How to choose germ rice?

Quick Facts:

1. Germ rice is refined rice that has retained the germ through a special rice milling process. It contains more vitamins, minerals and other nutrients than refined rice, and has a finer taste and is easier to digest than brown rice. It can be said to be a staple food that combines the advantages of both, nutritious and delicious.

2. When selecting germ rice, the "germ retention rate" should be given priority. Only germ rice with a germ retention rate of more than 80% is considered germ rice that meets the standards. The higher the germ retention rate, the higher the nutritional value.

What is germ rice

Brown rice, germ rice and polished rice are all processed from rice grains. The difference lies in the different processing procedures after husking.

Brown rice is obtained by removing only the husk, which retains the complete edible part of the rice and all the nutrients. However, the cortex of brown rice is hard and rough, not easy to cook, and has a hard taste, which is not very pleasant. Therefore, people process and grind the brown rice, remove the pericarp and seed coat, remove the germ, and leave the soft endosperm inside. It not only looks white and delicate, but also tastes moderately soft and hard. This is the polished white rice we often eat now.

Although the taste of refined white rice is improved, its nutrition is greatly reduced because the cortex and germ are the main gathering places of dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, etc.

In order to solve the contradiction between "nutrition" and "taste", germ rice came into being. By moderately controlling the processing of brown rice, only the hard and rough cortex is ground off, while the nutritious germ and a small amount of endosperm are retained, so that the taste and nutrition reach an acceptable balance.

It is a technical job to remove only the cortex without removing the germ, because the germ can easily fall off during the rice milling process. According to the degree of integrity of the germ, rice has several levels of germ: full germ, flat germ, half germ, residual germ, and no germ.

Rice germ level:

A Whole germ: After the brown rice is whitened, the germ remains in its original state

B Flat rice: The tangent line of the rice germ left after the brown rice is whitened.

C Half-germ: After the brown rice is whitened, the remaining rice germ is lower than the tangent line of the rice mouth

D. Residual germ: After the brown rice is whitened, a small amount of rice germ remains.

E Germ-free: After the brown rice is whitened, the germ of the rice is completely removed.

Only whole-germ, flat-germ and half-germ grains can be called germ-retained grains. Only when the germ-retained grain rate of Japonica rice exceeds 80% can it be called germ rice. The grains of Indica rice are slender, weak, and poor in pressure resistance. They are prone to broken rice during processing, and the germ is not easy to retain. The rice yield is low, and the germ-retained rate is also lower, which is required to be above 75%.

Requirements for quality indicators of germ-free rice in national standards

Germ rice: balancing nutrition and taste

Germ rice is a type of rice between brown rice and white rice, so it combines the nutrition of brown rice with the taste of white rice. Compared with white rice, it contains more vitamin B1, vitamin E, niacin and various minerals; compared with brown rice, it has a more delicate taste and is easier to digest.

Nutrition

The rice embryo contains young sprouts and young roots and has high nutritional value. It is composed of about 22-25% protein and 25% fat. Most of the fat is unsaturated fatty acids, mainly oleic acid and linoleic acid. It also contains vitamins B1 and B2, minerals , and a small amount of functional substance - GABA (γ-aminobutyric acid), which are very needed by the human body but commonly lacking. It can be called a "small nutrient bank" of rice.

Vitamin content of rice germ and other parts (μg/g dry weight) | [1]

Mineral composition of rice germ and other parts (μg/g dry weight) | [1]

The nutritional value of germ rice, which retains the germ, is also higher than that of white rice. The content of calcium, iron, potassium and other elements in cooked germ rice is about twice that of white rice, and the content of vitamin B1, niacin and dietary fiber is 3-4 times that of white rice, making it a more nutritious staple food. Especially for people who usually have a monotonous diet and eat less fresh vegetables and fruits, germ rice can replace part of the white rice.

Nutritional content of germ rice and white rice (per 100g)

This table is the data of "Five Japanese Food Standard Composition Tables" | [2]

Taste

After cooking, germ rice is almost the same as ordinary white rice, with a delicate taste, moderate hardness, and the fragrance of rice . Germ rice is not as difficult to digest as brown rice, and is more stomach-friendly, so the elderly and children with poor digestive ability can eat it with confidence.

What is good germ rice?

1. Embryo retention rate

The higher the germ retention rate, especially the higher the proportion of whole germ, the higher the nutritional value of germ rice . However, being able to keep the germ as intact as possible while removing the cortex is a technical job, and the requirements for processing technology and equipment are relatively high. The more advanced processing technology is the ultra-low pressure multiple rice milling process , which must be equipped with advanced processing equipment to more completely retain the complete germ and ensure a high germ retention rate. Therefore, the production cost of good germ rice is often very high.

Some unknown "germ rice" products on the market do not meet national standards and do not indicate the germ retention rate. Instead, they use some tricks such as "rice containing germ" to confuse consumers. When choosing germ rice, you should be more careful and give priority to products with a high germ retention rate.

2. Freshness preservation

After the germ is left, it is also critical to ensure its stable quality. The rice germ is the part where the rice grain sprouts. In addition to rich biologically active substances and functional ingredients, it also contains a variety of active enzymes. For example, exposure to lipase can easily lead to fat decomposition and rancidity. In addition, the rice germ is easy to absorb moisture. Under suitable temperature and moisture conditions, microorganisms are easy to multiply and mold occurs.

Therefore, packaging cannot be sloppy. If ordinary transparent plastic packaging is used, it is easy for air and light to pass through, which will accelerate the mold growth of germ rice. It is recommended to use vacuum packaging, aluminum foil packaging, etc. to isolate oxygen and light to a greater extent, effectively preventing mold and deterioration.

As shown in the picture, this germ rice is packed in aluminum foil + vacuum packaging, which can effectively isolate oxygen and moisture.

We see that many germ rice packages are small, and an independent small package is just the amount for one meal, so that it can be eaten immediately after opening, thus ensuring freshness, taste and nutrition to the greatest extent.

However, even so, it is difficult for it to be preserved for more than a year and a half like refined white rice. The shelf life of germ rice is generally about half a year or shorter. The higher the germ retention rate of germ rice, the shorter the shelf life may be.

Consumers often complain that the germ rice they just bought smells bad or moldy when they open it. This may be due to poor processing technology, simple packaging, etc. Therefore, it is better to choose products from large companies or well-known brands as they have more reliable quality and more credible information.

3. No-wash

Many high-quality germ rices do not need to be washed, which is not only convenient and saves everyone's time, but also an important reason is to avoid the germ falling off due to strong rubbing when washing at home. In addition, during the washing process, some water-soluble components of the germ rice will dissolve into the water and be lost with the rice washing water. The no-washing process uses a scientific washing process to clean the germ rice in advance, which not only ensures hygiene, but also greatly reduces the loss of nutrition.

Finally, the question of whether germ rice can germinate.

Germ rice is indeed better than white rice in nutrition, but it is not "magic rice" or "sprouting rice" as some merchants claim. Even though the germ itself is alive, the cortical structure of germ rice has been removed during the milling process, and it has lost the protection and nutrition source of the cortex, so it is actually difficult for germ rice to germinate.

As a relatively new product in our country, the quality of germ rice is currently mixed. When purchasing, you should keep your eyes open and be careful to identify it. Don't be fooled by the publicity gimmicks of some unscrupulous businesses. Instead, choose the truly valuable ones from the nutritional table and scientific data.

References:

[1] Li Aihua. Nutritional value of rice germ and processing technology of germ rice [J]. Grain and Feed Industry, 1997, (05): 9-12.

[2] There are some rules for eating, written by Liu Houqing and Wang Cuilan.

[3] GB/T 42227-2022 Germinated rice.