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Correlation of Sensory, Cooking, Physical, and Chemical Properties of Whole Grain Rice with Diverse Bran Color

¹U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Southern Regional Research Center, New Orleans, LA 70124. Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not imply recommendation of endorsement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. ²Corresponding authors. Bett-Garber: Phone: (504) 286-4459. Fax: (504) 286-4419. E-mail: karen.bett@ars.usda.gov. Chen: Phone: (870) 672-9300. E-mail: ming.chen@ars.usda.gov ³U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center, Stuttgart, AR 72160.

Whole grain rice is nutrient dense because of the intact bran layer. The literature indicates that there is genetic variability for compounds in the bran layer of whole grain rice with some compounds in high concentrations in varieties with pigmented bran. The purpose of this study was to compare factors that impact sensory characteristics between different classes of rice bran color. Ten varieties, two from each of five bran colors (white, light brown, brown, red, and purple), were evaluated for descriptive flavor and texture, physical characteristics, gelatinization temperature, apparent amylose content, and polyphenols. Rice that has red or purple pigmented bran has higher contents of phenols and flavonoids, and these varieties were strongly correlated with some flavor attributes. The bran/hay/straw attribute correlated with bran weight and bran thickness, and sweet taste negatively correlated with amylose content. The texture attribute of hardness was significantly different among bran colors, and a 64% variance can be explained by kernel density and bran thickness. Physical traits of kernel width, kernel thickness, and bran weight can explain 68.7% of cook time variance. This report advances our understanding of contributing factors to the flavor and texture attributes of the whole grain rice with diverse bran color.