An improved process for high nutrition of germinated brown rice production: Low-pressure plasma.

Brown rice was exposed to low-pressure plasma ranging from 1 to 3kV for 10min. Treatment of brown rice in low-pressure plasma increases the germination percentage, seedling length, and water uptake in laboratory germination tests. Of the various treatments, 3-kV plasma exposure for 10min yielded the best results. In germinating brown rice, α-amylase activity was significantly higher in treated groups than in controls. The higher enzyme activity in plasma-treated brown rice likely triggers the rapid germination and earlier vigor of the seedlings. Low-pressure plasma also increased gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) levels from ∼19 to ∼28mg/100g. In addition, a marked increase in the antioxidant activity of brown rice was observed with plasma treatments compared to controls. The main finding of this study indicates that low-pressure plasma is effective at enhancing the growth and GABA accumulation of germinated brown rice, which can supply high nutrition to consumer.

Antioxidant activity in extracts of 27 indigenous Taiwanese vegetables.

The objectives of this study were to identify the antioxidants and antioxidant axtivity in 27 of Taiwan's indigenous vegetables. Lycium chinense (Lc), Lactuca indica (Li), and Perilla ocymoides (Po) contained abundant quercetin (Que), while Artemisia lactiflora (Al) and Gynura bicolor (Gb) were rich in morin and kaempferol, respectively. Additionally, Nymphoides cristata (Nc) and Sechium edule (Se)-yellow had significantly higher levels of myricetin (Myr) than other tested samples. Cyanidin (Cyan) and malvidin (Mal) were abundant in Gb, Abelmoschus esculentus Moench (Abe), Po, Anisogonium esculentum (Retz.) Presl (Ane), Ipomoea batatas (Ib)-purple, and Hemerocallis fulva (Hf)-bright orange. Relatively high levels of Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC), and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl-hydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenger were generated from extracts of Toona sinensis (Ts) and Po. Significant and positive correlations between antioxidant activity and polyphenols, anthocyanidins, Que, Myr, and morin were observed, indicating that these phytochemicals were some of the main components responsible for the antioxidant activity of tested plants. The much higher antioxidant activity of Po, Ts, and Ib (purple leaf) may be related to their higher Cyan, Que, and polyphenol content.

Rice bran feruloylated oligosaccharides activate dendritic cells via Toll-like receptor 2 and 4 signaling.

This work presents the effects of feruloylated oligosaccharides (FOs) of rice bran on murine bone marrow-derived dendritic cells (BMDCs) and the potential pathway through which the effects are mediated. We found that FOs induced phenotypic maturation of DCs, as shown by the increased expression of CD40, CD80/CD86 and MHC-I/II molecules. FOs efficiently induced maturation of DCs generated from C3H/HeN or C57BL/6 mice with normal toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4) or TLR-2 but not DCs from mice with mutated TLR4 or TLR2. The mechanism of action of FOs may be mediated by increased phosphorylation of ERK, p38 and JNK mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPKs) and increased NF-kB activity, which are important signaling molecules downstream of TLR-4 and TLR-2. These data suggest that FOs induce DCs maturation through TLR-4 and/or TLR-2 and that FOs might have potential efficacy against tumor or virus infection or represent a candidate-adjuvant approach for application in immunotherapy and vaccination.

Immunomodulatory effects of feruloylated oligosaccharides from rice bran.

Feruloylated oligosaccharides (FOs), the ferulic acid ester of oligosaccharides, can be released either by the enzymatic or mild acid hydrolysis of arabinoxylans present in cereal bran, and are usually considered as natural antioxidants. However, no related research is available to explain their immunomodulatory effects. This report elucidated their immunomodulatory effects through the variations of pro-inflammatory mediators in vitro. FOs were obtained from the mild acid hydrolysis of rice bran. We found that FOs (0.1-100 µg/ml) induced tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), IL-1ß, IL-6, nitric oxide (NO) and PGE(2) production in unstimulated macrophages, RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, pre- and post-treated FOs (0.1-100 µg/ml) dose-dependently suppressed TNF-α, IL-1ß, IL-6 and NO production, and induced IL-10 production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated RAW264.7 cells without exerting cytotoxicity. As a result anti-inflammatory and therapeutic activities were revealed. It is noteworthy that prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production was significantly suppressed at an FO level of 100 µg/ml. The in vitro assessment of inflammatory mediators should be useful in further characterising the effects of FOs on immunomodulation. Moreover, it will create the economical value of rice bran, which has long been considered as conventional agricultural wastes.