Effect of Protein on the Rheological Properties of Rice Flour

ABSTRACT The rheological properties of rice flour during pasting, cooling and reheating were measured. The effect of protein on the rheological characteristics during temperature sweeping was studied. The results indicated that protein decreased the temperature of the start of the pasting, at the same time making the pasting of the rice flour difficult through competition with starch granules. A high protein content in rice is helpful to increase heat-resistant capacity and keep the hardness and stickiness of the gel when the temperature is changed. It was also deduced that rice with a high protein content needs more water to cook and the hardness and stickiness of the cooked rice were more stable than rice with a lower protein content when subjected to a change in temperature. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Protein is one of the main components in rice which influences the nutrition value and the eating quality of rice. The relationship between rice quality and protein content is ambiguous, which causes the evaluation of rice quality to be difficult. The influence of protein on the gelatinization properties of rice can be studied objectively using a dynamic rheometer and the influence on the eating and cooking quality of rice can be deduced. The result is helpful to evaluating the quality of rice correctly and gives some references to building an evaluation standard for the quality of rice.