Food Science Professor Wins Research Award for Upcycling Rice Bran into Aerogel
Ali Ubeyitogullari wins research award for work in food sustainability
By Maddie Johnson – Jun. 11, 2024
FOOD SCIENCE — Ali Ubeyitogullari conducts research on food engineering and novel food processing technologies with a focus on enhancing health benefits and quality of foods. (U of A System Division of Agriculture photo)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Ali Ubeyitogullari, assistant professor of food engineering for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, is part of the team that recently won a new Outstanding Early Career Researcher Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry for a study that transforms rice bran into food-grade aerogels.
Aerogels are mechanically strong, but very light solids that can be used in a variety of high-tech applications, including insulation for spacecraft, as well as more down-to-earth uses as waterproofing and fireproofing. Rice bran is the outer layer of the rice grain that’s separated during milling. Researchers like Ubeyitogullari are working on ways to increase its use.
As a food science application, the aerogels made from defatted rice bran can encapsulate, protect and deliver temperature- and light-sensitive nutrients for absorption into targeted regions of the body, thanks to the high surface area of the aerogels.
“The industry is always looking for ways to upcycle those byproducts because at the end of the day … we use water and energy to grow them, and if we don’t utilize them, basically we’re losing that energy and that water,” Ubeyitogullari said.
As a food engineer, Ubeyitogullari conducts research in the Department of Food Science and Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering through the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. His Food Engineering for Health Lab focuses on enhancing food quality through innovation.
Sumanjot Kaur, one of Ubeyitogullari’s doctoral students, and Jingyi Chen, professor of physical chemistry at the University of Arkansas, share the Royal Society of Chemistry’s new Sustainable Food Technology Outstanding Early Career Research Award for 2023 with Ubeyitogullari.
Kaur was the lead author of the study titled “Formation of nanoporous aerogels from defatted rice bran via supercritical carbon dioxide drying,” which was published in the Royal Society of Chemistry journal Sustainable Food Technology.
Their work was also recently highlighted in INFORM Magazine, an official publication of The American Oil Chemists’ Society.
Upcycling rice bran
During rice production, byproducts like rice bran and hulls create problems for farmers and processors, leaving many unsure what to do with them. With Arkansas as the top rice-producing state in the country, Ubeyitogullari found himself questioning what he could do to tap into the full value of these substances.
Riceland, headquartered in Stuttgart, Arkansas, is one of the world’s largest rice millers. The company provided Ubeyitogullari with rice byproduct samples for testing.
Ubeyitogullari said he hopes this development helps combat food waste, increases farmers’ profitability, and shows others in the field how sources that are typically unused can be harnessed for food applications.
“I can see easily that there is a need for new technologies – how to upcycle those byproducts,” he said of how the work has been received during presentations. He aspires for this research to help enhance the sustainability of rice production.
The work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Multistate Project NC1023, accession number 1025907 and a research grant from the University of Arkansas Graduate Student and Professional Congress. Chris Mazzanti, who directs teaching laboratories for the university’s department of chemistry and biochemistry, assisted with study measurements.
To learn more about the Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website. Follow us on 𝕏 at @ArkAgResearch, subscribe to the Food, Farms and Forests podcast and sign up for our monthly newsletter, the Arkansas Agricultural Research Report. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit uada.edu. Follow us on 𝕏 at @AgInArk. To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit uaex.uada.edu.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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