rice bran

What it is

Rice bran is the outer layer removed when brown rice becomes white — carrying most of the grain's fiber, a notable amount of fat, and B vitamins. Labels may say stabilized rice bran: the fat oxidizes quickly unless treated, so stabilization is a quality step, not a red flag.

Why it's in pet food

It is an economical way to add fiber and some fat back into a recipe, and it is more nutritious than its by-stream reputation suggests. Its fat content means it also brings calories, not just bulk.

How Bowlmark scores it

Scores are deterministic math over the printed label — the rules below apply to every product identically, and nothing estimates or fills in a blank.

Rice bran carries no deduction of its own. It counts as a rice fraction for the splitting rule: three or more rice-word ingredients (rice, brown rice, rice bran, …) inside the top eight is a single 12-point deduction on the ingredient-quality pillar — the pattern the rule prices is one grain wearing many names to sit lower on the label.

Read the full methodology

Foods that list rice bran

Ranked by score where scores exist. Placement here is never sold.

• Diamond Naturals Adult Dog Beef Meal & Rice Formula88
• Diamond Naturals Adult Dog Lamb Meal & Rice Formula88
• Diamond Naturals Large Breed Adult Dog Chicken & Rice Formula87
• Diamond Naturals Senior Dog Chicken, Egg & Oatmeal Formula87
• Canidae All Life Stages Multi-Protein Recipe84

Sources

• WSAVA Global Nutrition Committee — Selecting a pet food

Related ingredients

• pearled barley
• quinoa
• rice
• rice flour
• rice hulls
• rice starch

Further reading

• Grain-free, legumes and the DCM question
• How to read a pet food label