The History of Rice Bran Oil

　　Rice bran oil, also known as rice germ oil, is referred to as “brown rice oil” in Japan, Southeast Asian countries, and Taiwan. Its origins can be traced back to Japan. As a nation that venerates rice, Japan benefits from a temperate climate, abundant sunshine, and plentiful rainfall—conditions ideally suited for rice cultivation. Over many years of cultivation and refinement, rice has become Japan’s principal food crop, and rice itself has naturally evolved into the staple food of the Japanese people. It is precisely this unwavering dedication and spirit of innovation that Japanese farmers and researchers have brought to rice that gave rise to rice bran oil. By extracting the essence and nutrients from the rice bran, they have refined it into a high-quality cooking oil. Compared with ordinary edible oils, rice bran oil boasts a significantly higher nutritional profile. Today in Japan, it has largely replaced traditional cooking fats and oils and has been officially designated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as the exclusive cooking oil for school lunch programs in primary and secondary schools nationwide.

　　Rice bran oil has been introduced to Western and other developed countries, where it is now recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) as a healthy cooking oil. Experts have confirmed that rice bran oil offers significant benefits in improving and preventing cardiovascular diseases and diabetes, while also promoting skin health, delaying cellular aging, and providing other wellness advantages. With a more balanced nutritional profile than olive oil, it is often hailed as “the gold of the rice grain.” Today, rice bran oil has become a staple healthy cooking oil in households across Western and other developed nations. For several consecutive years, it has been endorsed by the WHO as one of the best edible oils, and China’s National Development and Reform Commission’s Center for Public Nutrition and Development has designated it as a “National Nutrition and Health Advocacy Product.” Moreover, its health-promoting properties are documented in both the Compendium of Materia Medica and the Great Dictionary of Chinese Medicinal Cuisine.

　　In 1989, the Second Rice-Milling Plant of the Daqing City Grain Bureau in Heilongjiang Province commissioned a 50-ton-per-day rice-bran oil-refining workshop, which employs an extraction process following extrusion and pelleting of rice bran.