We observed clear differences in glucose accumulation in milled grains between 8 japonica and 8 indica rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivars subjected to hot-water (60℃) treatment for 30 min. The mean glucose content increased rapidly, from 8.9 to 123 mg/100 g DW in japonica grains and 4.6 to 54 mg/100 g DW in indica grains. The difference in glucose content between the two ecotypes corresponded to the observed significant difference in hydrolytic activities on gelatinized starch, which were much higher in japonica grains. Whereas, the mean α-glucosidase activity of the two ecotypes did not significantly differ. There was a significant correlation between the glucose content under hot-water treatment and glucose liberating enzyme activity.Keywords: cooked rice, hot-water treatment, glucose accumulation, endogenous enzyme, ecotypical difference, japonica and indica
IntroductionRice is the major cereal food in Asian countries. In Japan, production consists mainly of japonica cultivars, which have a starchy grain quality. The levels of chemical components such as reducing sugars and amino acids are closely associated with palatability (Maruyama et al., 1983;Tajima et al., 1994). Glucose is the main reducing sugar and accumulates during cooking through the action of endogenous hydrolytic enzymes. Glucose accumulation is optimally stimulated by preheating at 40 to 60℃ (Kasai et al., 2000;Awazuhara et al., 2000). Endogenous hydrolytic enzymes, mainly α-glucosidases, are affected by milling properties and temperature before cooking (Mabashi et al., 2010a(Mabashi et al., , 2010b. Furthermore, these reports revealed that α-glucosidase was the most important endogenous enzyme for starch degradation in milled rice grains, and that its activity was highest at 60℃ and at a milling yield of 85% to 90%. Iwata et al. (2001) also reported that α-glucosidase activity affected the physicochemical properties of cooked rice and differed among cultivars. Recently, Nakamura et al. (2012) reported that a physical property (adhesion) was correlated with enzyme activities (cellulase and xylanase) and they found discriminative DNA bands by PCR amplification of these enzymes. Tsujii et al. (2007) also reported the amylase activity of glutinous rice grains was correlated with the paste viscosity.Most interestingly, Tsujii et al. (2013) revealed that the activity of amylase isozymes affects the palatability of cooked rice and suggested that the enzymes in rice endosperm are potential useful markers of palatability.In this study, we aimed to clarify varietal and ecotypical differences in glucose accumulation caused by the activity of endogenous hydrolytic enzymes. inorganic fertilizer applied at a standard rate of 80 kg N, 35 kg P, and 66 kg K per ha. Panicle samples were harvested 40 days after flowering, dried in a greenhouse to a grain water content of about 14%, and stored at 4℃ for about one month. Before analysis, about 2 g of brown rice grain was milled in a small milling machine (Pearlest; Kett Electric, Tokyo, Japan) for 50 s to 90%. Tab...