COOKING WATER-UPTAKE AND STARCH DIGESTIBLE VALUE OF SELECTED SPANISH RICES

The cooking water uptake and the starch digestible values (rapidly dig estible, slowly digestible and resistant starch and starch digestible index) of eight selected Spanish rice were measured after cooking for 15, 20 and 25 min in limited boiling water. White short grain rices va rieties, Bomba and Balilla x Sollana, showed the highest water uptake at all times studied. The relation between water uptake and amylose co ntent was dependent on cooking time and type of rice and was negative for white rices (r = -0.83, P < 0.05) at 15 min. Water uptake showed a positive correlation with rapidly digestible starch and negative with resistant starch. Brown short grain and parboiled long grain rices ha d the highest content of slowly digestible and resistant starch, predi cting a low starch digestible index, adequate for nutritional disorder s with high postprandial glucose.