Enzymatic process for extracting oil and protein from rice bran

Enzymatic extraction of oil and protein from rice bran, using a commercial protease (Alcalase), was investigated and evaluated by response surface methodology. The effect of enzyme concentration was most significant on oil and protein extraction yields, whereas incubation time and temperature had no significant effect. The maximal extraction yields of oil and protein were 79 and 68%, respectively. Further, the quality of oil recovered from the process in terms of free fatty acid, iodine value, and saponification value was comparable with solvent-extracted oil and commercial rice bran oil, but the peroxide value was higher.