Evaluation of Physical, Thermal, Pasting Characteristics and Mineral Profile of Pigmented and Nonpigmented Rice Cultivars

Physical, thermal and pasting properties of pigmented and nonpigmented rice cultivars were investigated in the present study. The mineral profiles for 11 minerals were also investigated. Physical characterization of the rice cultivars was analyzed by measurement of axial dimension, angle of repose, etc. In pasting properties, RR2 (Umling ame red rice) showed higher pasting temperature (90.5C), final viscosity (3,477cP) and set back viscosity (1,876cP) than RR1 (Lingkang taker ame red rice) and WR (Pungpo taker ame white rice). Texture profile characterization of rice cultivars was also carried out. The thermal properties of rice samples were analyzed using differential scanning calorimetry. The thermal properties showed that RR2 had the highest onset (T-o, 77.12C), endset (T-p, 104.61C) and peak value (140C). This study provides the knowledge of physical, thermal and pasting properties of grain and flour of rice cultivars that would be relevant for the postharvest processing. Practical ApplicationsMost of the indigenous rice cultivars available in north-east India are underutilized. Effective processing and development of new food products can result in a significant increase in utilization of the indigenous rice cultivars. Hence, it is needed to know the physical, pasting and thermal properties of rice cultivars. The present study provides information on physical, pasting and thermal properties of indigenous underutilized rice cultivars.