Volatile Compound Profiling and Quality Assessment of Sweet Fermented High-Amylose Rice: A Comparative GC-MS Analysis...

Area of Science:

• Food Science and Technology
• Microbiology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• High-amylose Lueang Patew Chumphon (LPC) rice is an underutilized Thai geographical indication variety.
• Functional food development can leverage unique rice varieties like LPC rice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate and characterize sweet fermented LPC rice (SFLPC) in comparison to conventional sweet fermented glutinous rice (SFGR).
• To analyze the microbial, chemical, nutritional, and volatile compound profiles of SFLPC and SFGR.

Main Methods:

• Microbial analysis using ITS/16S rRNA sequencing and MALDI Biotyper.
• Chemical characterization including pH, lactic acid, and volatile compounds via GC-MS.
• Nutritional analysis focusing on mineral content and antioxidant capacity (IC50).
• Degree of gelatinization analysis to assess starch properties.

Main Results:

• Both SFLPC and SFGR exhibited comparable fermentation parameters (pH ~3.5, lactic acid ~6 g/L).
• Distinct volatile compound profiles were observed, with SFGR having higher ethyl palmitate and isobutyl alcohol, while SFLPC produced exclusive ethyl acetate.
• SFLPC demonstrated significantly better mineral retention (2.1-fold phosphorus, 1.9-fold potassium and magnesium) and a 36% improvement in antioxidant capacity.
• Comparable starch gelatinization confirmed variety-specific differences, not processing methods.

Conclusions:

• High-amylose LPC rice is a promising substrate for traditional fermentation into functional foods.
• SFLPC offers enhanced nutritional properties, including superior mineral retention and antioxidant capacity.
• Fermentation of LPC rice results in unique volatile profiles, contributing to its potential as a functional food ingredient.