Rice Grading Test Kit To Benefit Rice Industry Players
A rice grading test kit which is being finalized for adoption would benefit rice based food manufacturers and even ordinary consumers, the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) reports.
The test kit could determine the grain’s amylose and gelatin contents for its texture using staining technique. It was developed by Leslie T. Roferos, PhilRice senior science specialist and Bienvenido O. Juliano, senior consultant.
In their study titled Field Amylose and Gelatinization Temperature Tests for Rice Classification, Roferos and Juliano refined the rice classification test kit earlier developed by including test for both amylose and gelatinization temperature. The latter was aimed at enhancing the sensitivity of the field test in connection with the clustering of varieties to come out with the general classification.
Evelyn Bandonil, head of the rice chemistry and food science division of PhilRice, said Class A of the kit is for soft textured type, Class A for intermediate textured, and Class C for hard textured. These three general classifications in variety texture have came up after Roferos and Juliano discovered that the third and fourth in the four clusters of PSBINSIC Rc varieties belonged to the hard textured varieties.
A previous study showed that for want of higher profit, some ricemillers mislead consumers by mislabeling ordinary varieties as if they are premium ones. This is the reason why “some IR 64 or Sinandomeng labeled milled rice still turned out to be hard and fluffy when cooked,” the study said.
Amylose is the starchy component in rice that gives the soft texture of the grain. When mixed with iodine, the amylose in rice turns the cereal into blue. The gelatinization temperature test – done by potassium hydroxide treatment – complements the amylose level test in the grain.
Using the amylose and gelatinization temperature test kit, consumers are assured on the quality of the rice that they buy; while rice-based food manufacturers can easily know what variety to use. In addition, it could help farmer demand a right price for his “class A” variety, the study said.