Rice bran obtained during the milling of rice, is a good source of oil. Oil is present in rice bran to the extent of 15-20° and it can be extracted for both edible and non-edible purposes. Rice bran when exposed to damp atmosphere absorbs moisture and the enzyme present in the bran becomes very active and splits the oil into free fatty acids (FFA) and render it unfit for refining and edible use. When the enzyme is made inactive, the bran stabilizes and then it can be used for edible purpose.
CFTRI has developed a simple process of chemical stabilization and can be adopted in the rural areas to quickly stabilize the available rice bran by use of acid to lower the pH and then to inactivate lipase enzyme system. The stabilized bran can be stored for longer period and could be used for extraction of edible oil. The deoiled bran can be used in cattle and poultry feeds. The unit can be established basically for custom service.

The stabilization rice bran has been achieved in the CFTRI process by using hydrochloric acid to lower the pH so as to make the lipase activity to almost zero level.

The equipment needed for the above process are motorised mixer, spraying device with compressor, expoxy coated tanks etc.