Rice Bran Helps Fight Breast Cancer | ULM Forum 8-31-12
Research to fight cancer is often costly, time-intensive work. A new research partnership between two universities and a rice growing company is offering the hope of lowering the cost of pharmaceutical research for treatment of breast cancer. The University of Louisiana at Monroe and the LSU AgCenter have announced a partnership for collaborative research into tocotrienol, a substance extracted from vitamin E. Surprisingly, rice bran, a byproduct of rice processing, is a valuable – and local – source of the substance.
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| Sylvester |
Paul Sylvester, ULM Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences, and John Finley, LSU AgCenter Department of Food Science stated: Optimization of tocotrienol extraction and purification from rice bran oil for use in prevention and treatment of breast cancer. Tocotrienol, a rare form of vitamin E, displays potent anti-cancer activity.
A rich source of vitamin E oil is found in rice bran oil, and Louisiana is the third-largest rice producer in the United States. Unfortunately, rice bran is typically discarded as a waste product. Technology is being developed to stabilize rice bran and provide the raw material for premium quality rice bran oil.
The establishment of this new industry in Louisiana would also provide a source of skilled jobs in the economically-deprived northeast region of the state. These studies will promote the economic growth of developing rice bran oil and tocotrienol manufacturing in northeast Louisiana.
Air Date:
Fri, 08/31/2012