Impact of germination on the techno-functional properties, nutritional composition, and health-promoting compounds of brown rice and its products: A review.

Rice is a popular grain and forms part of the daily diet of people throughout the world. However, the consumption of rice and its products is sometimes limited by its high glycemic index due to its high starch content, low protein content and quality, and low bioavailability of minerals due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors. This has partly stimulated research interest in recent times toward the use of bioprocessing techniques such as germination as cheap and natural means to improve the nutritional quality, digestibility, and health properties of cereals, including rice, to partially achieve nutrition and food security in the developing regions of the world. This review highlights the impact of germination on the nutritional quality, health-promoting properties, and techno-functional characteristics of germinated brown rice grains and their products. The review demonstrated that germinated rice grains and their products have improved nutritional quality and digestibility, modified functional properties, and showed antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, anti-cancer, and anti-cardiovascular activities. Germination appears to be a suitable bioprocessing method to improve the nutritional quality and bioactive constituents and modify the techno-functional properties of rice grains for diverse food applications and improved global nutrition and food safety.

Sprouted rough rice as an alternative to corn for growth, health performance and meat quality of broilers.

Sprouted rough rice (SR) is not commly used for poultry diets but it could be a potential replacement ingredient to improve nutritional value of feed. This study aimed to evaluate the growth performance, carcass quality, blood lipids, hepatic enzymes, and fatty acid profiles of broiler meat when corn was replaced with sprouted rough rice in the feed. A completely randomized design was used with four groups and six replicate groups with 10 birds per replicate. The 4 treatment groups were 0, 15, 40 and 45 % sprouted-rice-replacement of corn. Growth performance and carcass quality were highest when corn was replaced with 45 % SR (p < 0.05). In particular, live weight and body weight gain increased linearly with increasing SR inclusion, whereas feed conversion ratio and feed intake linearly decreased with increasing SR (p < 0.05). Carcass, thigh, and breast weights showed the same trend of increase (p < 0.05). In addition, the pH of the thigh meat was significantly higher in diet with 45 % SR than in the other treatment groups. With increasing SR content, the weight of immune organs linearly increased, particularly the thymus and spleen (p < 0.05). Additionally, the fatty acids examined including saturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acid, transfat were mostly highest when 30 or 45 % of corn was replaced with SR and linearly increased from 0 to 45 % of SR. There were no significant differences of linear relationships with cooking loss, or blood lipid and hepatic enzyme profiles between treatments (p > 0.05). Replacing 45 % of corn in a broiler diet with SR could improve the growth and meat paramenters of broilers.

Fermentation With Pleurotus Ostreatus Enhances the Prebiotic Properties of Germinated Riceberry Rice.

Rice is the staple food for more than half of the world's population. In recent years, awareness of the health benefits of colored rice varieties and germinated rice has gradually increased. Riceberry rice (R), a black-purple variety, was germinated and subsequently fermented with Pleurotus ostreatus mycelium (M) to improve nutrient quality and prebiotic properties. The γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and ß-glucan contents were measured daily for a total of 4 days. The prebiotic activities of R, germinated Riceberry rice (GR), and germinated Riceberry rice with mycelium (GRM) were evaluated on the probiotic bacteria Pediococcus sp., Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Streptococcus lactis. Results were compared with the M treatment and with the commercial prebiotic agents: inulin and ß-glucan. The treatments were also used to evaluate growth of the pathogen Escherichia coli. The GABA content peaked after 3 days of germination. The GR sample fermented with M for 3 days had the optimal concentration of both ß-glucan and GABA. Evaluation of the prebiotic properties of rice samples and the commercial standards (inulin and ß-glucan) showed that these were enhanced on the GR and GRM treatments. Results also showed the improvement of prebiotic properties on GR as the R sample did not show any prebiotic properties in all probiotic bacteria, whereas the GR sample showed moderate prebiotic activity score of 0.40, 0.88, and 0.56 on Pediococcus sp., L. acidophilus, and S. lactis, respectively. Furthermore, the prebiotic activity of GR was improved when fermented with M. For further applications, the GRM could be used on rice-based products, such as rice flour, rice crackers, or other rice products to enhance nutritional value and improve digestive system health, especially in the elderly.

Glutamate Decarboxylase (GAD) Extracted from Germinated Rice: Enzymatic Properties and Its Application in Soymilk.

Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD) is an important enzyme in biological metabolisms acting on catalyzing the irreversible α-decarboxylation of L-glutamic acid to γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and CO2, which was focused in this study. Three rice varieties different in color were germinated at different times and used for crude GAD extraction. Crude GADs with an optimal germination time from germinated black (GBR), red (GRR), and white (GWR) rice were evaluated for enzymatic properties, including the effect of pHs, temperatures, and concentrations of both L-glutamic acid and pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP). Crude GAD with optimum enzymatic properties was selected to be partially purified using ammonium sulfate (AMS) precipitation. The obtained GAD was supplemented to soymilk and determined for GABA content. All crude GADs from germinated rice at 10 germination days presented the highest enzyme activity. For enzymatic properties, crude GADs showed the highest activity at pH in a range of 5.6-6.0 at 60ºC. The Km values of crude GADs were in the range of 7.68-8.06 mM for L-glutamic acid and 0.15-0.20 µM for PLP and were the lowest in crude GAD from GBR. GAD from GBR presented the highest enzyme activity in the fraction with 50% saturation (v/v) after AMS precipitation and it was purified for 14.61 folds. The addition of this GAD (1.0%, v/v) resulted in the increasing of GABA content in soymilk to 53.79 mg/100 mL, accounted for 1.23 times compared with control.

Metabolite profiling, antioxidant, and α-glucosidase inhibitory activities of germinated rice: nuclear-magnetic-resonance-based metabolomics study.

In an attempt to profile the metabolites of three different varieties of germinated rice, specifically black (GBR), red, and white rice, a 1H-nuclear-magnetic-resonance-based metabolomics approach was conducted. Multivariate data analysis was applied to discriminate between the three different varieties using a partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model. The PLS model was used to evaluate the relationship between chemicals and biological activities of germinated rice. The PLS-DA score plot exhibited a noticeable separation between the three rice varieties into three clusters by PC1 and PC2. The PLS model indicated that α-linolenic acid, γ-oryzanol, α-tocopherol, γ-aminobutyric acid, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, fumaric acid, fatty acids, threonine, tryptophan, and vanillic acid were significantly correlated with the higher bioactivities demonstrated by GBR that was extracted in 100% ethanol. Subsequently, the proposed biosynthetic pathway analysis revealed that the increased quantities of secondary metabolites found in GBR may contribute to its nutritional value and health benefits.

Perinatal exposure to germinated brown rice and its gamma amino-butyric acid-rich extract prevents high fat diet-induced insulin resistance in first generation rat offspring.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests perinatal environments influence the risk of developing insulin resistance. OBJECTIVE: The present study was aimed at determining the effects of intrauterine exposure to germinated brown rice (GBR) and GBR-derived gamma (γ) aminobutyric acid (GABA) extract on epigenetically mediated high fat diet-induced insulin resistance. DESIGN: Pregnant Sprague Dawley rats were fed high-fat diet (HFD), HFD+GBR, or HFD+GABA throughout pregnancy until 4 weeks postdelivery. The pups were weighed weekly and maintained on normal pellet until 8 weeks postdelivery. After sacrifice, biochemical markers of obesity and insulin resistance including oral glucose tolerance test, adiponectin, leptin, and retinol binding protein-4 (RBP4) were measured. Hepatic gene expression changes and the global methylation and histone acetylation levels were also evaluated. RESULTS: Detailed analyses revealed that mothers given GBR and GABA extract, and their offspring had increased adiponectin levels and reduced insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, leptin, oxidative stress, and RBP4 levels, while their hepatic mRNA levels of GLUT2 and IPF1 were increased. Furthermore, GBR and GABA extract lowered global DNA methylation levels and modulated H3 and H4 acetylation levels. CONCLUSIONS: These results showed that intrauterine exposure to GBR-influenced metabolic outcomes in offspring of rats with underlying epigenetic changes and transcriptional implications that led to improved glucose homeostasis.

Dietary supplementation of germinated pigmented rice (Oryza sativa L.) lowers dyslipidemia risk in ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats.

BACKGROUND: In the recent years, cases of elderly women suffering from metabolic diseases such as dyslipidemias brought about by hormonal imbalance after menopause are continuously increasing. In this regard, a continuous and escalating demand to develop a more functional and highly nutritional food product as an adjunct supplement that can help alleviate these diseases is still being sought. OBJECTIVE: This study investigated the effects of germinated blackish-purple rice cultivars Keunnunjami, Superjami, and reddish-brown cultivar Superhongmi in the lipid metabolism of ovariectomized Sprague-Dawley rats. METHOD: The animals were randomly divided into nine groups (n=5) and were supplemented with either non-germinated or germinated rice for 9 weeks. Then the plasma, liver, and fat samples were collected for the lipid metabolism effects analyses. RESULTS: Animals fed with germinated rice cultivars had improved lipid profile levels relative to the groups supplemented with non-germinated rice cultivars. The germinated rice groups, Keununjami and Superjami in particular, showed a low total cholesterol levels, high levels of high-density lipoproteins-cholesterol, high fecal lipid output, low hepatic lipid values, and low hepatic adipocyte accumulation. There was also an increase in the rate of lipolysis and decrease in lipogenesis based on the lipid-regulating enzyme activity profiles obtained for the groups that fed on germinated rice. Also, results revealed that pigmented rice cultivars had superior effects in improving the lipid metabolism relative to the non-pigmented normal brown rice variety. CONCLUSION: Based on the results, this study suggests that germinated pigmented rice consumption can confer better lipid metabolism than ordinary white rice and constitutes as an effective functional food in alleviating the risk of having dyslipidemias like those suffering from menopausal co-morbidities.