Rice is a global staple food crop for nearly half of the world's population. Rice bran along with the germ are essential components of whole-grain rice and have immense potential for enhancing human nutrition. Rice bran has a unique composition and distinct requirements for processing before it can be consumed by humans when compared with other cereal brans. The comprehensive overview and synthesis of rice bran processing include extending the shelf life for functional food product development and extraction of bioactive components. This narrative review highlights established and innovative stabilization approaches, including solvent extraction and enzymatic treatments, which are critical methods and technologies for wider rice bran availability. The nutrient and phytochemical profiles of rice bran may improve with new cultivar development and food-fortification strategies. The postharvest agricultural practices and processing techniques can reduce food waste while also supporting growers to produce novel pigmented cultivars that can enhance nutritional value for human health.

Rice bran is a by-product of paddy rice milling that has emerged as a versatile source of nutritional, preventive, and therapeutic compounds. Rich with diverse bioactive elements, rice bran serves as a nontraditional functional food ingredient with health promoting attributes. The nutritional profile of rice bran compared to those of other cereal grains is inclusive of energy-providing carbohydrates, essential vitamins and minerals, and amino and fatty acids, as well as unique phytochemicals. The composition of rice bran consists of an array of phytosterols, prebiotics, tocotrienols, tocopherols, flavonoids, and phenolic compounds that contribute antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. A unique rice bran compound is γ-oryzanol, which is widely recognized for supporting the immune system, regulating blood lipids, and protecting against some types of cancer. In this review we have summarized the multifaceted potential of rice bran for reducing diarrhea and controlling diabetes and cardiometabolic disease, as well as preventing or controlling progression of cancer. Rice bran–mediated regulation of bowel function through prebiotics and soluble and insoluble fiber acts synergistically in lowering gut inflammation through microbiota and regulating the metabolism of lipids and proteins that are important for health. The capacity of rice bran to enhance nutritional status in connection with the prevention and management of chronic diseases merits greater attention in the food product marketplace. In this comprehensive overview of rice bran as a functional food for human health, we have also included its medical food potential for holistic well-being, health promotion, and disease prevention.

Globally, rice bacterial blight disease causes significant yield losses. Metabolomics is a vital tool for understanding this disease by analyzing metabolite levels and pathways involved in resistance and susceptibility. It enables the development of disease-resistant rice varieties and sustainable disease management strategies. This study has focused on the metabolic response to bacterial blight disease in three rice varieties: the near isogenic rice line IRBB27, wild rice (Oryza minuta-CG154:IRGC No. 93259, accession No. EC861737), and the susceptible control IR24. However, detailed metabolomics studies in wild rice remain largely unexplored. So, metabolic analysis with untargeted liquid chromatography mass spectrometry analysis (LC–MS/MS) was performed at various time points, including pre infection and post infection at 12 h and 24 h with Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo). In this study, a total of 6067 metabolites were identified. Pre-infection stage of the susceptible, resistant, and wild rice had 675, 660, and 702 identified metabolites, respectively, but these numbers were altered at post-infection stages. Various defense-related metabolites, including amino acids, flavonoids, alkaloids, terpenoids, nucleotide derivatives, organic acids, inorganic compounds, fatty acid and lipid derivatives have been identified. PCA and PLS-DA plots revealed differences in the metabolome among susceptible, resistant, and wild genotypes, suggesting distinct metabolic profiles for each. In this study, we found 149 metabolites were upregulated and 162 downregulated in the wild type (CG154) compared to the susceptible cultivar (IR24). Similarly, 85 metabolites were upregulated and 92 downregulated in the resistant near isogenic line (IRBB27) compared to IR24, while 156 were upregulated and 149 downregulated in CG154 compared to IRBB27. Key metabolites, including flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds, showed significantly higher levels (P ≤ 0.01) in resistant varieties. These identified defense metabolites could serve as potential biomarkers for bacterial blight resistance in rice. The findings from this study have important implications for the development of new rice cultivars with tolerance to bacterial blight disease.