Abstract
A significant reduction in rice starch digestibility and subsequent postprandial blood glucose responses following extended cold treatment (at 4 °C for 24 h) have been demonstrated in both in vitro and in vivo studies, respectively. The impact of cold treatment was more significant for parboiled rice compared to other rice varieties. This study aimed to investigate consumer liking of sensory characteristics that may influence consumer acceptability of three available rice products in the Auckland region (medium grain white, medium grain brown and parboiled rice, which were either freshly boiled or cold-treated and reheated). The consumer liking of sensory characteristics (colour, taste, flavour, and texture) of each rice sample were accessed using visual analogue scales (VAS) in a randomized single blind setting. In the second stage, the participants evaluated their acceptability on VAS after the nutritional value and the characteristics of the rice samples were revealed. Sixty-four rice consumers reported higher likings of sensory characteristics of cold-treated parboiled rice and medium grain brown rice. The effect of cold treatment on the liking of sensory characteristics was more significant for parboiled rice (p < 0.05). Participants who are between 36 and 55 years old and consume rice domestically more than 10 times per month preferred cold-treated brown rice (73.8% of the participants’ population (67.4%, 80.2%)) and parboiled rice (74.3% of the participants’ population (67.9%, 80.7%)) (p < 0.001). As a result, cold-treated reheated parboiled rice received higher likings and acceptability and could be recommended and accepted as a healthier replacement of the daily staple meal.
Highlights
Rice is a widely consumed staple food, but there is wide variation in the rice products consumed, depending on the cultivar, processing technologies, Foods 2018, 7, 207; doi:10.3390/foods7120207 www.mdpi.com/journal/foodsFoods 2018, 7, 207 and pre-cooking treatment
This evidence supports advice that substituting parboiled rice for medium grain white rice products, which are commonly consumed by rice consumers, and practicing the safe prolonged cold treatment method may improve postprandial blood glucose response, reduce glycaemic load and benefit the control of long-term glycaemia among rice consumers
The overall acceptability ratings of parboiled rice and medium-grain brown rice were higher than medium-grain white rice samples when consumed freshly cooked or reheated
Summary
Rice is a widely consumed staple food, but there is wide variation in the rice products consumed, depending on the cultivar, processing technologies (refining rice by removing the husk and bran), Foods 2018, 7, 207; doi:10.3390/foods7120207 www.mdpi.com/journal/foodsFoods 2018, 7, 207 and pre-cooking treatment (e.g., parboiling). Previous laboratory experiments on in vitro rice starch digestion [1], and human participant’s glycaemic responses to freshly cooked and cold-treated reheated rice samples [2], reported that rice parboiled, cooked and cold treated for 24 h attenuated rice starch digestibility, extended chewing time, decreased postprandial glycaemic responses and had improved palatability compared to white and brown rice This evidence supports advice that substituting parboiled rice for medium grain white rice products, which are commonly consumed by rice consumers, and practicing the safe prolonged cold treatment method may improve postprandial blood glucose response, reduce glycaemic load and benefit the control of long-term glycaemia among rice consumers. Previous studies reported that these distinct characteristics of parboiled rice were disliked by some rice consumers from particular regions, such as East and Southeast Asia [5,6], but liked by those from regions such as India, Pakistan, Brazil and Ghana [4,5,7]
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