The lipids extracted from rice brans were determined by HPLC
for endogenous tocochromanols. The predominant components
were a-tocopherol and c-tocotrienol, followed by a-tocotrienol
and with much smaller amounts of c-tocopherol and d-tocotrienol.
Major lipid components in rice brans were TAG, FFA and PL, whilst
HC, SE, DAG and MAG were also present in minor proportions. In
general, with a few exceptions, no significant differences
(P > 0.05) in the FA distribution patterns were observed not only
between WMR and HMR but also among the five cultivars. Therefore,
the lipid composition suggests that these rice bran lipids
could be a good source of nutraceuticals with positive health benefits.
The rice bran lipids may be well incorporated into our daily
diet to improve nutritional value of our Japanese diet.