1. Background
Rice (Oryza sativa) is an important food crop that feeds more
than half of the world’s population. Rice endosperm occupies most
of the space in the mature seed and provides energy and materials
for seed germination and seedling development [1]. Among all
the nutritional components in rice endosperm, crude fat content
(CFC) is one major substance. CFC or lipids are mostly deposited
in bran although their amounts are fewer than that of starch and
protein in bran [2]. Fatty acid (FA) in brown rice is an important
ingredient of functional foods and industrial products [3]. In general,
CFC amounts to 1.6–3.02% of the total weight of brown rice
at 14% moisture and plays a major role in rice storage quality [4].
Crude fat content of rice, including palmitic acid (16:0), stearic acid
(18:0), oleic acid (18:1), linoleic acid (18:2, 18:3) and several other
components, are important factors that determine rice appearance
and eating quality [5].