Abstract
To assess the potential of apparent viscosity of rice cooking water as one of the objective methods to evaluate eating quality of rice, apparent viscosity of cooking water was analyzed in relation to amylose content of the polished grain, leaching during cooking of rice, and hardness and adhesiveness of the cooked grains from different Japanese rice cultivars (Awayukikomachi, Yumepirika, Tsuyahime, Koshihikari and Nipponbare). The order of rice cultivars for the viscosity of cooking water at 70°C was corresponded to the order of amount of leached material in cooking water, adhesiveness at 25% compression of the cooked grains and hardness at 90% compression of cooked grains. The results support the hypothesis of the present study that viscosity of rice cooking water can be used as a potential method for quality evaluation of rice.
