Rice Bran Supplements the Nutritional Density of Ready‐to‐Use Therapeutic Foods: A Targeted Nutrient and Non‐Targeted Metabolomic Analysis

The treatment of uncomplicated severe acute malnutrition includes ready-to-use therapeutic foods (RUTFs). Novel RUTF recipes aim for inclusion of locally sourced nutrient-dense food ingredients for sustainability in product availability. This study investigated the incorporation of rice bran into RUTF formulations to enhance the bioactive nutrient profile. Experimental RUTFs were developed containing 0%, 5%, 7.5%, and 10% rice bran, without a vitamin/mineral premix for targeted nutrient and non-targeted metabolite analysis. Additionally, an investigation was conducted analyzing the nutrient density and food safety of small-scale mill-sourced rice bran varieties collected from Guatemala and Cambodia for comparison to a US-commercial rice bran. Targeted nutrient composition analysis of the RUTFs revealed dietary fiber, vitamin E, and vitamin B1 generally increased with higher rice bran content, though it was not dose dependent. The non-targeted metabolite analysis identified 883 biochemicals across the four experimental RUTFs. Significant metabolite fold changes were identified for a variety of lipids, amino acids, carbohydrates, vitamins, and xenobiotics in 5%, 7.5%, and 10% rice bran-RUTFs compared to the 0%. Analysis of small-scale mill-sourced rice brans from Guatemala and Cambodia showed variation in vitamin composition, with vitamin B3 averaging 37.1 mg/100 g and vitamin E ranging from 3.2 to 6.0 mg/100 g. These varieties also demonstrated variable microbial levels and trace metal contents, warranting continuous monitoring and evaluation in global supply chains. These findings support the feasibility of incorporating rice bran into RUTFs for malnutrition treatment and the benefit of screening locally sourced rice bran to address regional nutrient-dense food product development and specifically for malnutrition treatment.