Physicochemical and antioxidative properties of black, brown and red rice varieties of northern Thailand

Rice is the foremost cereal food crop in many developing countries. About half of the world population consumes rice as their major source of carbohydrate. Almost 95% of the rice production is recorded in Asian countries (Bhattacharjee et al., 2002). In addition to common white-rice varieties, there are some speciality rices such as the colored ones (black, also known as purple, brown and red). Colors in the rices are due to the deposition of large amounts of anthocyanin pigment in the rice coat (Chaudhary, 2003).