Technologies for Extracting Bioactive Compounds from Rice Bran: Advances and Prospects

Le Thi Kim Loan, Bui The Vinh, Chaiyut Mansamut, Jittima Khanaraksombat, Ekasit Wattanapreechanon

Abstract

Rice bran, an agro-industrial by-product, is rich in a variety of bioactive constituents with potential applications in food and related industries. This review critically evaluates extraction technologies for recovering these constituents, focusing on the relationships among extraction mechanisms, solvent selection, process optimization, product quality, and industrial feasibility. The traditional techniques are compared with ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction, supercritical carbon dioxide extraction, and integrated approaches. The review compares their operating principles, compound-specific recovery, extraction efficiency, and reported antioxidant-related properties, while taking into consideration the differences in feedstock characteristics and analytical reporting. Moreover, special attention is given to solvent polarity, solvent-solute interactions, and emerging solvent systems, as factors influencing extraction selectivity and product composition. Authors also discuss response surface methodology, kinetic modeling, and other process-design approaches to identify opportunities and limitations in extraction optimization and scale-up. The main challenges are inconsistent reporting of extraction results, limited comparability between studies, insufficient industrial validation, and the need to thoroughly evaluate solvent safety, environmental impact, and economic viability. This review offers a framework for the selection and development of extraction methods balancing the recovery of bioactive compounds, product functionality, and the sustainable valorization of rice bran by integrating technological, physicochemical, and engineering perspectives.

Keywords

biorefinery; extraction kinetics; green solvents; process intensification; solvent engineering

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References

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/carakatani.v41i4.120535

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