Rice protein: Emerging insights of extraction, structural characteristics, functionality, and application in the food industry

Rice is a staple food and one of the most potent sources of protein among cereal grains. Rice proteins have received considerable attention owing to their beneficial biological properties, which significantly affect human health. The excellent functional properties of rice protein have gained much attention from researchers for the development of cost-effective and sustainable protein extraction methods and their incorporation into food supplements. Owing to these potential advantages, the food sector is currently focusing on the optimal utilization of rice protein as an alternative to animal-based proteins. However, the poor water solubility and intact structure of rice proteins limit their use in food applications. Therefore, it is highly relevant to gain comprehensive knowledge of rice proteins to improve their functional properties and expand their applications in the food industry. This review focuses on the composition, structure, and functional properties of protein extracted by various techniques obtained from rice and also discusses the challenges faced in extracting and utilizing rice proteins and the potential research ideas for tackling them. Based on the data available, it was concluded that combined physical and enzymatic extraction of rice proteins is a far superior method to other extraction techniques to improve the structural and functional properties.