Effect of rice parboiling on performance and metabolic responses in rats

This research is aimed at evaluating the effect of rice grains submitted to different processing (white or parboiling) on performance and biological responses in rat. Male Wistar rats were fed with diets containing white or parboiled rice grains of the cultivar IRGA 417. Wet and dry faecal production, fasting serum glucose concentration, serum total protein and organs' weights as liver, kidney and epididymal fat pads were not affected by processing. The animals in the treatment with parboiled rice showed higher body weight gain, feed intake, nitrogen excretion, serum triglycerides, uric acid levels and pancreas weight and lower feed conversion, faecal pH, albumin and serum HDL cholesterol, when compared with the treatment with white rice. The results obtained in this work allow the conclusion that structural change of rice components caused by parboiling results in variations in different essential body metabolic parameters, such as body weight gain, gastrointestinal function and glycaemic control.