The relationship between the sensory properties of cooked rice and the water uptake of raw rice

The water uptake of raw milled rice grain was examined as a rapid and easy evaluation method of sensory quality of cooked rice. The water uptake of rice grains soaked for 60 min showed high correlation with sensory evaluation. This finding was proved to be valid for different three crop years. It was not found to be influenced by the ripeness of rice grains. The water uptake of rice grains with different milling yield (90% and 70%) was examined, and it was found that the water uptake of 90% polished rice depended on the variety, while that of 70% polished rice was independent of the variety. It suggests that the difference in water uptake of early stage originates from the difference in structure and chemical components in outer layers of rice grains. It was found that the water uptake of rice grains increased with decreasing amylose content.