Anthocyanins and Proanthocyanidins in Natural Pigmented Rice and Their Bioactivities

Abstract

Natural pigmented rice is mainly black, red, and dark purple and contains a variety of flavones, tannins, phenolic, sterols, oryzanols, and essential oils. Anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins belonging to plant flavonoids are thought of as the major functional components found in black, red, and purple rice and contribute to the intense color of many fruits, vegetables, and pigmented cereals such as blueberries, grapes, red cabbages, and purple sweet potatoes. Recent data have indicated the potential for isolating and characterizing the nutrition and non-nutritive components in colored fruits, vegetables, and cereals for their potential chemopreventive and pharmaceutical agents. This chapter provides up-to-date coverage of pigmented rice in terms of the bioactive constituents, isolation, extraction and analytical methods, and related bioactivities. Special focus has been placed on the anti-inflammation, anticancer, and antiaging processes of the major components found in pigmented rice, especially with regard to germ and bran extracts.