Cereal Chem 45:225 - 235.  |  VIEW ARTICLE
Composition and Endosperm Structure of Developing and Mature Rice Kernel.

A. R. del Rosario, V. P. Briones, A. J. Vidal, and B. O. Juliano. Copyright 1968 by the American Association of Cereal Chemists, Inc. 

Analyses were made on the kernel of Oryza sativa L. (variety IR8) during development, starting a few days after flowering and continuing until maturity. Maximum length of the caryopsis was attained first, followed by width, and then thickness. The amounts per kernel of starch and protein increased, whereas that of water decreased. Histochemical examination of the endosperm showed the presence of compound starch granules in the 4-day caryopsis, whereas protein bodies were observed distinctly in the 7-day sample. The white- belly portion of the caryopsis corresponded to layers of cells with loose packing of starch granules dispersed in a proteinaceous material. Loose arrangement of cell contents characterized similar opaque portions of white-core and crumbly samples of rice.