Working directly with restaurants and manufacturers we’ve noticed that the demand for Rice Bran Oil has skyrocketed in the last 3 years, especially for use in frying. Why is that? Well, there’s many reasons.
A consumer focus on healthier foods (especially oils) has caused restaurants to look for heart healthy, naturally GMO free options like Rice Bran Oil that have long shelf lives, hold up to commercial frying and are still economical.
Rice Bran Oil has all of these benefits that make restaurants and consumers both want to use it. But before we get too far, we’re going to talk first about what rice bran oil actually is, what it’s made from and the oil’s best features. Then we will dig into why people love it.
What Is Rice Bran Oil?
Rice Bran Oil is oil made from the bran of a piece of rice. The bran is an outer husk or layer that surrounds each kernel of rice (like a potato is surrounded by its skin). The oil is extracted from this husk; it has a mild flavor and taste, though is sometimes described as tasting slightly nutty. Because of it’s light flavor, it’s quite versatile in lots of different cooking applications.
5 Benefits of Rice Bran Oil
Heart Healthy Oil
Rice Bran Oil has a balanced amount of monounsaturated, polyunsaturated and saturated fats.
It is also considered a heart-friendly oil that can help improve your cholesterol.
"Rice bran might help lower cholesterol because it contains the right amount of oryzanol which is an antioxidant. It helps decrease cholesterol absorption and increase cholesterol elimination," says Gargi Sharma, Nutritionist & Weight-Management Expert.
The American Heart Association and The World Health Organization (WHO) recommend rice bran oil as the best choice for improving serum cholesterol levels.
High Smoke Point For Frying
Rice bran oil has a high smoke-point — some claim up to 254˚C or 490˚F (though Centra Foods recommends a max of 450˚F), which makes it perfect for stir frying or deep frying. It can maintain its nutritive quality even at high temperatures. Also, it has been seen that foods cooked at high temperatures absorb less oil.
Trans Fat Free
Rice bran oil is naturally trans fat free and is quickly becoming a favorite in commercial frying to replace hydrogenated oils that contain trans fat. Many of today’s oils are partially hydrogenated (which the FDA has banned after 2018) and consumers are actively looking for alternatives. With it’s high smoke point and mild taste it makes a great frying option along with High Oleic Non-GMO Canola Fry Oil and High Oleic Sunflower Fry Oil.
Contains Antioxidants
Rice bran oil contains a vitamin E complex, antioxidants and other micronutrients to help fight free radicals and combat the effects of aging. It’s these components of rice bran oil give it an outstanding shelf life as well. It also is a naturally occurring source of antioxidants such as Tocopherols, Tocotrienols, Gamma Oryzanol, Phytosterols, Polyphenols and Squalene.
Foods Absorb Less Oil
The viscosity (thickness) of rice bran oil is very light. This means that foods cooked with rice bran oil can absorb up to 20% less oil. Less oil absorbed results in reduced calories, better, lighter tasting food and enhanced flavor and palatability. Less oil absorbed also makes this oil more economical.
Should You Use It?
The type of fry oil that you should use depends completely on your preferences, budget and the foods that you are frying. But given all the benefits above, you should at the very least, give a sample a try to see how your products turn out in comparison.
Topics: Rice Bran Oil
