United States domestic rice production is an important industry that directly and indirectly generates over 55,000 jobs and over $9 billion in income. An abundant by-product of the rice milling industry is rice bran. Rich in nutritious proteins, vitamins, and antioxidants, it is nevertheless an underutilized resource because of its tendency to spoil rapidly. Spoilage is caused by a bran lipase that releases free fatty acids from storage triacylglycerols. If the activity of this bran lipase could be reduced or eliminated, novel applications and markets for rice bran would be created. Our research under the Phase I Small Buisiness Innovation Research (SBIR) grant will result in rice germplasm that will be phenotypically characterized and incorporated into breeding programs in Phase II. Ultimately, we will commercialize improved rice cultivars whose bran is less susceptible to spoilage. This will significantly increase the value of rice bran and lead to new markets for this milling by-product.
