Enhancement of biologically active compounds in germinated brown rice and the effect of sun-drying

Abstract

Germinated brown rice (GBR) has been suggested as an alternative approach to mitigate highly prevalent diseases providing nutrients and biologically active compounds. In this study, the content of γ-oryzanol, γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), total phenolic compounds (TPC) and antioxidant activity of soaked (for 24 h at 28 °C) and GBR (for 48 and 96 h at 28 °C and 34 °C) were determined and the effect of sun-drying as an economically affordable process was assessed. Germination improved the content of GABA, TPC and antioxidant activity in a time-dependent manner. Sun-drying increased γ-oryzanol, TPC and antioxidant activity, whereas GABA content fluctuated depending on the previous germination conditions. This study indicates that sun-drying is an effective sustainable process promoting the accumulation of bioactive compounds in GBR. Sun-dried GBR can be consumed as ready-to-eat food after rehydration or included in bakery products to fight non-communicable diseases. ; This work has received financial support from the project AGL2013-43247R from Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (Spain) and European Union through FEDER Programme. P. J. Cáceres is indebted to the Ministry of High Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (SENESCYT, Ecuador) for the foreign Ph.D. grant and E. Peñas to Ramon y Cajal Programme for financial support. ; Peer Reviewed