White rice

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Cooked white rice Half a cup of rice. Brown rice is the best choice.JPG
Cooked white rice

White rice is milled rice that has had its husk, bran, and germ removed. This alters the flavor, texture and appearance of the rice and helps prevent spoilage, extend its storage life, and makes it easier to digest. After milling (hulling), the rice is polished, resulting in a seed with a bright, white, shiny appearance.

Contents

The milling and polishing processes both remove nutrients. An unbalanced diet based on unenriched white rice leaves many people vulnerable to the neurological disease beriberi, due to a deficiency of thiamine (vitamin B1). [1] White rice is often enriched with some of the nutrients stripped from it during its processing. [2] Enrichment of white rice with B1, B3, and iron is required by law in the United States when distributed by government programs to schools, nonprofits, or foreign countries. [3] [4] As with all natural foods, the precise nutritional composition of rice varies slightly depending on the variety, soil conditions, environmental conditions and types of fertilizers.

Adopted over brown rice in the second half of the 19th century because it was favored by traders, white rice has led to a beriberi epidemic in Asia. [5] [6]

At various times, starting in the 19th century, brown rice and other grains such as wild rice have been advocated as healthier alternatives. [7] [8] The bran in brown rice contains significant dietary fiber and the germ contains many vitamins and minerals. [9]

Typically, 100 grams of uncooked rice produces around 240 to 260 grams of cooked grains, the difference in weight being due to absorbed cooking water.

Milling rice

Before mechanical milling, rice was milled by a hand pounding technique with large mortar and pestle type devices. Some versions of this improved uniformity of the product, but with mechanical milling much larger quantities were able to be produced. In the late 19th century, different machines were produced like the Huller & Sheller Mills (1870) and the Engelberg Milling Machine (1890). By 1955, new machinery had been developed in Japan that had significantly improved the quality and output capacity. [10]

Nutritional content

Rice, white, long-grain, raw, unenriched
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 1,527 kJ (365 kcal)
79.95 g
Sugars 0.12 g
Dietary fiber 1.3 g
Fat
0.66 g
7.13 g
Vitamins and minerals
Vitamins Quantity
%DV
Thiamine (B1)
6%
0.07 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
4%
0.049 mg
Niacin (B3)
10%
1.6 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
20%
1.014 mg
Vitamin B6
10%
0.164 mg
Folate (B9)
2%
8 μg
Minerals Quantity
%DV
Calcium
2%
28 mg
Iron
4%
0.8 mg
Magnesium
6%
25 mg
Manganese
47%
1.088 mg
Phosphorus
9%
115 mg
Potassium
4%
115 mg
Selenium
27%
15.1 μg
Sodium
0%
7 mg
Zinc
10%
1.09 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water11.62 g
Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [11] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [12]

While brown rice and white rice have similar amounts of calories and carbohydrates, brown rice is a far richer source of all nutrients when compared to unenriched white rice. Brown rice is whole rice from which only the husk (the outermost layer) is removed. To produce white rice, the bran layer and the germ are removed, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm. This process causes the reduction or complete depletion of several vitamins and dietary minerals. Missing nutrients, such as vitamins B1 and B3, and iron, are sometimes added back into the white rice, a process called enrichment. [13] Even with the reduction of nutrients, unenriched white rice is still a good source of manganese and contains moderate amounts of other nutrients such as pantothenic acid and selenium. [14] [15]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thiamine</span> Chemical compound

Thiamine, also known as thiamin and vitamin B1, is a vitamin, an essential micronutrient for humans and animals. It is found in food and commercially synthesized to be a dietary supplement or medication. Phosphorylated forms of thiamine are required for some metabolic reactions, including the breakdown of glucose and amino acids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vitamin</span> Nutrients required by organisms in small amounts

Vitamins are organic molecules that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolic function. Essential nutrients cannot be synthesized in the organism in sufficient quantities for survival, and therefore must be obtained through the diet. For example, vitamin C can be synthesized by some species but not by others; it is not considered a vitamin in the first instance but is in the second. Most vitamins are not single molecules, but groups of related molecules called vitamers. For example, there are eight vitamers of vitamin E: four tocopherols and four tocotrienols.

Vitamin deficiency is the condition of a long-term lack of a vitamin. When caused by not enough vitamin intake it is classified as a primary deficiency, whereas when due to an underlying disorder such as malabsorption it is called a secondary deficiency. An underlying disorder can have 2 main causes:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oatmeal</span> Preparation of oat groats through grinding, steel-cutting or rolling

Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been de-husked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat grains (groats) that have either been milled (ground), rolled, or steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats. Steel-cut oats are known as coarse oatmeal, Irish oatmeal, or pinhead oats. Rolled oats were traditionally thick old-fashioned oats, but can be made thinner or smaller, and may be categorized as quick oatmeal or instant oatmeal depending on the cooking time required, which is determined by the size of the oats and the amount of precooking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brown rice</span> Whole grain rice, as opposed to white rice

Brown rice is a whole grain rice with the inedible outer hull removed. This kind of rice sheds its outer hull or husk but the bran and germ layer remain on, constituting the brown or tan colour of rice. White rice is the same grain without the hull, the bran layer, and the cereal germ. Red rice, gold rice, and black rice are all whole rices with differently pigmented outer layers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bran</span> Hard outer layers of cereal grain

Bran, also known as miller's bran, is the component of a cereal grain consisting of the hard layers - the combined aleurone and pericarp - surrounding the endosperm. Corn (maize) bran also includes the pedicel. Along with the germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, and is often produced as a byproduct of milling in the production of refined grains. Bran is highly nutritious, but is difficult to digest due to its high fiber content; its high fat content also reduces its shelf life as the oils/fats are prone to becoming rancid. As such, it is typically removed from whole grain during the refining process - e.g. in processing wheat grain into white flour, or refining brown rice into white rice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White bread</span> Type of bread made from white wheat flour

White bread typically refers to breads made from wheat flour from which the bran and the germ layers have been removed from the whole wheatberry as part of the flour grinding or milling process, producing a light-colored flour.

Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of common wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or bread flour, is high in gluten, with 12% to 14% gluten content, and its dough has elastic toughness that holds its shape well once baked. Soft flour is comparatively low in gluten and thus results in a loaf with a finer, crumbly texture. Soft flour is usually divided into cake flour, which is the lowest in gluten, and pastry flour, which has slightly more gluten than cake flour.

Enriched flour is flour with specific nutrients added to it. These nutrients include iron and B vitamins. Calcium may also be supplemented. The purpose of enriching flour is to replenish the nutrients in the flour to match the nutritional status of the unrefined product. This differentiates enrichment from fortification, which is the process of introducing new nutrients to a food.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cereal germ</span> Reproductive part of a grass seed

The germ of a cereal grain is the part that develops into a plant; it is the seed embryo. Along with bran, germ is often a by-product of the milling that produces refined grain products. Cereal grains and their components, such as wheat germ oil, rice bran oil, and maize bran, may be used as a source from which vegetable oil is extracted, or used directly as a food ingredient. The germ is retained as an integral part of whole-grain foods. Non-whole grain methods of milling are intended to isolate the endosperm, which is ground into flour, with removal of both the husk (bran) and the germ. Removal of bran produces a flour with a white rather than a brown color and eliminates fiber. The germ is rich in polyunsaturated fats and so germ removal improves the storage qualities of flour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parboiled rice</span> Partially cooked rice

Parboiled rice, also called converted rice, easy-cook rice, sella rice, and miniket is rice that has been partially boiled in the husk. The three basic steps of parboiling are soaking, steaming and drying. These steps make the rice easier to process by hand, while also boosting its nutritional profile, changing its texture, and making it more resistant to weevils. The treatment is practiced in many other parts of the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whole grain</span> Cereal containing endosperm, germ, and bran

A whole grain is a grain of any cereal and pseudocereal that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolled oats</span> Food made from oat groats

Rolled oats are a type of lightly processed whole-grain food. They are made from oat groats that have been dehusked and steamed, before being rolled into flat flakes under heavy rollers and then stabilized by being lightly toasted.

Food fortification or enrichment is the process of adding micronutrients to food. It can be carried out by food manufacturers, or by governments as a public health policy which aims to reduce the number of people with dietary deficiencies within a population. The predominant diet within a region can lack particular nutrients due to the local soil or from inherent deficiencies within the staple foods; the addition of micronutrients to staples and condiments can prevent large-scale deficiency diseases in these cases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amaranth grain</span> Edible grain of the Amaranth genus

Species belonging to the genus Amaranthus have been cultivated for their grains for 8,000 years. Amaranth plants are classified as pseudocereals that are grown for their edible starchy seeds, but they are not in the same botanical family as true cereals, such as wheat and rice. Amaranth species that are still used as a grain are Amaranthus caudatus L., Amaranthus cruentus L., and Amaranthus hypochondriacus L. The yield of grain amaranth is comparable to that of rice or maize.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refined grains</span> Cereal containing endosperm, but not bran nor germ

Refined grains have been significantly modified from their natural composition, in contrast to whole grains. The modification process generally involves the mechanical removal of bran and germ, either through grinding or selective sifting.

Wheat middlings are the product of the wheat milling process that is not flour. A good source of protein, fiber, phosphorus, and other nutrients, they are a useful fodder for livestock and pets. They are also being researched for use as a biofuel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red Cargo rice</span> Variety of rice

Red Cargo rice is a type of non-glutinous long grain rice that is similar to brown rice, in that it is unpolished. The color of the bran is red, purple, or maroon. The husks of the rice grains are removed during the milling process, retaining all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals intact in the bran layer and in the germ.

The Roller Mill was created by Hungarian bakers in the late 1860s and its popularity spread worldwide throughout the 1900s. Roller mills now produce almost all non-whole grain flour. Enriched flour is flour that meets an FDA standard in the United States. Roller milled white enriched flour makes up over 90% of the flour that comes out of the United States.

Rice is commonly consumed as food around the world. It occurs in long-, medium-, and short-grained types. It is the staple food of over half the world's population.

References

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  2. "Christiaan Eijkman, Beriberi and Vitamin B1". nobelprize.org. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  3. Perkins S. "How Is White Rice Healthy for Our Body?". LIVESTRONG.COM. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  4. "7 U.S. Code § 1431c – Enrichment and packaging of cornmeal, grits, rice, and white flour available for distribution". cornell.edu. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  5. Arnold D (July 2010). "British India and the "beriberi problem", 1798–1942". Medical History. 54 (3): 295–314. doi:10.1017/s0025727300004622. PMC   2889456 . PMID   20592882.
  6. Cavanagh J, Broad R (2011-03-09). "Why Billions Eat Unhealthy Rice and Shouldn't". Institute for Policy Studies. Retrieved 2018-06-01.
  7. Hendrick B. "Brown Rice vs. White Rice: Which Is Better?". WebMD. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
  8. "White or brown rice? Mee pok or spaghetti? Take our food quiz and digest the facts about glycaemic index". The Straits Times. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 2016-06-15.
  9. "Difference between white and brown rice". reComparison.
  10. Zhang, Baichun (2019). Explorations in the History and Heritage of Machines and Mechanisms. Springer. pp. 90–94. ISBN   9783030035389.
  11. 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.
  12. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). ISBN   978-0-309-48834-1. PMID   30844154. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-06-21.
  13. "Enriched rice". US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  14. "Rice, white, long-grain, regular, raw, unenriched". USDA. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  15. "Rice, brown, long-grain, raw". USDA. 1 April 2019. Retrieved 6 April 2021.