Endogenous alpha-amylase explains the different pasting and rheological properties of wet and dry milled glutinous rice flour

Effects of Stir-Frying and Heat-Moisture Treatment on the Physicochemical Quality of Glutinous Rice Flour for Making Taopian, a Traditional Chinese Pastry

Taopian is a traditional Chinese pastry made from cooked glutinous rice flour. The effects of heat-moisture treatment (110 °C, 4 h; moisture contents 12-36%, w/w) on the preparation of cooked glutinous rice flour and taopian made from it were compared with the traditional method of stir-frying (180 °C, 30 s). The color of heat-moisture-treated (HMT) flours was darker. HMT flours exhibited a larger mean particle size (89.5-124 μm) and a greater relative crystallinity of starch (23.08-42.92%) and mass fractal dimension (1.77-2.28). The flours exhibited water activity in the range of 0.589-0.631. Although the oil-binding capacity of HMT flours was largely comparable to that of stir-fried flours, HMT flours exhibited a lower water absorption index. Accordingly, the taopian produced with HMT flours exhibited a lower brightness, accompanied by a stronger reddening and yellowing. In addition, more firmly bound water was observed in the taopian produced with HMT flour. The taopian made with HMT flour with a moisture content of 24% exhibited moderate hardness, adhesiveness and cohesiveness and received the highest score for overall acceptability (6.80). These results may be helpful to improve the quality of taopian by applying heat-moisture treatment in the preparation of cooked glutinous rice flour.

Rheological properties of indica rice determined by starch structure related enzymatic activities during after-ripening

The processing quality of indica rice must undergo ripening after harvest to achieve stability and improvement. However, the mechanism underlying this process remains incompletely elucidated. Starch, the predominant component in indica rice, plays a crucial role in determining its properties. This study focused on analyzing the rheological properties and starch fine structure, as well as the related biosynthetic enzymes of indica rice during the after-ripening process. The results showed that after-ripened rice exhibited increased elastic modulus (G') and viscous modulus (G″), accompanied by a decrease in the loss tangent (Tan δ), indicating an enhancement in viscoelasticity and the gel network structure. Moreover, the proportions of amylopectin super long chains (DP 37-60) decreased, while those of medium chains (DP 13-24 and DP 25-36) or short chains (DP 6-12) of amylopectin increased. Additionally, the activities of starch branching enzyme (SBE) and starch debranching enzyme (DBE) declined over the after-ripening period. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that the rheological properties of after-ripened rice were correlated with the chain length distribution (CLD) of starch, which, in turn, was associated with its related endogenous enzymes. These findings provied new insights into understanding the quality changes of after-ripened indica rice.

Maltogenic amylase: Its structure, molecular modification, and effects on starch and starch-based products

Maltogenic amylase (MAA) (EC3.2.1.133), a member of the glycoside hydrolase family 13 that mainly produces α-maltose, is widely used to extend the shelf life of bread as it softens bread, improves its elasticity, and preserves its flavor without affecting dough processing. Moreover, MAA is used as an improver in flour products. Despite its antiaging properties, the hydrolytic capacity and thermal stability of MAA can't meet the requirements of industrial application. However, genetic engineering techniques used for the molecular modification of MAA can alter its functional properties to meet application-specific requirements. This review briefly introduces the structure and functions of MAA, its application in starch modification, its effects on starch-based products, and its molecular modification to provide better insights for the application of genetically modified MAA in starch modification.

The Role of Amylose in Gel Forming of Rice Flour

In this study, Glutinous rice (GR), Japonica rice (JR), and Indica rice (IR), with amylose contents at 1.57 ± 0.18%, 15.88 ± 1.16%, and 26.14 ± 0.25%, respectively, were selected to reveal the role of amylose in the gel forming of rice flours. The strength and elasticity of the associated gels were found in an ascendant order with the increase in amylose content. For the retrograded gels (at 4 °C for 7 days), the peak temperature (Trp) was positively related to the amylose content. In general, Trp of IR increased to 63.21 ± 0.13 °C, and the relative crystallinities of IR were in the top ranking at 10.67 ± 0.16%, followed by those of JR and GR. The relative amounts of short-range ordered structures to amorphous regions in JR and IR were also higher than that of GR, and the number of compact network structure were positively related to the amylose content. These results indicated that amylose can enhance the strength and elasticity of gels by facilitating the formation of crystalline, short-range ordered, and compact network structures. These results can provide a reference for the development of rice products.

Effects of lactic acid bacteria fermentation on the physicochemical and structural characteristics of starch in blends of glutinous and japonica rice

In this study, the effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) fermentation on the physicochemical and structural characteristics of mixed starches in blends of glutinous and japonica rice were investigated. Five starter cultures improved in varying degrees the hydration ability, transparency, and freeze-thaw stability of the mixed starches. Mixed starch I, prepared by fermentation of Lactobacillus acidophilus HSP001, exhibited optimal water-holding capacity, solubility, and swelling power. In comparison, mixed starches V and III involved fermentation of L. acidophilus HSP001 and Latilactobacillus sakei HSP002, using ratios of 2:1 and 1:1 to achieve higher transparency and freeze-thaw stability, respectively. The LAB-fermented, mixed starches exhibited excellent pasting properties due to their high peak viscosities and low setback values. Moreover, the viscoelasticity of mixed starches III-V, prepared by compound fermentation of L. acidophilus HSP001 and L. sakei HSP002 in ratios of 1:1, 1:2, and 2:1, respectively, proved superior to their single strain fermentation counterparts. Meanwhile, LAB fermentation resulted in reduced gelatinization enthalpy, relative crystallinity, and short-range ordered degree. Thus, the effects of five LAB starter cultures on mixed starches were inconsistent, but these results provide a theoretical basis for the application of mixed starches. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Lactic acid bacteria was used to ferment blends of glutinous and japonica rice. Fermented mixed starch had better hydration, transparency, and freeze-thaw stability. Fermented mixed starch exhibited nice pasting properties and viscoelasticity. LAB fermentation corroded starch granules, leading to the decrease of ΔH. Relative crystallinity and short-range order of fermented mixed starch decreased.

Dietary Fibre Impacts the Texture of Cooked Whole Grain Rice

Consumers' general preference for white rice over whole grain rice stems from the hardness and low palatability of cooked whole grain rice; however, strong links have been found between consuming a large amount of white rice, leading a sedentary lifestyle, and acquiring type 2 diabetes. This led us to formulate a new breeding goal to improve the softness and palatability of whole grain rice while promoting its nutritional value. In this study, the association between dietary fibre profiles (using an enzymatic method combined with high-performance liquid chromatography) and textural properties of whole grain rice (using a texture analyser) was observed. The results showed that a variation in the ratio of soluble dietary fibre (SDF) and insoluble dietary fibre (IDF) influenced the textural characteristics of cooked whole grain rice; found a strong association between SDF to IDF ratio and hardness (r = -0.74, p < 0.01) or gumminess (r = -0.69, p < 0.01) of cooked whole grain rice, and demonstrated that the SDF to IDF ratio was also moderately correlated with cohesiveness (r = -0.45, p < 0.05), chewiness (r = -0.55, p < 0.01), and adhesiveness (r = 0.45, p < 0.05) of cooked whole grain rice. It is suggested that the SDF to IDF ratio can be used as a biomarker for breeding soft and highly palatable whole grain rice of cultivated tropical indica rice to achieve consumer well-being. Lastly, a simple modified method from the alkaline disintegration test was developed for high-throughput screening of dietary fibre profiles in the whole grain indica rice samples.