CHENNAI: The biomolecules present in fermented rice water help maintain the health of gut cells and increase gene expression that are important for nutrient absorption and protection of intestinal lining, says a portion of an ongoing study on ‘Pazhaya Soru’.
Published by the Regenerative Medicine and Research department of Government Stanley Medical College and Hospital, the study ‘Postbiotics of Naturally Fermented Synbiotic Mixture of Rice Water Aids in Promoting Colonocyte Health’, was published on March 13, on Biomolecules, an international peer-reviewed open access journal.
“It has been known that probiotics are enriched in fermented foods such as cooked rice since ancient times. Our study links the health benefits of fermented rice water to the postbiotics (non-viable components of cells) that are generated as a result of microbial fermentation in contributing toward intestinal health,” said Dr Charumathi Anbalagan, research associate and primary author of the study.
“We identified the presence of metabolites in fermented rice water that function along energy metabolism pathways that enable cellular regeneration. Additionally, we identified many metabolites or biomolecules in rice water fermented overnight that protect the colon cells against inflammation and cancer,” she added.
Metabolites are small molecules that are involved in various biochemical processes, and are either present in food and living organisms, or generated as a result of biochemical processes such as fermentation.
Dr S Jeswanth, director of the Institute of Surgical Gastroenterology and principal investigator of the study, said fermented rice water contains plenty of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory agents, anti-cancer agents, key vitamins, minerals, antibiotics and live probiotics. The study will further investigate the role of these beneficial molecules under normal and diseased conditions, he noted.
The study was conceptualised and initiated at the hospital by Dr Jeswanth and a group of doctors in 1997 after they noticed that ‘pazhaya soru’ improved the condition of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). The doctors and researchers then fermented three different south Indian rice varieties — white ponni, ration rice (raw rice) and mappillai samba — and identified the presence of probiotics in the fermented rice water.
The cooked rice was cooled and potable water was added. The rice and water mixtures were allowed to ferment in earthen pots overnight. After around 10 hours, a prolific amount of probiotics was found in the rice water. The researchers identified around 200 metabolites in the fermented rice.
Gene expression
It is the process of turning genetic information into a functional product, in many cases, a protein