Cycloartenyl Ferulate from Rice as a Biologically Active Antioxidant

Abstract

Rice serves as an excellent source of antioxidants such as vitamin Es, ferulic acid, and γ-oryzanols as well as starch. Since these antioxidants are abundant in the rice bran layer and germ parts, it has been considered that brown rice is more physiologically active than white rice. However, it remains unclear how much the chemical or biological antioxidant activity of brown rice differs from that of white rice in terms of quality and quantity. Our research group has shown that, at the level of extracts, white rice exhibits chemical or biological antioxidant activity comparable to that of brown rice. In addition, the contribution of cycloartenyl ferulate (CAF), a major molecular species of γ-oryzanols, to the biological antioxidant activity of rice was found to be much greater than that of vitamin Es. Based on these results, this review highlights the potential of CAF for health functions based on their antioxidant properties.

graphical abstract