VietNamNet Bridge – Nguyen Duc Tien, a scientist from the Agricultural Electromechanical Post-harvesting Technology Institute and his associates have successfully invented the technology to make Gamma Oryzanol from rice bran. Gamma Oryzanol can be used to make medicine, cosmetics and anti-aging supplements for women.

Collecting hundreds of micro-nutrients from bran

It is estimated that the amount of rice bran discharged by the rice processing establishments in Vietnam is up to 45 million tons, which has been used as the animal feed. Since rice bran usually gets mold during the storage, its nutrients have not been fully exploited.

Besides the nutrients like protein, lipid, glucocide or vitamins, rice bran contains a very important substance – gamma orizanol, an important antioxidant collected from plants, which can help treat ulcers, particularly stomach ulcers, reducing the amount of fat in the blood, helps increase the blood circulation, reduce body fat, prevent the penetration of ultraviolet rays, preventing skin pigmentation.

Gamma Oryzanol from rice bran has been used widely in manufacturing medicine, cosmetics and anti-aging supplements for women, which are especially good to reduce the symptoms in women's menopause and post-menopause period. The products can also be used as supplements to help develop muscles in the body, increase strength.

Vietnam is a big rice producer and exporter. It has been throwing away big amounts of rice bran discharged from the rice processing, while it still has to import Gamma Oryzanol to make medicine and cosmetics.

There has been no production workshop in Vietnam which can make out Gamma Oryzanol product, while the Gamma Oryzanol put into production are the imports from Japan, China and some other countries.

Having realized the benefits of Gamma Oryzanol and the importance of the development of the technology to make Gamma Oryzanol, Tien and his colleagues have followed a research work relating to the issue and has build up the process of making Gamma Oryzanol from rice bran – a very cheap material.

By-products need to be fully exploited

According to Tien, the process of making Gamma Oryzanol comprises of 12 steps. In the pilot production period, Tien and his colleagues could make 568 grams of Gamma Oryzanol products with the purification level of 68.5 percent from 120 kilos of rice bran.

They also collected 5.8 kilos of soap embryo, which is used to make soap, and then make 10 liters of herbal soap from 2 kilos of soap embryo.

Gamma Oryzanol has also been utilized in making supplement food and cosmetics, including lotion and hair cream.

Regarding the production costs of Gamma Oryzanol, Tien said it costs VND1.9 million to churn out one kilo of Gamma Oryzanol which has the same quality with the Gamma Oryzanol now being sold at VND7 million in the market. The figures can prove the high economic efficiency of the production process.

In Vietnam, the exploitation of active biological substance from rice bran, the popular and easily found material, remains open.

The scientific research work by Tien and his associates has been applauded by scientists, because it allows making Gamma Oryzanol the demand for which has been increasing high from food processing, medicine and cosmetics production. The research work would pave the way for the development of the industry of exploiting biological active element from farm produce. After the pilot production period, Gamma Oryzanol would be manufactured in an industrial production scale.

Tia Sang