DSM, NutraCea Collaborate on Rice Bran Research

URMOND, The Netherlands and SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.DSM Innovation Center and NutraCea on Aug. 15 announced a joint research and development agreement to share existing patented and proprietary intellectual property and knowledge to investigate extraction and modification of high-quality vegetable proteins from rice bran.

The agreement between the two companies provides an opportunity for the development and potential commercialization of protein from rice bran targeted to human food and ingredient applications.

To feed a growing world population, additional alternative sources of protein will become increasingly important. The intrinsic product characteristics of rice branhypoallergenic, gluten free, full range of amino acids, and easy digestibility leading to high bioavailabilitycan serve as a valuable additional protein source for our growing world population," said NutraCea's CEO W. John Short.

Their proprietary and patented technologies and expertise in the field of rice bran combined with DSMs technology base in bio-based products form the perfect platform to tackle this plant-based protein challenge," said Rob van Leen, chief innovation officer at DSM.

Commenting on the collaboration, DSM's Remco van Es, Business Manager Food & Feed Segment, said, After our initial analysis of climate change impacts on global agricultural output in the context of a growing world population, we realized that mining for food components like proteins from vegetable agricultural side streams or biorefineries could play an important role as part of a solution."