Effect of degree of milling on phenolic profiles and cellular antioxidant activity of whole brown rice.

The impact of increasing degree of milling (DOM) on free and bound phenolics and flavonoids and on cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) of japonica and indica brown rice was investigated. As the average DOM increased from 0 to 2.67, 7.25 and 9.60%, the average total phenolic content decreased by 21.1, 42.6 and 55.6%, and the average total CAA value decreased by 37.4, 84.0 and 92.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the percentage contributions of bound forms to total phenolics and flavonoids decreased with increasing DOM. The contents of nine phenolic compounds significantly decreased with increasing DOM, including quercetin, ferulic and coumaric acids. Interestingly, as the DOM increased to 9.6%, free ferulic and coumaric acids were undetectable in japonica rice, while neither free nor bound caffeic acid was detectable in indica rice. These findings indicate that DOM should be carefully controlled for acceptable sensory quality and retention of phytochemicals during brown rice milling.