Abstract:Rice bran fatty alcohols are a mixture of higher aliphatic alcohols that exist in rice bran wax. They have unique physiological activities, such as lipid-regulating, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fatigue effects, and immunity enhancement. These alcohols are considered a new type of food ingredient of great research value and are approved by the National Health Commission. In this paper, the main components (behenyl alcohol, tetracosanol, hexacosyl alcohol, triacontanol, dotriacontanol), bioactivities, and physicochemical modifications (emulsion, microencapsulation, nano-particles, esterification) of rice bran fatty alcohols were reviewed. The relationship between its fingerprint and bioactivities is discussed. The combined effect of higher aliphatic alkanols resulted in optimal bioactivity of rice bran fatty alcohol; exerting a stabilizing effect may be related to the fingerprint of the mixture of higher aliphatic alkanols. This study provides a reference for the development of a new food raw material, policosanol, from rice bran wax. There are practical implications for the use of rice bran resources in conjunction with the development of the human health industry.
