Properties of the Rice Gruels Prepared from Cooked Rice with Varying Ratios of Water to Raw Rice

Abstract

The properties of three different gruel samples made from cooked rice were studied. The gruel samples were cooked with various ratios of water to rice and preserved under different conditions at room temperature, in a refrigerator, or in a freezer. The proportions of the water added to the raw rice were 1.3, 1.5 and 1.7, and the rice gruel samples prepared in these proportions are respectively referred to as ×1.3, ×1.5 and ×1.7. Each gruel sample was prepared by reheating the cooked rice with hot water and then cooking for 10, 20, or 30 min. The textural properties of the gruel samples were unaffected by the different ways in which the cooked rice was preserved. However, the proportion of water added to the raw rice affected various properties of the rice gruel. The ×1.7 sample showed a low level of water absorption and low viscosity of the separated liquid. This sample also showed low levels of hardness and rupture stress, and was distinctly crumbly in appearance. The ×1.3 and ×1.5 samples showed higher levels hardness and rupture stress and greater viscosity than the ×1.7 sample, and had a similar appearance to that of rice gruel directly prepared from raw rice. The samples that had been cooked for 20 min had a similar sensory evaluation to the gruel directly made from raw rice, but the ×1.7 rice gruel was evaluated significantly more highly because of its watery nature.