The new line grows as an upright plant. This makes it less prone to attack from soilborne Sclerotinia fungi that cause white mold disease, particularly in recumbent bean plants. Bran is polished off brown rice kernels to produce white rice. Typically, the bran is sold as a feed additive for an average of two cents per pound. But a pound of rice bran contains about 60 grams of protein.
Rice protein is used in foods as a flavor and nutrition enhancer.
Only a handful of companies worldwide now produce rice protein, with rice flour or grain rather than bran as their source. The extracted protein could be whipped into frothy textures that blend easily into food products such as dessert toppings to boost nutritional value. Earlier attempts were hampered by the sudden death of embryonic plants from apparently successful crosses. The new technique nurtures the plant embryo on a high- nutrient growth medium. Using this method, researchers have crossed domestic peanut lines with hardy wild varieties from Mexico.