Composition, production, physicochemical properties and applications of lecithin obtained from rice (Oryza sativa L.) - A review

Rice bran oil is a rich source of lecithin and has many beneficial effects on human health. Apart from phospholipids (1-2%), different nutrients like ?-oryzanol, ferulic acid, phytosterols and vitamin B are also present in rice bran oil. These impart emulsifying property, anti-spattering property etc. and therefore, serve as potential nutritional food and nutraceutical. This review describes the composition, production, physicochemical properties, separation of individual phospholipids from rice bran lecithin and its applications in food industry. It is difficult to handle as compared to soyabean lecithin due to the problem of wax entrapment during the isolation of gums. It is characterised on the basis of physicochemical properties viz. solubility in acetone and hexane, colour, peroxide value, moisture content and acid value. Rice bran lecithin can serve as an excellent substitute to the available lecithins as it is non-GM and its nutritional and fatty acid composition imparts many properties which help it to find applications in the food industry. Future work must focus on proper processing of rice bran oil so that the lecithin obtained during processing is of high quality so that it can pave a way in the food sector.