Abstract
The effect of adding a bamboo charcoal extract to rice cooking water was studied. Cooked rice with the extract of bamboo charcoal was evaluated as being more tender and better overall than that cooked in water alone. Cooked rice with the bamboo charcoal did not suffer from an increase in hardness during preservation at low temperature. This result suggests that the bamboo charcoal extract affected the texuture of the cooked rice. Bamboo charcoal soaked in water, gave a strongly alkaline solution in a comparatively short time. When the soaking time was prolonged for 2 or more days, the conductivity was substantially increased. A substantial proportin of total sugar and protein was liberated in the cooking water of rice containing the bamboo charcoal extract. These results suggest that the use of bamboo charcoal increased the pH of the cooking water and accelerated the gelatinization of rice starch.
