Bioactive compounds, nutritional benefits and food applications of black rice: a review

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review the nutritional composition, phytochemicals and bioactive compounds of black rice such as flavonoids, phenolic compounds and their health benefits. Black rice has also been used in medicine and for curing diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Green technologies such as microwave-assisted extraction, supercritical fluid extraction and pulse electric field assisted extraction are very useful for the extraction of bioactive compounds as these reduce the use of energy and are environmental friendly. Black rice in different forms can be incorporated in various food products such as bakery, dairy and meat products. Design/methodology/approach Information and data were collected from different sources such as Google Scholar, Research Gate, online journals available at Banaras Hindu University library, Web of Science and Scopus. A database of more than 80 scientific sources from different sources was made as per the headings and subheadings of the paper. Findings Black rice is a type of rice species (Oryza sativa L.) and very good source of various nutrients and one of the nutritious varieties of rice. It is a good reservoir of essential amino acids such as lysine, tryptophan, minerals including iron, calcium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium; vitamins such as vitamin B1, vitamin B2 and folic acid. Various recent methods of extraction of bioactive compounds from black rice are suggested. Originality/value Researchers and scientists have considered black rice as a “Super Food” because of its nutritional profile. Black rice has antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory activity, anticancer activity, antihyperlipidemia and antihyperglycemia and anti-allergic activity. There is a need to create awareness among the consumers about its nutritional profile and therapeutic properties.