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Black rice rivals blueberries as source of healthful antioxidants
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Friday, 10 September, 2010, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Our Bureau, Mumbai
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Health conscious consumers who hesitate at the price of fresh blueberries and blackberries fruits renowned for high levels of healthful antioxidants now have an economical alternative, scientists reported at the 240th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). It is black rice.
“Just a spoonful of black rice bran contains more health-promoting anthocyanin antioxidants than are found in a spoonful of blueberries but with less sugar and more fiber and vitamin E antioxidants,” said Zhimin Xu, associate professor at the department of food science at Louisiana State University Agricultural Center in Baton Rouge who reported on the research. “If berries are used to boost health, why not black rice and black rice bran? Especially, black rice bran would be a unique and economical material to increase consumption of health-promoting antioxidants.”
Like fruits, black rice is rich in anthocyanin antioxidants substances that show promise for fighting heart disease, cancer and other diseases. Food manufacturers could potentially use black rice bran or the bran extracts to boost the health value of breakfast cereals, beverages, cakes, cookies, and other foods, Xu and colleagues suggested.
In the study, the researchers tested black rice bran grown in the Southern US. Although brown rice is the most common rice variety produced worldwide, Xu said the study results suggest that black rice bran may be healthier than brown rice bran in terms of antioxidants.
The scientists also showed that pigments in black rice bran extracts can produce a variety of different colours ranging from pink to black and may provide a healthier alternative to artificial food colourants that manufacturers now add to some foods and beverages.
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