Rice bran, the byproduct of converting brown rice to white rice, is rich in
dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. Thus, with the use of
biotechnology, rice bran can be richer in á-linolenic acid (ALA) which could
be beneficial not just in human health but also in oil industries.

Zhi Jie Yin and colleagues at Chinese Academy of Sciences introduced ?3/Ä15
fatty acid desaturase genes cloned from rice and soybean into rice to
increase the production of ALA. The transgenic rice embryo and bran
exhibited increased ALA by over 20 percent compared with the non-transgenic
control.

ALA accounted for about half of the total fatty acid content of the embryos
and bran of transgenic plants, which was comparable to the ALA content of
linseed and perilla seeds. The researchers also observed that the trait of
high ALA content was stably inherited by the following generations. The
enhanced ALA content was also found to be digestible and absorbable for
humans.

ALA-enriched rice bran may be a solution to ALA deficiency with the
production of healthy bran oil for humans and animals feed.

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