| Research Abstract |
In order to clarify the optimum harvesting time of rice grains for the good eating quality of cooked rice, especially on the taste items of "sweetness" and "deliciousness, " I compared of early-harvest rice which was harvested at 10 days before the ordinary optimum time of harvesting (40 days after heading) and ordinary-harvest rice, which was harvested at the ordinary optimum time. From the results of sensory tests, the cooked early-harvest rice was evaluated as being sweeter, more delicious and better overall judgment than the cooked ordinary-harvest rice. The greater sweetness in the cooked early-harvest rice was primarily due to the formation of glucose, maltose and maltoligosaccharides, such as malttriose and malttetraose, from starch probably by starch degradation enzymes during soaking and/or cooking. The cooked early-harvest rice contained more L-glutamic acid than the cooked ordinary-harvest rice. From these results, it was concluded that when rice is harvested 10 days before the ordinary optimum time of harvesting (40 days after heading), the cooked rice would be sweeter and more delicious.
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