RICE FUNCTIONAL-PROPERTIES AND RICE FOOD-PRODUCTS

Declining per capita consumption of boiled rice in Asia has accelerate d national research and development on rice processed products to help maintain rice consumption levels. The processing of rice and the eati ng quality of the product are influenced by a number of functional pro perties which derive from the rice composition. The ratio of amylose t o amylopectin in starch as indexed by apparent amylose content (AC) of milled rice is the chief influence on processing and eating quality. It correlates negatively with taste panel scores for cohesiveness, ten derness, and gloss of boiled rice. Most tropical nonwaxy varieties hav e ACs of 20% or higher. Japanese and Koreans prefer low-AC rice (16%), while Filipinos, Indonesians, Malaysians, and Thais prefer 18-22% AC rices. Processed rice products were surveyed, with emphasis on Asia. W axy rices are used in desserts, cakes, and sauces, low-AC rices in bab y foods and breakfast cereals, intermediate-AC rices in canned soups a nd fermented rice cakes, and high-AC rices in rice noodles.