"Health from eating" series | Wild rice changes from grain to vegetable, experts suggest that wild rice should be put back on the table

"As early as the 2nd century BC in the Book of Zhou, wild rice was listed as one of the common 'six grains' along with rice, millet, sorghum, sorghum and wheat. However, after the Tang Dynasty, due to its low yield and the infection of wild rice by smut fungus to form edible swollen stems, it was changed from a grain to a vegetable. However, the nutritional and health value of wild rice has been ignored until now," said Yan Ning, associate researcher at the Tobacco Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Qingdao Special Crop Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences).

Wild rice can be eaten and used as medicine! As early as 3,000 years ago, the "Book of Rites" recorded that wild rice was eaten as food; the "Compendium of Materia Medica" mentioned the medicinal value of wild rice: "Wild rice has a sweet and cold taste and is non-toxic. It can relieve cough, relieve irritability and heat, and regulate the stomach."

Yan Ning, an associate researcher, said that wild rice is thinner and longer than rice, with tapering ends. Its cortex is dark brown and shiny, and its endosperm is white and crisp. Its fruit is composed of husk and caryopsis. The caryopsis after shelling is wild rice. Wild rice is composed of cortex, embryo and endosperm. It is a whole grain and rich in protein, dietary fiber, essential fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. In addition, it is rich in bioactive substances, including phytosterols, γ-oryzanol, γ-aminobutyric acid, phenolic acid, flavonoids, etc. Moreover, a pleasant nutty aroma is produced during the processing of wild rice. In general, wild rice is a healthy food with high nutritional and health value and unique flavor. In 2006, wild rice became a whole grain recognized by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Associate Researcher Yan Ning and his team have found in their research for many years that the characteristic flavonoid compounds in Chinese wild rice are proanthocyanidins and flavonoid glycosides, and that the total phenol, total flavonoid, total proanthocyanidin content and antioxidant activity are significantly higher than those of indica rice, japonica rice and red rice from the same origin; Chinese wild rice has antioxidant and hypoglycemic and lipid-lowering activities, and has health-promoting effects in regulating the intestinal flora of mice fed a high-fat diet and improving their fatty liver degeneration, inflammatory response and insulin resistance. Recently, they systematically identified the key genes for the synthesis of flavonoids in Chinese wild rice and revealed its value in the biofortification of flavonoids in important Gramineae cereals such as rice.

"Compared with other cereals, the industrialization level of wild rice is relatively low, and the selling price on the market is relatively high. On the one hand, this is because wild rice is still mainly in a wild state, and has many characteristics that are not conducive to artificial cultivation, such as too tall plant shape, easy grain shedding, and late flowering period. It is necessary to increase the yield and improve the quality of wild rice through domestication, which is what we are doing; on the other hand, although China's wild rice resources are extremely rich, except for Tibet, it grows in lakes, ditches, rivers and wetlands all over the country, but in fact many wild rice resources are not well utilized. In some places, wild rice is even removed as a weed, which is a pity." Associate Researcher Yan Ning sighed.

Similar to other whole grains, wild rice also has the problem of being difficult to cook. Associate Researcher Yan Ning recommends soaking it in water in advance to make it easier to cook. You can add some wild rice when stewing pork ribs or sea cucumbers. It not only makes a combination of meat and vegetables, but also enriches the taste and flavor.

Associate Researcher Yan Ning said, "In the future, we will continue to conduct research on the exploration and utilization of wild rice functional factors, develop more wild rice functional products, meet the health needs of various groups of people with high blood sugar, high blood lipids, obesity, etc., and let wild rice return to the Chinese table."

This article was scientifically reviewed by Yan Ning, an associate researcher at the Tobacco Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (Qingdao Special Crop Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences), and Qiao Jingfang from the Whole Grain Channel of the People's Daily Health Client also contributed.