Abstract
This study investigates the effect of the amount of water used during cooking on the textural properties of cooked rice by examining the mechanical and histological attributes of rice grains cooked with varying amounts of water. The properties of grains during the cooking process were also measured. The firmness of the grain decreased during cooking and was closely correlated to starch gelatinization and histological change. The adhesiveness of the grain increased during cooking, and the ratio of increase varied based on the amount of water. The amount of dissoluble solids from the grain in the cooking water decreased during cooking. Because starch and other compounds were enveloped by a storage cell, the firmness was also influenced by the physicochemical and mechanical properties of the cell wall materials, which were disrupted when the gelatinized starch expanded. The adhesiveness and the amount of dissoluble solids were also connected with cell disruption, therefore, the texture of cooked rice grains is related to composition and property of cell wall materials.
