Cooking and eating characteristics of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)-A review

Rice is staple food of Pakistani inhabitants and is a source of foreign exchange earnings. It is an immense source of starch. Rice starch is digested so quickly than any other high starchy food and this aspect make it distinctive among other cereals. The cooking and eating value is determined by the amylose content and gelatinization temperature. The cooking and eating characteristics of rice is the base of choice for the consumers. The amylose content is great determinant of rice cooking and eating characteristics. The introduction of newly evolved rice cultivars and high yielding rice varieties have enhanced the rice yield to a great extent, but no or little emphasis has been given to evaluate the cooking and eating characteristics of Pakistani rice varieties. The present literature was reviewed to analyze the physicochemical properties, cooking and eating characteristics and amylose content of different rice cultivars.