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.