Quality characteristics of plant-based rice milk prepared with different rice varieties

Abstract

In recent years, many rice varieties with improved processing quality have been developed to promote domestic rice consumption along with the increasing preference for plant-based food and by-products. This study aimed to assess the quality characteristics of rice milk using a set of rice varieties, including saeilmi (normal brown rice, NBR; and normal white rice, NWR), milyang355 (aromatic brown rice, ABR; and aromatic white rice, AWR) and milyang365 (pigment brown rice, PBR). Among these, the amylose content ranged from 5.13-23.50%, and the highest crude protein content was recorded in ABR (7.95%). In addition, brown rice showed a higher initial pasting temperature than did white rice; however, its viscosity properties were relatively low. Our data showed that the soluble solid content of rice milk was 6.5-7.7 °Brix, and viscosity ranged from 2.8-4.8 cP. Reducing sugar and free sugar content was high in AWR (p<0.05). AWR had a high L* value, while the particle size and normalized turbidity were lower than those of ABR, depending on the degree of milling. Regarding sensory evaluation, ABR was the most preferred and obtained the highest scores for rice flavor, taste, and texture. In summary, the study findings provide strong evidence that ABR presents the best processing qualities and could preferably be used for plant-based rice milk making.