the interest of promoting the consumption of whole grains, the chemical constituents (moisture, protein, ash, and fat) and biofunctional components (dietary fiber and gamma-oryzanol) were determined in six varieties of brown rice (five japonica and one indica) that are preferred in the form of polished rice by consumers in Taiwan. The results showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in the chemical compositions of the samples for all the measured parameters. The Koshihikari variety had the highest contents of protein and crude ash. Crop year showed significant effects on the moisture content and partly on the protein, ash, and fat contents. The total dietary fiber content of the tested rice ranged between 5.1 and 10.0%, with Kaohsiung 145 having the highest content (P < 0.05). In all varieties, the content of insoluble dietary fiber was greater than that of soluble dietary fiber. The content (mg/100 g) of gamma-oryzanol ranged from 17.9 to 29.2 for the 2009 crop and from 24.5 to 41.3 for the 2010 crop. It showed that gamma-oryzanol was affected by crop year and variety. The japonica types had significantly higher gamma-oryzanol content (P < 0.05) than the indica type. Taikeng 9 and Tainan 11 had greater gamma-oryzanol content than the other rice varieties.
