Rice as a Nutritional Grain: Examining Its Role in Healthy Products and Disease Prevention
Junaid Abid, Saleha Ahmed, Ting Xia, Min Wang
Abstract
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the extensively consumed primary food with a main source of energy, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and biomolecules. It is not only a dietary cornerstone but also has an array of bioactive compounds with significant health benefits. The use of rice ingredients in dietary supplements, culinary additives, pharmacological adjuvants, and nutritional products is growing. Therefore, this review article summarized the rice biomolecules, its utilization in various diets and food products, and therapeutic properties of rice. The article concluded that rice grain emerges as a potential source of phytochemicals like oryzanol, phenolics, anthocyanins, flavonoids, carotenoids, Saponins, vitamin E, and other components with multiple health effects. The article gives information on the application of rice in various food products including bread, cake, vermicelli, pasta, noodles, probiotic beverages, and many more, which are considered to be beneficial for health. Moreover, rice and its bioactive compounds have numerous health benefits like hepatoprotective, anti-inflammatory, neuroprotective, hypolipidemic, hypocholestrolemic, metabolic regulatory effects, protection from cardiovascular diseases, and obesity. Also, the utilization of rice in food and pharmaceutical industry will be increase due to its role in healthy product development, and disease prevention.