US scientists develop butter-like product from rice bran oil

Scientists at the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Agricultural Research Services have developed a process to make a butter-like product from rice bran oil that has the potential to be used in place of margarine, butter, or shortening.

ARS scientists have developed a very low temperature process to make a shelf-stable nut-butter-like extract from rice bran oil as a trans fat free replacement for some of the margarine, butter or shortening in certain baked goods

The product contains mostly unrefined rice bran oil and rice bran's natural wax, in addition to small amounts of vitamin E, plant sterols, and gamma-oryzanol and is somewhat similar to peanut butter but has a unique texture. 

The new process, developed by chemist Erica L Bakota and her colleagues at USDA's Agricultural Research Service in Peoria, Illinoise, could be of interest to India's edible oil industry, especially the makers of rice bran oil, as a means of value addition and product development.

In preliminary experiments at the ARS National Center for Agricultural Utilisation Research in Peoria, Bakota and her colleagues used the extract in place of some of the butter called for in standard recipes for granola and for white bread.

Feedback from taste testers who participated in these preliminary experiments indicated that the substitutions did not detract from the taste or texture of either the granola or the bread.

The rice bran product has the advantage of reduced risk of heart attacks as it is free of trans fatty acids, which increase the risk of heart attacks. The product also has a longer shelf life, unlike butter.

The extract consists of unrefined rice bran oil and its natural wax, which is used in confectionary items. It also contains vitamin E, and low levels of bad or LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol. The product can also be produced at low temperatures.

Bakota, along with her team, is trying to get a patent for the procedure while looking for collaborators interested in finding new uses for it.

India, a major producer of paddy, has a tremendous potential to produce rice bran oil and its by-products. India currently produces about nine lakh tonnes of rice bran oil against a potential of over 15 lakh tonnes. New products could encourage more productive uses of rice bran oil in the country.

(Read more: Scientists develop new way to make food Ingredient from rice bran oil)