Characterization of a novel folic acid-fortified ready-to-eat parboiled rice

Background and objectives: A low-amylose rice, chokuwa, known for yielding no-cooking rice on parboiling, is subjected to brown rice parboiling. During the soaking step, brown rice was soaked in aqueous solutions of folic acid (FA) at five different concentrations (0.25–4.0 g/L). FA-fortified parboiled rice was milled for 30 and 60 s and investigated for the effects of FA fortification and milling on product characteristics. Findings: Folic acid content in the unmilled fortified product was as high as 1.091 g/kg for FA concentration in soak water of 4.0 g/L. On rehydration for 25 min at 60°C, different products soften to hardness values of 152–172 g. A V-type diffraction pattern was observed. Fortification improved the pasting properties, and a slight increase in yellowness was observed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy revealed an O–H bond stretching at the band range of 3,000–3,600 cm ⁻¹ , and a very small peak at the band range of 1,740–1,750 cm ⁻¹ which was attributed to C=O bond stretching. Conclusions: Fortification elevated the total FA content in the parboiled product. The product retained its no-cooking characteristics, and textural and physicochemical properties remain favorable with slight yellowing effects upon FA fortification. Significance and novelty: The study suggests the approach as a pragmatic way to obtain FA-fortified ready-to-eat rice to combat FA deficiency among needy people.