Quality Properties and Antioxidant Activity of Rice <i>Makgeolli</i> Supplemented With Rice Bran

ABSTRACT Background and Objectives Rice bran, a byproduct of milling brown rice into white rice, is the most abundant agricultural byproduct. Here, Makgeolli (traditional Korean rice‐based alcoholic beverage) made from rice (RM) and Makgeolli supplemented with 20% (RBA), 35% (RBB), and 50% (RBC) rice bran were prepared, and their physicochemical, microbiological, sensory (a 7‐point hedonic scale), and antioxidant characteristics were analyzed over a 2‐day fermentation period. Findings Rice bran‐supplemented Makgeolli initially had a high pH of 5.28–5.50, which sharply decreased to 3.61–3.68 on Day 1 and continued declining without significant differences. Higher rice bran content led to increased acidity, with fermentation completing within 0–1 day in RBA. Sugar and alcohol content peaked on Day 1 but decreased following the same pattern on Day 2. Yeast counts were initially low but showed a smaller reduction with increasing rice bran content, whereas lactic acid bacterial counts initially increased but significantly decreased over time. Antioxidant activity increased with higher rice bran addition, with RBC exhibiting 5.9 times higher activity than RM. Conclusions ABTS radical scavenging activity increased with the amount of rice bran added; Makgeolli supplemented with 20% rice bran showed the highest overall preference in sensory evaluation. Significance and Novelty Fermentation of Makgeolli with rice bran was completed within 0 to 1 day.