Research Article
Nnaemeka Emmanuel Okpala, Lixi
Abstract
The cooking and eating qualities of rice are some of the problems facing by rice producers and consumers around the world. In this study we investigated the cooking and eating qualities of Basmati 385 and Hua Jing Xian 74. Both are rice cultivars with different phenotypic traits. The results show that Basmati 385 increased by an average of 102.14% after cooking while Hua Jing Xian 74 increased by an average of 69.91% after cooking. Basmati 385 had a pasting temperature of 78°C, while Hua Jing Xian 74 had a pasting temperature of 84°C. However, Hua Jing Xian 74 had a final viscosity of 4,686 cP while Basmati 385 had a final viscosity of 3,514 cP. The amylose contents of the two cultivars were also different; Hua Jing Xian 74 had an amylose content of 19.4%, while that of Basmati 385 was 18%. We also discovered that the starch granule morphology of the two cultivars were remarkably different. The lower pasting temperature of Basmati 385 positively correlated with good cooking qualities of rice. However, Hua Jing Xian 74 appears to have relatively better eating qualities due to its higher viscosity and higher amylose content. It would be pertinent to do more research about hybrid lines resulting from a cross of Hua Jing Xian 74 and Basmati 385, to see if they possess the good cooking qualities of Basmati 385 and the good eating qualities of Hua Jing Xian 74.