{"id":25465,"date":"2026-11-11T16:57:40","date_gmt":"2026-11-11T09:57:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/?p=25465"},"modified":"2026-11-11T16:57:40","modified_gmt":"2026-11-11T09:57:40","slug":"rice-leaf-extract","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/rice-leaf-extract\/","title":{"rendered":"Rice Leaf Extract: Natural Colour from a Part of the Rice Plant That Has Never Been Used"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When rice comes up, most manufacturers think of the grain, the bran or rice flour. In the past few years, however, Thai rice breeders have started looking at a part of the plant that has long been overlooked: the <strong>rice leaf<\/strong>. In particular, they are looking at the leaves of rice varieties with purple and pink colour on the leaf, which are the source of <strong>rice leaf extract<\/strong>, a new raw material of interest to both the food and cosmetics industries.<\/p>\r\n<p>This interest has arrived at the same time as the global market&#8217;s shift towards &#8220;natural colours&#8221; and traceable raw materials. Many brands want a verifiable story about where an ingredient comes from, how it was grown, and whether it helps reduce agricultural waste. Rice leaves meet all three needs, because they are a part of the plant that is usually burned or ploughed under after harvest.<\/p>\r\n<p>This article explains what rice leaf extract is, what kind of rice it comes from, which product types it can be used in, where it currently stands on regulation, and which questions manufacturers should ask suppliers before testing it in a formula.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what_is_rice_leaf_extract\"><\/span>What is rice leaf extract?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Rice leaf extract is material extracted from the leaves of the rice plant (<em>Oryza sativa<\/em>). In this article, it refers to extract from <strong>purple or pink rice leaves<\/strong>, which accumulate pigments of the <strong>anthocyanin<\/strong> group in the leaf. Ordinary rice leaves, by contrast, are green mainly because of chlorophyll.<\/p>\r\n<p>Pink rice leaves do not occur naturally in commonly grown rice. They are the result of breeding work, such as <strong>Rainbow Rice (Khao Sanpasi)<\/strong> from the Rice Science Center, Kasetsart University, which was developed through crossing and line selection, not genetic modification. The leaves of this group of rice have therefore become a source of raw material with built-in colour.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the_main_pigments_in_coloured_rice_leaves\"><\/span>The main pigments in coloured rice leaves<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>According to the Rice Science Center, the main pigments in Rainbow Rice leaves are a mix of several anthocyanins:<\/p>\r\n<ul><li>Cyanidin-3-glucoside<\/li><li>Peonidin-3-glucoside<\/li><li>Pelargonidin-3-glucoside<\/li><li>Delphinidin-3-glucoside<\/li><\/ul>\r\n<p>Besides anthocyanins, rice leaves also contain chlorophyll and carotenoids. A single pink rice leaf can therefore be thought of as holding &#8220;three pigment groups&#8221; together, which is both an opportunity and a challenge for extraction and separation.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_rice_leaves_differ_from_rice_grain\"><\/span>How rice leaves differ from rice grain<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>As a raw material, the rice leaf is clearly different from the grain. The leaf contains almost no starch, its main component is dietary fibre, and it holds protein in the leaf tissue. One batch of rice leaves can therefore yield more than one raw material, for example:<\/p>\r\n<ol><li><strong>Colour extract<\/strong> from the anthocyanins in the leaf<\/li><li><strong>Protein hydrolysate<\/strong> from the protein in the leaf<\/li><li><strong>Dietary fibre<\/strong> from the leaf residue left after extraction<\/li><\/ol>\r\n<p>Using one batch of leaves to produce several raw materials is called a <strong>biorefinery<\/strong> approach. It is at the core of the raw material development project for Rainbow Rice (Khao Sanpasi) RBR02 leaves, in which TIBD is a partner.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what_can_rice_leaf_extract_be_used_for\"><\/span>What can rice leaf extract be used for?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>At this stage, rice leaf extract is still a <strong>raw material under development<\/strong>, not a product on general sale. The application directions that manufacturers are watching are as follows.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_natural_colour_in_cosmetics\"><\/span>1. Natural colour in cosmetics<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Cosmetics is the area with the clearest pathway, because extract from rice leaves already has an INCI (International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients) name in use: <strong>Oryza Sativa Leaf Extract<\/strong>. Manufacturers can therefore name the ingredient on the label under the international system. To sell a finished product in a given country, however, the brand owner must notify or register it under that market&#8217;s own law.<\/p>\r\n<p>Examples of products that might trial colour from rice leaves include lightly tinted products, cleansing products that want a plant-derived pink-purple tone, and products that want to tell the story of an ingredient from a Thai farm.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_colour_and_ingredients_in_food\"><\/span>2. Colour and ingredients in food<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>In food, anthocyanins are a colour group already widely used from many plants. However, <strong>the use of rice leaf extract in food and dietary supplements in Thailand is still under regulatory pathway assessment<\/strong>. Interested food manufacturers should treat it as a raw material for advance research and formula development, and should check its status with the regulator of their target market before planning a product launch.<\/p>\r\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_a_storytelling_ingredient_for_brands\"><\/span>3. A storytelling ingredient for brands<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p>Beyond its colour properties, what makes the rice leaf interesting is <strong>the story of the ingredient<\/strong>. Rice leaves grown on certified organic fields can be traced back to the field, and they come from a part of the plant that used to be burned. This gives brands a sustainability story that can be verified, not just an advertising line.<\/p>\r\n<p>One caution: a certified organic field does not automatically mean the processed raw material is certified organic. If a brand wants to write &#8220;organic&#8221; on its label, it must check whether the processing plant and the raw material itself are certified under the standard being used.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_does_rice_leaf_extract_differ_from_other_anthocyanin_sources\"><\/span>How does rice leaf extract differ from other anthocyanin sources?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Anthocyanins are not new to the industry. The red-purple plant colours already on the market usually come from fruit, vegetables or dark-coloured grains, such as grapes, purple carrots, purple sweet potatoes, purple corn and purple-grain rice. What makes the rice leaf interesting is therefore not the pigment itself but <strong>the origin of the raw material<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n<ul><li><strong>It does not compete with food.<\/strong> Many colour sources use parts that people eat directly, while the rice leaf is a part that has not traditionally been used as food.<\/li><li><strong>Farmers still harvest the grain.<\/strong> If the right timing for cutting leaves is found, rice leaves become extra income from the same field, rather than converting land to grow a dedicated colour crop.<\/li><li><strong>It yields more than one raw material.<\/strong> Colour is only one of three raw materials from a single batch of leaves, so the cost of the starting material is spread across several products.<\/li><li><strong>The story can be traced to the field.<\/strong> Brands can communicate which farmer network the ingredient came from and under which standard it was grown.<\/li><\/ul>\r\n<p>On the other hand, colour sources already on the market have the advantage of long-accumulated application data and documentation. Manufacturers interested in rice leaves should therefore see them as a new option to test alongside existing sources, not as an immediate replacement.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"why_extracting_colour_from_rice_leaves_is_not_easy\"><\/span>Why extracting colour from rice leaves is not easy<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Although the idea sounds straightforward, turning rice leaf extract into a commercial raw material involves several technical challenges.<\/p>\r\n<ul><li><strong>Anthocyanins are sensitive to their environment.<\/strong> Their colour changes with acidity (pH), and they can degrade under heat, light and enzymes. The process has to be designed to preserve as much colour as possible.<\/li><li><strong>The leaf contains several groups of compounds mixed together<\/strong>, including chlorophyll, carotenoids and protein. Separating a clean and stable colour requires selective steps.<\/li><li><strong>Harvest timing affects both colour and grain yield.<\/strong> The right window must be found, when the leaf has accumulated enough colour and cutting it does not affect the farmer&#8217;s rice yield.<\/li><li><strong>Consistency between batches.<\/strong> Industrial buyers need raw materials of the same quality in every batch, with supporting documents.<\/li><\/ul>\r\n<p>In the RBR02 leaf raw material development project, these challenges are set out as proof gates, one step at a time. The first step is to measure the anthocyanin content in leaves from several fields and at several growth stages, to find the right harvest window before investing in machinery.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what_the_research_says_what_is_known_and_what_still_needs_proof\"><\/span>What the research says: what is known and what still needs proof<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>A good raw material buyer should be able to separate &#8220;data from the literature&#8221; from &#8220;data on the raw material they will actually buy&#8221;.<\/p>\r\n<p><strong>What published work supports<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ul><li>A study by Yamuangmorn et al. (2018) in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture examined four Thai purple rice varieties. It found that anthocyanins in the shoots and leaves peaked at the tillering stage and then fell sharply by maturity. The leaf value at tillering was 1.70\u20132.10 grams per kilogram of dry weight. This value comes from the purple rice in that study, not from measurements of RBR02. The result also shows that leaf harvest timing has a large effect on pigment content.<\/li><li>Rice Science Center data identify the main anthocyanins in Rainbow Rice leaves and a leaf composition with almost no starch.<\/li><\/ul>\r\n<p><strong>What still needs proof<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ul><li>The actual pigment content of RBR02 leaves across several fields and growth stages<\/li><li>Yield and quality from pilot batches produced by the pilot extraction unit<\/li><li>Testing for heavy metals, pesticides and prohibited microorganisms by an external laboratory<\/li><\/ul>\r\n<p>Knowing which data are still literature values helps manufacturers plan testing correctly, and keeps them from citing values from other research for their own products.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"questions_manufacturers_should_ask_before_using_rice_leaf_extract\"><\/span>Questions manufacturers should ask before using rice leaf extract<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Before bringing rice leaf extract, or any new raw material, into formula development, TIBD recommends that manufacturers prepare these questions:<\/p>\r\n<ol><li><strong>Which rice variety does the raw material come from, and where is it grown?<\/strong> Is there evidence of origin down to the field level?<\/li><li><strong>What is the certification status of the growing field and of the raw material itself<\/strong>, and how do they differ?<\/li><li><strong>What is the INCI name and the regulatory status in the target market<\/strong>, for both cosmetics and food?<\/li><li><strong>Which documents will be supplied?<\/strong> For example, the raw material specification, technical data sheet (TDS), safety data sheet (SDS) and a certificate of analysis (COA) for each batch.<\/li><li><strong>How stable is the colour in your formula<\/strong> at your pH and production conditions? Ask for a sample to test for real.<\/li><li><strong>Which claims can be made?<\/strong> Manufacturers must always check the claims for a finished product against the law of the target market. A raw material without human data should not be used to make benefit claims.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"getting_ready_to_test_rice_leaf_extract_in_your_formula\"><\/span>Getting ready to test rice leaf extract in your formula<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Although the raw material is not yet on sale, manufacturers who want to be among the first to test it can start preparing now.<\/p>\r\n<ol><li><strong>Define the target product.<\/strong> State clearly which product type the colour is for, such as a gel or cream cosmetic, or a cleansing product.<\/li><li><strong>Record your formula conditions<\/strong>, such as the pH range, production temperature, and ingredients that may react with the colour. This information helps the research team recommend a suitable form of the raw material.<\/li><li><strong>Plan stability testing<\/strong> for colour, odour and product texture under the light and temperature the product will actually face.<\/li><li><strong>Check the regulatory pathway in your target market<\/strong> before investing in full formula development.<\/li><li><strong>Register your interest with TIBD<\/strong> to join the list for samples from the pilot batches when they are ready.<\/li><\/ol>\r\n<p>Preparing in advance lets your product reach the market sooner, once the raw material has passed its proof gates and its documentation is complete.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"tibds_role_in_developing_raw_materials_from_rice_leaves\"><\/span>TIBD&#8217;s role in developing raw materials from rice leaves<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>TIBD connects university research with the real needs of manufacturers. In the RBR02 rice leaf project, whose variety was developed by Prof. Dr. Apichart Vanavichit and the research team at the Rice Science Center, Kasetsart University, TIBD and K-API Co., Ltd. are partners for market development and production.<\/p>\r\n<p>TIBD&#8217;s role covers:<\/p>\r\n<ul><li><strong>Listening to manufacturers&#8217; briefs<\/strong>: which raw material they need, in what kind of formula, and for which market<\/li><li><strong>Assessing with the research team<\/strong> whether raw materials from rice leaves fit the brief and how they should be tested<\/li><li><strong>Setting up the quality assurance documentation<\/strong> so the raw materials are ready for business-to-business buyers<\/li><li><strong>Connecting related services<\/strong>, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/services\/deep-tech-development\/\">extract and active ingredient development<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/services\/%e0%b9%82%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%87%e0%b8%87%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%99%e0%b8%9c%e0%b8%a5%e0%b8%b4%e0%b8%95%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%b2%e0%b8%a3%e0%b8%aa%e0%b8%81%e0%b8%b1%e0%b8%94\/\">extract manufacturing<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\r\n<p>Read about the project, the three raw materials and the full proof pathway on the page <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/rainbow-rice\/\">Deep Tech Innovators 03: Rainbow Rice RBR02<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"rice_leaf_extract_colour_from_a_part_once_burned_into_a_raw_material_with_a_story\"><\/span>Rice leaf extract: colour from a part once burned, into a raw material with a story<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p>Rice leaf extract is an example of a new generation of raw materials whose value lies not only in colour or composition, but in a verifiable origin and in turning agricultural leftovers into new income for farmers. For food and cosmetics manufacturers looking for a distinctive Thai plant raw material, pink rice leaves are a brief worth starting to test today, while the raw material is still in development and results from each proof gate are coming in.<\/p>\r\n<p>If you have a product brief and would like to test raw materials from rice leaves, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/contact-us\/\">click to contact the TIBD consulting team<\/a><\/strong> or chat with us on LINE <a href=\"https:\/\/line.me\/R\/ti\/p\/@tibdglobal\">@tibdglobal<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"references\"><\/span>References<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\r\n<ol><li>Rice Science Center, Kasetsart University. Rainbow Rice (Khao Sanpasi) (in Thai). https:\/\/dna.kps.ku.ac.th\/research\/breeding\/rainbow-rice<\/li><li>Yamuangmorn, S. et al. (2018). Applying nitrogen fertilizer increased anthocyanin in vegetative shoots but not in grain of purple rice genotypes. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 98(12), 4527\u20134532. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1002\/jsfa.8978<\/li><li>European Commission. CosIng \u2013 Cosmetic ingredient database: ORYZA SATIVA LEAF EXTRACT (CosIng ID 82525). https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/growth\/tools-databases\/cosing\/details\/82525<\/li><li>Open Access Government (2021). Rainbow rice: A paradigm shift in future foods. https:\/\/www.openaccessgovernment.org\/rainbow-rice\/112325\/<\/li><\/ol>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"excerpt","protected":false},"author":237,"featured_media":25339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[156,157],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-deep-tech-en","category-local-expert-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/237"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25465"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25528,"href":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25465\/revisions\/25528"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25465"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tibdglobal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}