Rice bran solubles are a nutritional product derived from the

bran Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the hard outer layers of cereal grain. It consists of the combined aleurone and pericarp. Corn (maize) bran also includes the pedicel (tip cap). Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, ...

shavings produced as

brown rice Brown rice is a whole grain rice with the inedible outer hull removed. This kind of rice sheds its outer hull or husk but the bran and germ layer remain on, constituting the brown or tan colour of rice. White rice is the same grain without the h ...

is converted into

white rice White rice is milled rice that has had its husk, bran, and germ removed. This alters the flavor, texture and appearance of the rice and helps prevent spoilage, extend its storage life, and makes it easier to digest. After milling ( hulling), t ...

. The shavings are usually discarded or used for animal feed. In Japan, they are used in some traditional pickling recipes. To produce rice bran solubles, the bran shavings are heat treated to prolong shelf-life and then enzymatically extracted to collect water-soluble components. Rice bran solubles are used as a nutritional supplement. The supplement is sometimes called ''tocos'' because of its high content of

tocopherol Tocopherols (; TCP) are a class of organic chemical compounds (more precisely, various methylated phenols), many of which have vitamin E activity. Because the vitamin activity was first identified in 1936 from a dietary fertility factor in rat ...

s (vitamin E). Rice bran solubles contains about 15-40%

fat In nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specifically to triglycerides (triple est ...

, 0-25% dietary fiber, 0-15%

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including catalysing metabolic reactions, DNA replication, res ...

, and 25-80%

carbohydrate In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or m ...

s. Concerns have been raised about the levels of

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, ...

in rice bran solubles. Rice naturally accumulates arsenic from the soil as it grows, with rice bran having higher levels than white rice. One study found that rice bran solubles contain even higher concentrations of arsenic. Consumption of products at the manufacturers recommended rate would provide 0.012-0.038 mg of arsenic, above the maximum level of 0.01 mg level considered safe.

References

{{reflist Rice products Dietary supplements