and decolorization drying, to obtain protein foam powder with high protein content and excellent foaming performance.

Anderson et al. employed proteinase to treat rice protein isolate, significantly reducing the apparent viscosity of a 10% protein solution, thereby enhancing foaming ability and foam stability.

Apart from enzymatic hydrolysis, chemical modification methods, such as adding Na2SO3 or SDS, can be employed to disrupt protein molecular aggregation, resulting in colloidal properties.

Hydrolyzed or modified rice protein finds wide applications in food production, stabilizing and thickening liquid or semi-solid foods, and facilitating foaming in baked goods and confectioneries.

Rice protein, characterized by low allergenicity and high nutritional value, has become the preferred plant-based protein supplement for special populations. Formulated rice protein powder addresses sensitivity-induced diarrhea in infants, and gluten-free rice protein is suitable for individuals with wheat intolerance, allergies, or gastrointestinal conditions. Concentrated rice protein can better supplement the body’s capacity during reduced protein intake or impaired digestive function, maintaining nitrogen balance. Additionally, it aids in the adjunctive treatment of digestive ulcers, trauma, and other conditions.

Modern research indicates that amino acid residues in small peptide forms are more easily digestible and absorbable by the human body compared to free amino acids. Small peptide forms mitigate transport competition, reduce the high concentration toxicity of amino acids, and exhibit low-energy consumption with a non-saturation characteristic, making them popular in the study of active peptides derived from hydrolyzed proteins.

Li Huoyun et al. utilized Alcalase alkaline protease to hydrolyze rice protein, producing rice peptides capable of eliminating hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anions, and DPPH radicals, providing assurance for inhibiting and delaying aging and exploring prospects for anti-aging cosmetics.

Active peptides in rice protein isolate can influence the expression of cyp4a and cyp2c, thereby improving the metabolism of arachidonic acid and serving as components in anti-hypertensive formulations. Moreover, they can inhibit atherosclerosis in a genetically predisposed high-cholesterol mouse model, reducing the incidence of the condition.

Hydrolyzed rice protein-derived small peptides exhibit diverse functions, including antimicrobial, cholesterol-lowering, blood pressure-lowering, anti-tumor, and antioxidant activities.

Rice protein powder, a by-product of starch sugar production from rice, is an excellent feedstock with high protein content, rapid energy conversion, high digestibility, palatability, disease resistance, low antigenicity, and balanced amino acids. Adding concentrated rice and wheat protein to aquatic feed not only improves the digestive performance of fish but also controls their excretion, thereby maintaining water clarity and controlling water pollution.

Hydrolysis of rice protein can yield flavor peptides as substitutes for monosodium glutamate (MSG), effectively masking bitterness, enhancing feed viscosity, improving palatability, and chelating trace elements, ensuring increased animal consumption while maintaining safety.

Liu Weidong et al. observed a significant increase in egg production, feed intake, total protein in blood, and survival rate in chickens with the addition of 1.5% to 2% rice protein to their feed.

Edible protein films made from rice, a by-product of the rice milling industry, possess excellent freshness, gas barrier, oil barrier, and moisture barrier properties, driving the development of edible packaging materials and opening a new avenue for renewable agriculture.

Research by Wu Yinghua and others revealed that under constant temperature conditions of 40°C, rice protein dissolved in 80% ethanol can form edible thin films with certain strength on smooth stainless steel plates. Additionally, the addition of oleic acid and glycerol can improve the transparency and tensile strength of the film. The Southern Research Center in Louisiana, USA, developed edible films resistant to tension and water vapor, using rice protein concentrate combined with pullulan polysaccharide. These edible films can serve as carriers for flavor substances, nutritional additives, or isolating materials for separation, protection, and preservation.

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In conclusion, the comprehensive utilization of rice protein holds immense potential across various industries, from enhancing food quality to providing nutritional supplements, developing bioactive peptides, creating protein feeds, and contributing to the advancement of edible films for sustainable agriculture.