Abstract
Feasibility was examined of using Furuishita-mai (non-standard rice with a grain thickness of less than 1.9mm) for the germinated rice production. We investigated two kinds of Furuishita-mai that had been harvested as normal crops in 2004 in respect of their quality, compositional characteristics, and amount of γ-amino-butyric acids (GABA) during germination, and evaluated trial products with these germinated rice samples at the 1-kg scale. The germinated rice made in the trial with normal grains of Furuishita-mai having a grain thickness of 1.8-1.9 mm had 13mg/100g (dry weight) of GABA. This amount was equal to the GABA content of the control samples with a grain thickness of more than 1.9 mm, and a sensory test on this Furuishita-mai sample gave an intermediate score. The sensory test score for Chuu-mai, which is non-standard rice on the open market, was lower than that for the normal 1.8-1.9-mm grains of Furuishita-mai, but it is considered that Chuu-mai would be desirable for producing germinated rice in consideration of its cost.
