Cholesterol-lowering in hamsters fed rice bran at various levels, defatted rice bran and rice bran oil.

This study was conducted to determine the relative cholesterol-lowering effects of several levels of full-fat rice bran in hamsters. In addition, the separate effects of defatted rice bran and/or crude rice bran oil were investigated at levels equivalent to those present in 43.7% full-fat rice bran. Diets containing 10.9, 21.8, 32.8 or 43.7% full-fat rice bran, 35% defatted rice bran and/or 9% rice bran oil were fed to 4-wk-old male hamsters. All diets contained 10% total dietary fiber, 9% fat and 3.2% nitrogen; hypercholesterolemic diets contained 0.3% cholesterol; two diets were cholesterol-free, i.e., 10% cellulose and 43.7% full-fat rice bran. After 21 d, plasma and liver cholesterol, plasma triglycerides and liver weights were significantly greater in hamsters fed the 10% cellulose diet with 0.3% cholesterol compared with those fed the cholesterol-free cellulose diet. In animals fed cholesterol-free diets, plasma cholesterol values were significantly lower in those fed the 43.7% full-fat rice bran diet than in those fed the cellulose diet. In animals fed cholesterol-containing diets, plasma and liver cholesterol were significantly lower in animals fed the 43.7% full-fat rice bran diet than in those fed the cellulose diet. Plasma cholesterol reductions were significantly correlated to the level of rice bran in the diet. In cholesterol-fed hamsters, total liver cholesterol content was significantly lower in those fed the defatted rice bran diet with rice bran oil compared with those fed the cellulose diet. Full-fat rice bran was the only treatment that significantly lowered both plasma and liver cholesterol.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Nutritional qualities of stabilized and raw rice bran for chicks.

Rice bran either raw or processed in an extrusion cooker at 130 C was fed to meat strain chickens for 25 days after hatch. Either full fat or hexane-extracted rice bran was placed in the diet at the equivalent of 60% full fat bran. Raw full fat bran for one diet was stored at -23 C until fed, whereas rice bran for all other diets was stored at 32 C. Four experiments were conducted at 6-week intervals. Free fatty acid (FFA) content in oil from raw rice bran stored at the elevated temperature reached 81% by the start of the final experiment whereas FFA in stabilized bran oil remained at about 3%. Chickens fed stabilized rice bran made significantly greater gains than chickens fed raw bran diets. Feed efficiency was superior for chickens fed either full fat or extracted stabilized bran compared with full fat bran stored at either 32 or -23 C. Feed conversion for extracted raw bran was intermediate between stabilized bran and full fat raw bran. Raw bran stored at 32 C (with elevated FFA content) tended to produce lower gains than the frozen raw bran. Analysis of the combined data from all four trials indicated that raw bran held at 32 C produced the lowest gains among all of the diets.