Abstract
Moisture content is an important factor that affects rice storage. Rice with high moisture (HM) content has superior taste but is difficult to store. In this study, low-dose electron beam irradiation (EBI) was used to study water distribution in newly harvested HM (15.03%) rice and dried rice (11.97%) via low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (LF-NMR). The gelatinization, texture and rheological properties of rice and the thermal and digestion properties of rice starch were determined. Results showed that low-dose EBI could change water distribution in rice mainly by affecting free water under low-moisture (LM) conditions and free water and bound water under HM conditions. HM rice showed smooth changes in gelatinization and rheological properties and softened textural properties. The swelling power and solubility index indicated that irradiation promoted the depolymerization of starch chains. Overall, low-dose EBI had little effect on the properties of rice. HM rice showed superior quality and taste, whereas LM rice exhibited superior nutritional quality. This work attempted to optimize the outcome of the EBI treatment of rice for storage purposes by analyzing its effects. It demonstrated that low-dose EBI was more effective and environmentally friendly than other techniques.
Highlights
Rice (Oryza sativa L.), the primary staple for more than half the world’s population, is produced worldwide
The results of this study suggested that low-dose electron beam irradiation (EBI) treatment changed water distribution in newly harvested rice with high moisture (HM) (15.03%) and dried rice (11.97%)
EBI treatment reduced the viscosity of rice, and the change in LM rice was more obvious than that in HM rice
Summary
Rice (Oryza sativa L.), the primary staple for more than half the world’s population, is produced worldwide. From 2000 to 2013, the rice productivity of the U.S increased by an estimated 29% or approximately 2.2% on an annual basis; this increase is second only to the increase in peanut productivity (at 3.5% annually) among major U.S field crops [1]. As the world’s largest rice producer and consumer, produced 199 million tons and consumed. 203 million tons of rice between October 2018 and September 2019. Rice stocks reached 176 million tons in 2018. Rice consumption accounts for the largest grain ration, 81.96%, in China [2]
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