The Preferred Odor Characteristics of Cooked Medium-Milled Fragrant Simiao Rice.

Area of Science:

• Food Chemistry
• Sensory Science
• Agricultural Science

Background:

• Medium-milled rice offers health benefits and a distinct aroma compared to white rice.
• The aroma profile of medium-milled rice, influenced by milling degree and lipid content, is not fully understood.
• Simiao rice cultivars are gaining attention for their unique sensory properties.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically analyze and compare the aroma profiles of four Simiao rice cultivars after medium milling.
• To identify the key volatile compounds responsible for aroma differences and consumer preference.
• To elucidate the chemical basis for the superior aroma quality of specific rice cultivars.

Main Methods:

• Odor sensory evaluation to assess consumer acceptance.
• Gas chromatography-olfactometry-mass spectrometry (GC-O-MS) to characterize volatile compounds.
• Odor Activity Value (OAV) analysis and multivariate statistical analysis to identify key odorants.

Main Results:

• Xiangzhuxiang cultivar demonstrated the highest aroma acceptance among the four Simiao rice cultivars.
• Forty-five volatile compounds were identified, with 17 key odor-active components.
• (E,E)-2,4-decadienal and indole were identified as key contributors to Xiangzhuxiang's superior aroma, imparting nutty, fatty, and sweet notes.

Conclusions:

• Specific volatile compounds, notably (E,E)-2,4-decadienal and indole, significantly enhance the aroma quality of medium-milled Simiao rice.
• Moderate levels of hexanal and octanal also contribute to the characteristic aroma of preferred cultivars.
• These findings support the development of premium fragrant Simiao rice cultivars optimized for medium milling.