Structural characteristics, properties, and in vitro digestibility of rice

Using rice samples derived from normal rice cultivars and endosperm starch mutant, we investigated key factors contributing to the enzyme digestibility of steamed rice grains. The chemical composition of polished rice grains, structural features of endosperm starch, and enzyme digestibility of steamed rice grains were examined. The protein content of polished rice grains was 4.6-9.1%, amylose content was 4-27%, the DPn of purified amylose was 900-1,600, the amylopectin short/long chain ratio was 1.2-5.9, and the enzyme digestibilities of steamed polished rice grains were 0.9-12.6 degrees Brix. Amylose content and RVA parameters (viscosity, breakdown, and setback) correlated significantly with enzyme digestibility of steamed rice grains. Multiple regression formulas were constructed to predict digestibility of steamed rice grain as a function of the molecular characteristics of the starch. When both amylose content and the short/long chain amylopectin ratio were used as predictor variables, they accounted for > 80% of the observed variance in digestibility of steamed rice grains. Multiple regression revealed that the more digestible rice samples had starch with a lower amylose content and more short-chain amylopectin. Reassociation of amylose-lipid complex and recrystallization of amylopectin in the stored steamed rice grains was monitored by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and the observed retrogradation properties were related to the structural characteristics of starch and to the enzyme digestibility of steamed rice grains.