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Influence of Water-to-Rice Ratio on Cooked Rice Flavor and Texture

¹ARS, USDA, Southern Regional Research Center, P.O. Box 19687, New Orleans, LA 70179. Names are necessary to report factually on available data; however, the USDA neither guarantees nor warrants the standard of the product, and the use of the name by the USDA implies no approval of the products to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable. ²Corresponding author. Phone: 504-286-4459. Fax: 504-286-4419. E-mail address: kbett@srrc.ars.usda.gov ³ARS, USDA, Rice Research Unit, Rt. 7, Box 999, Imes Rd., Beaumont, TX 77713.

Water-to-rice ratio is known to affect cooked rice texture, whereas the effects on flavor are largely unknown. To determine the influence of the amount of water during cooking on flavor and texture attributes, three water-to-rice ratios of low (less than recommended), recommended, and high (more than recommended) were evaluated. The recommended amount used was based on amylose content and cook type for the cultivar. Four diverse cultivars were compared: Dellmont (aromatic long-grain), Saber (conventional long-grain), Neches (waxy long-grain), and Bengal (conventional medium-grain). A descriptive sensory panel evaluated flavor and texture attribute intensities. The water-to-rice ratio did not significantly affect flavor attributes across all cultivars. The amount of water affected 11 of the 14 texture attributes evaluated. Of these 11, initial starchy coating, slickness, stickiness between grains, cohesiveness, and uniformity of bite increased in intensity with greater amounts of water at cooking, whereas hardness, stickiness to lips, springiness, and chewiness decreased in intensity.