Anatomical study of the effect of cooking on differently pigmented rice varieties

Publication date: Available online 23 December 2015 Source:Food Structure Author(s): Maria Zaupa, Tommaso Ganino, Lucia Dramis, Nicoletta Pellegrini In recent years, the consumption of wholemeal rice, and in particular pigmented varieties, has received increased interest because of its content in nutritionally relevant compounds. However, thermal treatment can modify the structure of the matrix, influencing the accessibility and possibly the localization of antioxidants and other compounds. Therefore, in this study the effect of two different cooking methods (i.e. “risotto” and boiling) on the anatomical structure of three differently pigmented wholemeal rice varieties was evaluated. The presence and the localization of tannin inclusions were also analysed. Cooking caused the formation of voids in the grains and, in particular, black rice presented the highest proportion of voids among the varieties analysed. After both thermal treatments, a significant increase in the tannin inclusions in endosperm was observed, suggesting a partial resorption of the leached compounds. These observations suggest that an evaluation of the anatomical structure may help to better understand the behaviour of cereals during domestic cooking, which in turn, affects their nutritional quality also in terms of compound accessibility. Graphical abstract
Source: Food Structure - Category: Food Science Source Type: research