Processing of commercial rice bran for the production of fat and nutraceutical rich rice brokens, rice germ and pure bran

•Particle size based successive sieving of commercial rice bran performed.•Different fractions viz., rice brokens, rice germ and pure rice bran obtained.•Rice brokens and rice germ are good sources of oryzanol, tocols, phytosterols.•Oil from pure rice bran has better esthetic quality.•Rice husk and defatted bran are also a source of oryzanol.

Successive sieving of commercial rice bran on the basis of particle size was performed and different fractions were obtained of which the rice brokens and rice germ fractions contained fat 33 g/kg and 207 g/kg, oryzanol 400 mg/kg and 874 mg/kg, total tocols (tocopherols and tocotrienols) 16.5 mg/kg and 87.8 mg/kg, and total phytosterols 128.7 mg/kg and 769.6 mg/kg respectively, thus indicating that these fractions are a good source of fat and nutraceuticals. The residual fat (6 g/kg) from commercial defatted rice bran contained high oryzanol content of 4.8 g/100 g, indicating that commercial defatted rice bran as a source of oryzanol. The fat from pure rice bran fraction of commercial rice bran decreased in the color value (48.5%) indicating that sieving could also improve the quality of crude rice bran oils.