Traditionally, most varieties of rice, including Japonica, require rinsing prior to cooking to remove excess starch and impurities. Recently, a new rinse-free Japonica rice has entered the market, drawing significant attention in Vietnam and all over the world. This innovative product employs a waterless method to polish the rice, effectively removing the slight bran layer.
Visually, it's easy to differentiate between normal milled Japonica rice and rinse-free Japonica rice. The latter often appears whiter and has a shiny, pearl-like surface due to the removal of the bran layer. Furthermore, as the below pictures taken from microscope, the surface of rinse-free Japonica rice looks like smoother and less textured, compared to the surface of normal milled rice.
This new product not only enhances the aesthetic appeal but also offers several benefits for consumers.
Firstly, the cooking process is simplified. Customers can combine the rice with water in a ratio of 1:1.5 to 1.6, soaking the mixture for about 30 minutes to enhance water absorption. Then, it’s transferred to a rice cooker, saving considerable time—especially valuable in contemporary life. Regarding company’s cafeterias and major restaurants, this kind of Japonica rice brings a substantially economic benefit because of saving time, unnecessary for washing machine and manpower.
From an environmental perspective, rice washing waters contain large amounts of phosphate and nitrogen, causing water pollution in rivers and lakes by overgrowth of microorganisms. (Keiji Saika, Shaw Watanabe, 2017). By implementing the waterless method to take out the slight bran layer, the level of water pollution will be mitigated dramatically.
Finally, the unavoidable occurrence of rice bran rancidity will cause protein oxidation and impact the protein structure and functionality (Fang Li, Xiaojuan Wu, Wei Wu, 2021). By removing the bran layer, this new rice not only prevents oxidation, increasing storage time but also preserves quality over extended periods.
In summary, rinse-free Japonica rice represents a significant advancement in rice consumption, promoting sustainability, convenience, and improved quality.
Source:
Keiji Saika, Shaw Watanabe, Medical Rice: A New Wax-Free Brown Rice and its Protein Reduced Rice Original Research, 2017, Link: (PDF) Medical Rice: A New Wax-Free Brown Rice and its Protein Reduced Rice Original Research (researchgate.net)
Fang Li, Xiaojuan Wu, Wei Wu, Effects of protein oxidation induced by rice bran rancidity on the structure and functionality of rice bran glutelin, 2021, link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lwt.2021.111874
