Effects of Post-cooking Cooling and Freezing Conditions on the Quality of Frozen Cooked Rice

Abstract

Thawing of frozen cooked rice in a microwave oven is representative of a common method for shortening and simplifying the process of cooking. However, questionnaire surveys have reported that many people were dissatisfied with the quality of frozen cooked rice. Therefore, this study focused on the post-cooking cooling process of rice. We measured the moisture content, physical properties, and eGI values of cooked rice. Qualities of rice frozen immediately after cooking without applying a cooling process, were not significantly different from those of freshly cooked rice. In addition, wrapping cooked rice with plastic film during the cooling process resulted in frozen cooked rice similar in quality to freshly cooked rice. There were no significant differences in eGI values between freshly cooked rice and any of the four frozen cooked rice samples. This suggests that the cooling process employed for cooked rice does not substantially affect postprandial elevation of blood glucose levels by ingestion of frozen cooked rice.