Effect of soaking medium on the physicochemical properties of parboiled glutinous rice of selected Laotian cultivars

The effect of various soaking mediums, viz. water (control), 3% NaCl and 0.2% acetic acid, and without soaking on the physicochemical properties of parboiled selected glutinous (TDK8 and TDK11) and non-glutinous (Doongara) was investigated in the present study. Results showed that the chemistry of soaking had a significant effect on the head rice yield (HRY), grain hardness, crystallinity, color, pasting and thermal properties, textural attributes, and glycemic index of these rice varieties. Soaking with NaCl and acetic acid significantly increased the grain hardness and HRY than control and without soaking treatments. Acetic acid and NaCl soaking significantly affected crystalline regions of starch resulting in reduced crystallinity in X-ray diffraction analysis and thermal endotherms in DSC analysis. NaCl soaking induced swelling of starch granules resulting in high peak and final viscosities. However, acetic acid restricted swelling resulting in reduced peak and final viscosities. NaCl and acetic acid soakings also resulted in increased hardness and adhesiveness of cooked grains than normal water soaked and un-soaked parboiled rice samples. Interestingly, change in textural attributes was prominent in parboiled glutinous rice. The color difference value for fresh parboiled samples was significantly lower for acetic acid soaked samples compared to NaCl soaked and un-soaked samples probably due to bleaching effect of acetic acid. Moreover, parboiling also resulted in significant reduction in glycemic index of glutinous rice. These findings revealed the potential application of parboiling with modified soaking techniques to improve the grain quality.     

Cooking qualities of parboiled rices produced at low and high temperatures

The cooking characteristics of parboiled rice are related to (i) its hydration behaviour at temperatures above and below the gelatinisation point; (ii) to kernel elongation on cooking; and (iii) to the extent of amylose solubility. These properties differ among samples, depending on the parboiling conditions. Samples were prepared by parboiling paddy at 70, 80, 90, 100, 110 and 120°C. The kernel elongation on cooking and the amount of soluble amylose in the gruel were then determined. The water uptake values for raw and parboiled rice samples were determined by hydrating them at room temperature (25-30), 60 and 98°C (boiling temperature) for optimal cooking times. The rate of hydration at temperatures below the gelatinisation point increased on parboiling and, conversely, a reverse pattern above this point. Close correlations existed between the temperature of parboiling and the properties studied. The different properties studied also correlated well. The temperature of parboiling influenced the linear elongation of the kernel after cooking. The soluble amylose content was negatively correlated with the temperature of parboiling. Though the hydration properties of different parboiled samples differed among themselves, depending on the degree of parboiling, they fell into two distinct classes, viz. the samples parboiled at a temperature close to the gelatinisation point having cooking qualities similar to raw rice, and above this point qualities differing from raw rice. The water uptake values at room temperature and at 60°C, and the ratio of water uptake at 98°C and optimum cooking time to that at 60°C were found to be useful in differentiating the parboiled rices into the two classes.     

Functional Properties as Affected by Laboratory‐Scale Parboiling of Rough Rice and Brown Rice

ABSTRACT: Rough rice (RR) is the conventional feedstock for parboiling. The use of brown rice (BR) instead of RR is gaining interest because it results in shorter processing time and lower energy requirement. This study compared the functional properties of milled parboiled rice under different parboiling conditions from RR and BR. Presoaked RR and BR from cultivars Bolivar, Cheniere, Dixiebelle, and Wells were parboiled under mild (20 min, 100 °C, 0 kPa) and severe (20 min, 120 °C, 98 kPa) laboratory‐scale conditions. Head rice yield improved on the RR and BR samples subjected to severe parboiling and was comparable to that of a commercially parboiled sample. Mild parboiling of BR resulted in lower head rice yields. Parboiling generally resulted in decreased head rice whiteness, decreased apparent amylose, increased total lipid, and sparingly changed protein content. Under the same parboiling conditions, the extent of starch gelatinization was higher for BR compared to RR as manifested by some distinct differences in pasting and thermal properties. The cooking characteristics (water uptake ratio, leached materials, and volumetric expansion) and cooked rice texture (hardness and stickiness) of RR and BR subjected to severe parboiling were fairly comparable. Differences in parboiled rice functional properties due to cultivar effect were evident.     

Effect of ozone treatment on physicochemical properties of waxy rice flour and waxy rice starch

The effect of ozone treatment on physicochemical properties of waxy rice flour and waxy rice starch was investigated. Results showed that ozone treatment increased the pasting viscosity of waxy rice flour. Compared with untreated waxy rice flour, the peak viscosities of waxy rice flour for 0.5, 1 and 2 h of ozone treatments were increased by 27.4%, 32.8% and 45.5%, respectively. The alpha‐amylase in waxy rice flour was inactivated during the treatment. The gelatinisation temperature and enthalpy of waxy rice flour were kept unchanged after the treatment. For waxy rice starch, pasting viscosity, swelling power and molecular weight were increased after 0.5 h of treatment, but decreased as treatment time extended. The ozone treatment decreased gelatinisation temperature and enthalpy of waxy rice starch.     

Physicochemical,crystallinity, pasting and thermal properties of heat‐moisture‐treated pinhão starch

The effect of heat‐moisture treatment (HMT) on the properties of pinhão starches under different moisture and heat conditions was investigated. The starches were adjusted to 15, 20 and 25% moisture levels and heated to 100, 110 and 120°C for 1 h. The X‐ray diffractograms, swelling power, solubility, gel hardness, pasting properties and thermal properties of the native and HMT pinhão starches were evaluated. Compared to native starch, there was an increase in the X‐ray intensity and gel hardness of HMT starches, with the exception of the 25% moisture‐treated and 120°C heat‐treated starch. HMT reduced the swelling power and solubility of the pinhão starches when compared to native starch. There was an increase in the pasting temperature, final viscosity and setback and a decrease in the peak viscosity and breakdown of HMT pinhão starches compared to native starch. HMT increases the gelatinisation temperature of native pinhão starch and reduces gelatinisation enthalpy.     

Resistant starch and thermal,morphological and textural properties of heat‐moisture treated rice starches with high‐, medium‐ and low‐amylose content

This study investigated the effects of heat‐moisture treatment (HMT) on the resistant starch content and thermal, morphological, and textural properties of rice starches with high‐, medium‐ and low‐amylose content. The starches were adjusted to 15, 20 and 25% moisture levels and heated at 110°C for 1 h. The HMT increased the resistant starch content in all of the rice starches. HMT increased the onset temperature and the gelatinisation temperature range (T_finish–T_onset) and decreased the enthalpy of gelatinisation of rice starches with different amylose contents. This reduction increased with the increase in the moisture content of HMT. The morphology of rice starch granules was altered with the HMT; the granules presented more agglomerated surface. The HMT affected the textural parameters of rice starches; the high‐ and low‐amylose rice starches subjected to 15 and 20% HMT possessed higher gel hardness.     

Physicochemical properties,digestibility and expected glycaemic index of high amylose rice differing in length-width ratio in Sri Lanka

Gelatinization, pasting, digestibility and estimated glycaemic index of six high amylose rice varieties differing in length/width ratio were studied. Amylose content ranged narrowly (27.8–29.1%). Resistant starch content ranged from 0.44% to 1.4%. In contrast to gelatinisation enthalpy, gelatinisation temperature (GT) ranged narrowly (76.7–77.4 °C). For all rice varieties, melting temperature of amylose-lipid complex I and II was around 99 °C and 110 °C, respectively. The enthalpy of amylose-lipid complex I and II ranged between 0.18–0.87 and 0.23–0.55, respectively. Expected in vitro glycaemic index (GI) of all tested varieties was similar (88.2–92.4). The results showed that the size of the rice grain (length/width) and resistant starch content had no apparent impact on the GI of high amylose rice. The dominant factors determining the digestibility and glycaemic response of the tested high amylose rice varieties seemed to be amylose content and the GT. Besides the pasting temperature, other pasting properties varied significantly but were not correlated to starch digestibility and estimated GI among the six rice varieties. Thus, RVA pasting properties, except for pasting temperature, may not be good predictors for the GI of these high amylose rice.     

Effects of high pressure and temperature on buckwheat starch characteristics

Pressure-induced gelatinisation of buckwheat starch suspensions (25% w/w) was studied and compared to heat-induced gelatinisation. Starch suspensions were treated at increased pressure (200–600 MPa) or temperature (60–95 °C) for 10 min. The degree of gelatinisation and the temperature and pressure ranges of gelatinisation were determined using differential scanning calorimetry, changes in birefringence and pasting behaviour. Furthermore, the structural changes during gelatinisation were investigated using microscopy. The pressure-induced as well as the temperature-induced gelatinisation curves were sigmoid shaped. Gelatinisation occurred between 300 and 500 MPa or between 60 and 70 °C. Scanning electron microscopy images showed retention of the granular structure after treatment with 600 MPa. However, when heated at temperatures above 65 °C, the formation of a “sponge-like” structure was observed. Better preservation of the granular structure for pressure treatment compared to temperature treatment resulted in stronger gels for the former. Pre-treatment with pressure as well as temperature made the buckwheat starch granules more resistant to swelling and disintegration under the influence of additional heat.     

Physical,thermal and structural properties of rice starch as affected by the addition of bamboo shoot shell fibres

The effects of different bamboo shoot shell fibre (BSSF) content (1, 2, 5 and 10%, w/w) on the physical, thermal and structural properties of rice starch were investigated. BSSFs significantly affected the properties of rice starch by competitive water absorption and hydrogen bonding. With increased BSSF content, the breakdown value and pasting temperature of rice starch were increased, whereas the peak viscosity, final viscosity and setback value were decreased. Thermodynamic results showed that the gelatinisation temperature and gelatinisation enthalpy of rice starch were significantly increased by the 5% and 10% BSSFs. Furthermore, BSSFs interconnected with amylose through hydrogen bonds to restrain gel-structure formation, thereby resulting in low storage modulus and loss modulus of rice starch paste. A loose structure of rice starch supplemented with 10% BSSFs was clearly visible, exhibiting the minimum values of hardness (32.12 ± 4.47 g) and adhesiveness (64.70 ± 17.32 g). Moreover, BSSFs increased the amount of short-range ordered structures but had no effect on the crystal type of rice starch. These results may contribute to the manufacture and development of fibre-enriched starchy products.     

Effects of parboiling and fluidized bed drying on the physicochemical properties of germinated brown rice

Changes in physicochemical properties of germinated brown rice (GBR) and parboiled germinated brown rice (PGBR) dried in a fluidized bed dryer at 110–150 °C were investigated. Results indicated that parboiling altered the properties of GBR owing to starch gelatinisation. The moisture content, yellowness, peak viscosity and hardness of PGBR increased, but internal fissured kernel, cooking time, water absorption and total solids loss decreased when compared to GBR. γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) content in GBR was 23.31 mg per 100 g and was reduced to 17.91 mg per 100 g in PGBR. The drying times required to reduce the moisture content of GBR and PGBR to 16% d.b. were 4.01–7.65 min and 5.11–9.50 min, respectively. Final moisture content, which is optimum to prevent internal fissures of dried GBR and PGBR, was 27–29% and 25–28% d.b., respectively. The same trend was observed in the physicochemical properties of GBR and PGBR when increasing drying temperature and time.     

Effect of rice ageing and freeze‐thaw cycle on textural properties of cooked rice (Oryza sativa L.) cv. Khao Dawk Mali 105

This study investigated the effect of rice grain ageing (0.7–12 months) and freeze‐thaw 1–5 cycles on the textural properties of cooked rice. The cooked rice from aged rice grains was freezing and thawing up to five cycles. Ageing of the rice grain increased the hardness and decreased the stickiness of the cooked rice. Repeated freeze‐thaw cycles caused an increase in hardness and a decrease in stickiness of aged cooked rice. Scanning electron micrographs showed a rough surface on the cooked rice after repeated freeze‐thaw cycles, especially for cooked rice from rice aged for 12 months. Differential scanning calorimetry and X‐ray diffraction showed increased starch retrogradation with increased freeze‐thaw cycles. The gelatinisation temperature and gelatinisation enthalpy increased when rice was aged for longer periods. Thus, ageing of rice and the number of freeze‐thaw cycles influence the textural properties of cooked rice.     

Physicochemical properties of pressure moisture treated (PMT) and heat moisture treated (HMT) starches

Physicochemical properties of pressure moisture treated (PMT, 550 MPa, 10 min) and heat moisture treated (HMT, 100 °C, 10 h) starches were investigated. Effects of PMT and HMT were different depending on starch type. PMT starches showed dramatic changes in moisture sorption isotherm, pasting properties, thermal characteristics, solubility and swelling power (at 90 °C), and in vitro digestibility. The most dramatic difference between PMT and HMT starches was amylopectin melting transition, i.e., broadening in PMT and shift to high temperature in HMT starches. Moreover, B- and C-type starches revealed the more increase in amylopectin melting enthalpy than A-type starch. Both PMT and HMT did not increase the crystallinity but reorganized the amorphous area to compact, resulting in lower rapidly digestible starch and higher slowly digestible starch than those of native starches. Consequently, PMT changed the digestibility and physicochemical properties of starches with different modes of action compared with HMT.     

Suitability of pigeon pea and rice starches and their blends for noodle making

The physicochemical and pasting properties of pigeon pea and rice starches were studied to assess their suitability for noodle making. Amylose content, solubility and freeze thaw stability of pigeon pea starch were significantly higher than those of rice starch (p < 0.05). The pasting properties of peak viscosity, final viscosity, breakdown and set back showed higher values for pigeon pea starch, whereas hot paste viscosity and pasting temperature were higher for rice starch. Rice starch noodles revealed less cooking time (4 min) and less percent solids loss, whereas pigeon pea starch noodles had higher cooking time (12 min), higher percentage of water absorbed during cooking, more hardness and cohesiveness. Rice starch noodles scored higher for their transparency and slipperiness over pigeon pea starch noodles. Blending of pigeon pea starch with rice starch had significant effects on the cooking and sensory quality of noodles. Among starch blends, 70:30 blend of the pigeon pea and rice starches respectively resulted in good quality of noodles especially in terms of their higher transparency, slipperiness, overall acceptability and cohesiveness values. Blending of pigeon pea starch with 30% rice starch could produce noodles with superior quality as compared to native pigeon pea and rice starch noodles.     

Iron-fortified parboiled rice – A novel solution to high iron density in rice-based diets

The present study pioneered an investigation of a novel and cost-effective approach to fortify Fe in rice and to greatly improve Fe nutrition in rice-based diets through parboiling, though it remains at its preliminary phase. Rice grains of seven cultivars were parboiled in deionised water containing different levels of Fe chelate made by mixing different proportions of Fe sulfate (FeSO₄) with ethylenediaminetetra-acetic acid disodium salt (Na₂EDTA). Adding Fe to the parboiling water resulted in an increased Fe concentration in the most grain, effectively where FeSO₄ and Na₂EDTA were mixed at 2:1 molar ratio (11.16 g Fe per 100 g raw paddy grain). This treatment resulted in Fe concentrations in white rice milled for 60 s and 120 s, which were 20–50 times higher than those in the unfortified milled raw rice grains. The Fe concentrations in milled rice grains were 50–150 mg Fe kg⁻¹ in 60 s milled grains with a slight reduction in 120 s milled grains. Perls Prussian blue staining of the cross section of Fe-fortified parboiled rice grains suggested inward movement of added Fe into the endosperm through the apoplastic pathway in the dorsal region of the rice grain. The retention rates of fortified Fe varied among the different cultivars, possibly due to different physical–chemical properties of the grains. The percentages of soluble fraction of the total Fe were higher than 50% in all cultivars tested, indicating its high bioavailability potential, though it remains to be evaluated. The present findings provided a preliminary basis for further investigation of this innovative technique, before its adoption by parboiled rice industry, such as optimising the levels of Fe addition and industrial process and Fe bioavailability in Fe-fortified-parboiled rice.     

Comparative study on physicochemical and nutritional properties of black rice influenced by superheated steam,far infrared radiation,and microwave treatment

The peroxidase in black rice was inactivated by superheated steam (SS), far infrared radiation (FIR), and microwave treatment (Mw) respectively, and then their effects on the physicochemical and nutritional properties of black rice were compared. Results showed that SS, FIR, and Mw completely inactivated peroxidase with minimum time of 16 min, 8 min, 480 s, respectively. FIR and Mw significantly decreased all pasting viscosities and gelatinization enthalpy (ΔH), while SS increased most pasting viscosities and showed almost no influence on ΔH. Besides, black rice stabilized by SS rather than FIR and Mw showed similar cooking and sensory quality and microscopic structure to that of raw black rice. Furthermore, SS was more favorable to retain the phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins and antioxidant capacity than FIR and Mw. These results suggested that SS was most suitable to improve the shelf life of black rice with minimal damages to its physicochemical and nutritional properties.     

Effects of gelatinisation level, gum and transglutaminase on the quality characteristics of rice noodle

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of gelatinisation level, gum (locust bean gum, xanthan gum, 3%) and/or transglutaminase (TG, 0.5%) on quality characteristics of rice noodle. In order to improve the dough forming ability, rice flour was gelatinised at levels of 15%, 20%, 25% and 30%. Noodle samples were evaluated in terms of cooking loss, total organic matter (TOM), water absorption, swelling volume, maximum force, colour, sensory properties, pasting properties. Noodle sample with a gelatinisation level of 25% had better cooking and sensory properties. Gum and/or TG were added to this noodle formula. The noodle samples including xanthan gum had better cooking and sensory properties. TG caused a significant decrease in TOM. The samples including locust bean gum had significantly higher maximum force values. Xanthan gum caused decreases in some Rapid ViscoAnalyzer viscosity values of the noodle samples, while locust bean gum caused increases.     

Effects of drying conditions in hybrid dryer on the GABA rice properties

In this study, pre-germinated rough rice was dried under various conditions using a hybrid dryer that incorporated heat pump dryer with fluidized bed drying (FBD) system in order to compare with the single-stage drying by hot air dryer. The main objective was to investigate the effect of drying conditions on the cooking and physical properties, nutrients and sensorial qualities of GABA rice products. It appeared that the FBD at 100–140 °C led to noticeable increase of head rice yield. The germination process caused the decline of gelatinization enthalpy of brown rice flour, the change of pasting properties, the reduction of cooking time and escalation of the total phenolic content, antioxidant activity and GABA content. The FBD at higher temperature significantly raised the degree of starch gelatinization and caused longer cooking time, higher hardness and adhesiveness of cooked GABA rice. Three-stage drying comprising FBD at 60 °C for 10 min in the first stage followed by FBD at 100 °C in the second stage and then heat pump drying at 45 °C together with tempering step between drying stages was recommended due to its superior GABA rice product quality.     

Effect of fertiliser on functional properties of flour from four rice varieties grown in Sri Lanka

BACKGROUND: Fertiliser is an essential agro‐chemical input in modern rice farming. Fertiliser affects the grain quality and yield of rice. Although much research has been carried out to investigate the influence of fertiliser (recommended NPK addition) on yield and quality of rice grain, little is known about the effect of fertiliser on thermal, pasting, gelling and retrogradation properties of rice flour. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of recommended fertilisation on functional properties of rice flour from four popular high yielding rice varieties grown in Sri Lanka. RESULTS: Fertiliser (recommended NPK addition) increased the protein content but reduced the apparent amylose content in rice flour except in BG 357. Swelling power and amylose leaching of rice flour were also increased. Pasting onset temperature, cold paste viscosity and setback were increased but peak viscosity and granular breakdown decreased. In response to the fertiliser application, gelatinisation peak temperature was reduced in all varieties except BG 300. However, compared to pasting properties, gelatinisation parameters were not much affected by fertilisation. The extent of amylopectin retrogradation was decreased by fertiliser in BG 305 and BG 352 but unchanged in the other two varieties. Except in BG 305, fertiliser reduced the gel hardness of rice flour but increased the gel cohesiveness. CONCLUSION: It is apparent that the increased protein and reduced amylose content caused by fertiliser affect the functional properties of rice flour. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Characteristics of functional brown rice prepared by parboiling and microwave drying

Brown rice (BR) is well known for its functional properties; however, it is considered unsuitable for consumption in modern diet owing to its hard texture, low digestibility, and high lipid peroxidation. In this study, we investigated the physicochemical properties, and cooking and storage characteristics of functional BR prepared by parboiling (100°C, 15 min) and microwave drying (100 kW, 8 rpm, 91°C, 40 min) processes. These processes significantly increased resistant starch (RS) content by 1.5-fold and total dietary fiber (TDF) content by 1.8-fold; Parboiling and microwave drying processes increased the umami taste by 10% using electronic tongue and decreased the hardness by 10% using texture analyzer, respectively. Additionally, irrespective of the storage duration, these processes remarkably decreased acidity and bacterial counts in the parboiled BR group compared to that in the BR group. Presumably, higher RS and TDF contents, enhanced umami taste, and longer shelf-life of BR would help patients with obesity and diabetes, and industries developing relevant high-value food products.     

Effect of heat-moisture treatment on rice starch of varying amylose content

The effect of heat-moisture treatment (HMT) on the properties of rice starches with high-, medium- and low-amylose content was investigated. The starches were adjusted to 15%, 20% and 25% moisture levels, and heated at 110 °C for 1 h. The swelling power, solubility, pasting properties, morphology, enzymatic susceptibility and X-ray crystallinity of the starches were evaluated. HMT reduced the swelling power and solubility of the starches. The strongest effect of HMT occurred on the high-amylose starch; the pasting temperature was increased and the peak viscosity, breakdown, final viscosity and the setback were reduced. HMT increased the starch’s susceptibility to α-amylase and promoted a reduction in the starch relative crystallinity.