Black rice

For other uses, see Black rice (disambiguation).

Black rice

Black rice, also known as purple rice or forbidden rice, is a type of rice of the species Oryza sativa , some of which are glutinous rice.

There are several varieties of black rice, including Indonesian black rice, Philippine heirloom balatinaw black rice, pirurutong black glutinous rice, and Thai jasmine black rice. ^[1] It is also known as chak-hao in Manipur, India and as "kavuni arisi" or "kavuni rice" in Tamil Nadu, India.

The bran hull (outermost layer) of black rice contains one of the highest levels of anthocyanin pigment found in food. ^[2] The grain has a similar amount of fiber to brown rice and like brown rice, has a mild, nutty taste. ^[3]

Black rice has a deep black color and usually turns deep purple when cooked. Its dark purple color is primarily due to its anthocyanin content, ^[4] which is higher by weight than that of other colored grains. ^[5] It is suitable for creating porridge, dessert, traditional Chinese black rice cake, bread, and noodles.

History

In marketing, black rice may be called "forbidden rice", based on claims that it was once reserved for Chinese royalty. ^{[6] [4]} Its rarity, nutritional value, and low yield may have contributed to its association with privilege and imperial use in ancient China. ^[6]

Rice, black, cooked

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	100 kcal (420 kJ)
Carbohydrates	21.21 g
Sugars	0.73 g
Dietary fiber	1.8 g
Fat	0.34 g
Protein	3.97 g
Vitamins and minerals Vitamins Quantity %DV† Thiamine (B1) 4% 0.052 mg Riboflavin (B2) 7% 0.086 mg Niacin (B3) 8% 1.279 mg Pantothenic acid (B5) 8% 0.38 mg Vitamin B6 8% 0.134 mg Folate (B9) 7% 26 μg Minerals Quantity %DV† Calcium 0% 3 mg Copper 13% 0.12 mg Iron 3% 0.6 mg Magnesium 8% 32 mg Phosphorus 7% 82 mg Potassium 3% 100 mg Sodium 10% 238 mg Zinc 12% 1.33 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	73 g
Link to USDA FoodData Central entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [7] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [8]

The blackness trait occurred from alteration of a gene called Kala4, which activates the production of anthocyanin pigments. ^[4] The black tropical japonica gene may have spread into rice subspecies via natural transfer of genes through multiple crosses and by purposeful cultivation for the black trait. ^[4]

Nutrition

Cooked wild black rice is 73% water, 21% carbohydrates, 4% protein, and 0.3% fat (table). In a reference amount of 100 g (3.5 oz), cooked black rice supplies 100 calories of food energy, and is a moderate source (10-19% of the Daily Value, DV) of sodium, zinc, and copper (10-13% DV, table).

Gallery

• 
  Balatinaw (or Balatinao), an heirloom black rice from Mountain Province, Philippines
• 
  Black rice, China

See also

• Arròs negre
• Riceberry
• Wild rice

References

1. "Heirloom rice preserved, made productive". Philippine Rice Research Institute. Department of Agriculture, Philippines. 2017-02-20. Retrieved 29 June 2018.
2. Yao, S. L.; Xu, Y; Zhang, Y. Y.; Lu, Y. H. (2013). "Black rice and anthocyanins induce inhibition of cholesterol absorption in vitro". Food & Function. 4 (11): 1602–8. doi:10.1039/c3fo60196j. PMID   24056583.
3. "Food Grains of India". Bulletin of Miscellaneous Information (Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew). 232-234. 1892 (70): 234. 1892. doi:10.2307/4102547. JSTOR   4102547.
4. Oikawa T, Maeda H, Oguchi T, et al. (September 2015). "The Birth of a Black Rice Gene and Its Local Spread by Introgression". The Plant Cell. 27 (9): 2401–14. doi:10.1105/tpc.15.00310. PMC   4815089 . PMID   26362607.
5. Abdel-Aal, El-Sayed M; Young, J. Christopher; Rabalski, Iwona (2006). "Anthocyanin composition in black, blue, pink, purple, and red cereal grains". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 54 (13): 4696–704. doi:10.1021/jf0606609. PMID   16787017.
6. "The origins of black rice". Asian Scientist. 30 September 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2025.
7. United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 2024-03-27. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
8. "TABLE 4-7 Comparison of Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in This Report to Potassium Adequate Intakes Established in the 2005 DRI Report". p. 120. In: Stallings, Virginia A.; Harrison, Meghan; Oria, Maria, eds. (2019). "Potassium: Dietary Reference Intakes for Adequacy". Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. pp. 101–124. doi:10.17226/25353. ISBN   978-0-309-48834-1. PMID   30844154. NCBI   NBK545428.