Effect of Presoaking on Textural, Thermal, and Digestive Properties of Cooked Brown Rice

Brown rice kernels (japonica type) were soaked in water at different temperatures (25 or 50°C) before cooking to a moisture content of 20 or 30%. Soaked brown rice was cooked in either the soaking water (SW) or in distilled water (DW) (rice solids to water ratio 1:1.4). Color, texture, and in vitro digestive properties of the cooked rice were examined. When the soaking temperature was higher (50°C vs. 25°C), water absorption and starch leaching were greater. To reach 20% moisture, the rice required 1 hr of soaking at 50°C but 2 hr of soaking at 25°C. Both the moisture content of the soaked rice and the soaking temperature affected the texture of the cooked brown rice. Rice that attained 20% moisture content during soaking was harder and less adhesive when cooked compared with rice that attained 30% moisture content. The rice soaked at 50°C was slightly softer but more adhesive when cooked than rice soaked at 25°C. The soaking temperature and moisture content of the rice kernels also affected the digestive properties of the cooked rice. The cooked brown rice that had attained 30% moisture before cooking was digested to a greater extent than rice that had attained 20% moisture. Even at equal moisture content, the rice soaked at the higher temperature (50°C) was digested more readily. It was assumed that the amount of soluble material leached during soaking differed according to the soaking temperature and moisture content, which subsequently affected the texture and digestive properties of the cooked brown rice. The rice cooked in its own soaking water was harder and more adhesive, had higher levels of resistant starch (RS), and exhibited smaller glycemic index (GI) values than its counterpart cooked with distilled water. This result indicated that the soluble material leached during soaking made the cooked rice harder and less digestible, perhaps due to interactions between these molecules and the gelatinized rice during cooking.