Rice is grown over vast areas of land around the world and is a major staple food for more than half of the world population. Rice is an excellent source of nutrients, where protein contains the eight essential amino acids. Rice is a relatively good source of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorous, iron and potassium and is also a good source of carbohydrates, which serves as a form of energy. Non-allergenic and gluten-free characteristics make rice ideal for persons with these special dietary requirements. Harvested rice is in the form of rough rice (paddy) with the edible portion covered with an outer protective layer known as the husk or hull. After being dried, the rice passes though Sheller machines to remove the hull material. Shelling produces brown rice, with a thin bran layer surrounding the rice kernel. Abrasive forces in the milling machine remove the outer bran layer on the brown rice and the resultant product is white rice. White rice is consumed after appropriate polishing to further remove any remaining bran layers and to give a desired degree of whiteness and polish. The rice hull and rice bran are obtained as by-products of the rice milling industry. Rice bran, which includes the pericarp, the aleurone and sub-aleurone layers, parts of the germ and the embryo as well as small portions of the starchy endosperm, is a valuable milling by-product. After milling, the immediate stabilization of rice bran using thermal treatment techniques deactivates enzymes responsible for its degradation. Stabilized rice bran is free from rancidity, off flavors, and bitter and soupy taste, and is suitable for further use and processing. Rice bran had gained significant attention after adequate progress in its stabilization techniques Bran, 10% of the weight of rough rice, is rich in oil (15- 22 %), depending on the milling procedure and the rice variety. Most crude oils and fats, whether obtained by pressing, solvent extraction or rendering are given a preliminary cleaning and clarification treatment by setting, screening, filtration or centrifugation to make them more resistant against deterioration during storage. When required for edible purposes they are nearly always given a further refining treatment, when intended for technical non edible purposes they also frequently need some treatment to remove impurities, degradation products or undesirable constituents which would interface with their use. Rice bran crude oils obtained by solvent extraction are given a preliminary cleaning and clarification treatment by allowing the crude oil to settle followed by screening, filtration or centrifugation to make them more resistant against deterioration during storage. Special characteristics of rice bran oil are the very marked resistance to oxidative rancidity. The stabilities of the refined, bleached and deodorized rice bran oil and the hydrogenated products are approximately twice those of comparable, commercially acceptable vegetable fat. USES AND APPLICATION Rice Bran Oil is a healthy oil with uses in cooking, frying, as a salad dressing, baking, soap making, as even a supplement to horses, dogs and other animals. Thus, Rice bran oil can be used as vegetable oil in the domestic purposes for consumer use. It can be used for hydrogenation purpose. It can be used for the extraction of fatty acids and glycerol from it.It is also use to treat nerve imbalance. The use of Rice bran oil not more than half a litre in a months is sufficient for good health. MARKET SURVEY Indian edible oil industry is composed of some 15,000 oil mills, 600 solvent extraction units, 250 vanaspati units and over 600 refining units. These employ over a million people.With around 8% of world oilseeds production, over 7% of global protein meal production, around 4% of world oil meal export, total oilseeds production of 23 mn tonne and 5.6 mn tonne of edible oil production, India is the fourth largest edible oil economy in the world valued at USD 16.5 bn (Rs 660 bn). India has a share of nearly 6% of global vegetable oil production, nearly 11% of global vegetable oil imports and 9% of global edible oil consumption. And yet over 40% of the edible oil availability in the market is sourced from imports. The edible oil segment is currently undergoing a metamorphosis as a result of spiralling prices of soft oils - sunflower and soyabean. Premium branded vegetable oil makers are expanding their product portfolio to include less-upmarket oils from cottonseed, groundnut or even palmolein in consumer packs. India has a potential to produce about 1.50 mn tonne of rice bran oil. Of this potential, only half or 750,000 tonne, is produced. Some 200,000 tonne of oil is being used as refined rice bran oil for cooking. The rest is used in vanaspati. There are some 30 plants refining crude rice bran oil. PRESENT MANUFACTURERS Agrawal Oil Extractions Ltd. Globus Industries & Services Ltd. J R Foods Ltd. Kedia Overseas Ltd. Morinda Overseas Inds. Ltd. Rajaram Solvex Ltd. S K M Animal Feeds & Foods (India) Ltd. Shanti Kunj Solvent Ltd. Sree Tulasi Solvent Extractions Ltd. Sri Murugarajendra Oil Industry Ltd. Thapar Agro Mills Ltd.
