NutraCea Files Provisional Patent on Technology to Stabilize Wheat Bran

PHOENIX —NutraCea (Nutracea.com) filed for provisional patent protection with the U.S. Patent and Trade Mark Office on its technology to stabilize wheat bran. This process for wheat bran stabilization was developed by NutraCea and is a modification and extension of its existing technology for the stabilization of rice bran. The provisional patent is also applicable to other cereal brans and oilseeds. The Company believes that the stabilization of wheat bran presents an opportunity for long term growth and is a logical extension of NutraCea's expanding stabilized rice bran business. Leo Gingras, chief operating officer of NutraCea, commented, "Wheat bran is typically used as animal feed at a price of approximately $130 per ton, while wheat flour in today's market is approaching $600 per ton for standard baking flour and as much as $1,000 per ton for higher value semolina flour. We believe that stabilized wheat bran, using our proprietary process, will offer flavor, shelf life and nutritional characteristics that will be functionally and economically attractive for blending with wheat flour. This enhanced, blended wheat flour could be used in many products where wheat is the major ingredient such as bread, crackers, cereals, pancakes and pastas."