Fermented Brown Rice Flour as Functional Food Ingredient

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Cereal Science
• Fermentation Technology

Background:

• Whole-cereal flour utilization is recommended to mitigate bran's negative effects.
• Brown rice flour offers functional food benefits but requires processing to improve quality.
• Yeast fermentation is a potential method to enhance the properties of brown rice flour.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of yeast-fermented brown rice flour (FBRF) on white rice flour, batter, and steamed bread.
• To determine the optimal level of FBRF for improving sensory and textural qualities of steamed rice bread.
• To analyze the effects of FBRF on the pasting, rheological, and textural properties of rice products.

Main Methods:

• Brown rice batter was fermented using baker's yeast to achieve moderate acidity (pH 5.5).
• Fermented brown rice flour (FBRF) was incorporated into white rice flour at varying percentages (0-50%).
• Sensory evaluation, pasting properties, rheological analysis, and texture analysis of steamed bread were conducted.

Main Results:

• Steamed rice bread with 40% FBRF achieved the highest sensory acceptability.
• Incorporation of 40% FBRF increased peak viscosity but decreased breakdown, final viscosity, and setback of rice flour.
• Batter rheology showed reduced viscous, elastic, and complex moduli with 40% FBRF, while steamed bread exhibited increased volume, chewiness, and cohesiveness, with reduced hardness.

Conclusions:

• Yeast fermentation effectively reduces the detrimental effects of bran on sensory properties of white rice bread.
• Fermented brown rice flour can be utilized to enhance the overall quality and texture of rice products.
• This study supports the use of FBRF as a functional ingredient to improve the quality of cereal-based foods.