How to recognize polished rice?

Have you ever wondered how the white, flowery rice you eat every day is transformed from the processing of rice ears? In fact, rice is not immediately transformed into crystal clear, even and full rice after hulling. After the hulling of rice to become brown rice, brown rice to remove most of the cortex and part of the embryo to become white rice, white rice grains with a small amount of bran powder on the surface. For the sake of the appearance, storability and texture of the rice, this bran powder is removed through the "polishing" process. Appropriate polishing can make the surface of the rice grains show a certain brightness, commodity value, but the nutritional value is "polished" reduced. There are some unscrupulous traders in order to sell the old rice, illegally add chemicals to the polishing process, after polishing crystal clear, bright and shiny rice is "toxic rice".

You have thought of eating white rice every day, how to process from the ear into? In fact, rice is not immediately after hulling into a crystal clear, uniform and full of rice. After hulling, rice becomes brown rice, which removes most of the cortex and part of the embryo and becomes white rice, which also has a small amount of bran powder on the surface. For the sake of the appearance, storability and texture of the rice, this bran powder is removed through the "polishing" process. Appropriate polishing can make the surface of the rice grains show a certain brightness, commodity value increases, but the nutritional value is "polished" reduced. There are some unscrupulous traders in order to sell the old rice, illegal addition of chemical substances to the polishing process, after polishing crystal clear, bright and shiny rice is "toxic rice".

Refined rice is not refined?

Multiple polishing caused by the loss of nutrients

"White rice flour is rice after hulling, three thrown three selected, peeled three layers of skin after the rest of the powder. After polishing is the rice kernel, the local people do not eat this kind of white rice." Du Yanling, who practices CSA Sharing Harvest Organic Farming in Dujia Town, Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province, posted a picture on her microblog comparing the difference between polished "rice" and "white rice flour" and "unpolished rice". The difference between polished "rice" and "white rice flour" and "unpolished rice". Wu Chang is a nationally renowned rice producer, but in recent years pesticides and chemical fertilizers have caused more damage to the soil, Du Yanling hopes that through the support and choice of consumers, the land in her hometown will be improved, so that more people can participate in organic agriculture and eat assured Wu Chang fragrant rice.

"Rice after hulling machine to remove the husk is brown rice, brown rice structure by the embryo, as well as the pericarp, seed coat, paste powder layer and endosperm composition." Du Yanling said. Rice grain generally contains 18% to 20% of the husk, 1.2% to 1.5% of the pericarp and testa, 4% to 6% of the dextrin layer, 2% to 3.5% of the embryo and 66% to 70% of the endosperm, in addition to starch, more than 60% of the nutrients in the rice grain are concentrated in the embryo and cortex. From a nutritional point of view, brown rice cortex and embryo are rich in fat, fiber, minerals and vitamins and other nutrients, so it is more nutritious than removing the majority of the cortex and embryo of the rice.

"Rice in many nutrients such as lysine, threonine, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B5, vitamin B6 and other minerals and dietary fiber are essential to the human body, and has a functional physiological activity, easy to absorb after eating. These nutrients to the embryonic part of the protein and vitamin content is the highest, other parts of the nutrients from the surface and in decreasing order. Sixty to seventy percent of the rice vitamins, minerals and a large number of amino acids are accumulated in the outer tissue." Du Yanling said, and processing too many times of refined rice, after many polishing, seed coat, paste powder layer all peeled off, the rest is only endosperm, even endosperm also crushed off a few layers, the rest is mainly starch, the people are commonly known as the rice nucleus.

"Eating over-processed refined rice every day, and not fully supplemented by other foods, easy to cause B vitamin deficiency, prone to foot fungus, neuritis, lipitis, keratitis, constipation and other diseases, and even lack of vitamins, potassium, iron, calcium and other nutrients." Du Yanling said.

Ruan Guangfeng, a contributor to Nutshell.com and a master's degree in nutrition and food safety, wrote that a comparison of China's rice standards a decade or so ago and now reveals a trend toward greater precision in China's rice processing. The staple food of Chinese people is basically refined white rice and white flour. The outer layer (about 30%) of these refined white rice and white noodles has had the best nutritional value ground off, leaving only about 70% of the delicate, whiter part in the middle, with a large amount of vitamins and minerals lost. The main ingredient is starch, which is digested and turned into glucose very quickly after entering the stomach and intestines and then swarms into the bloodstream, which is particularly prone to elevating blood glucose. According to the Chinese food composition table, white rice has a glycemic index of 83, while white steamed bread has a glycemic index of 88, which are both high GI (Glycemic Index) foods, and long-term consumption is not conducive to the regulation of blood sugar.

"The greater the processing precision, the higher the food GI value." Ruan Guangfeng said. So, our staple foods are too "refined".

Why polished?

Sells well, commands a high price, and has a long shelf life

If polished rice is not as nutritious as brown rice, why does it need to be precision processed?

An organic farming practitioner, who asked not to be named, said it is actually a consumer choice. Consumers like rice that is crystal clear and shiny, and "polished rice sells well."

No polished rice, will certainly be mixed with unsaturated, immature or even imperfect particles, grains of varying sizes, and even half a grain of color grains, consumers will think it is a "bad rice". As a result, some manufacturers produce over-processed refined rice to please consumers, which means increasing the pressure of the rice milling machine, increase the number of polishing.

"The traditional one-time hulling rice processing process retains most of the nutrients in the rice as much as possible, but it's unrealistic to ask that all rice processing be done using the traditional roughing process." Du Yanling said, the traditional process of small machines can only be processed every day hulling three or four tons of rice, modern rice processing machines can grind one or two hundred tons of rice a day. In contrast, rice farmers are naturally more willing to choose modern processing methods.

"In addition, the shelf life of rice processed by traditional techniques is not as long as that of polished rice. The more times it is polished, the longer the shelf life of the rice." Du Yanling said. Unpolished rice has a layer of rice bran on the surface, which is rich in nutrients. But because the rice bran particles are small, it is easy to mold and deteriorate during transportation and storage, and those moldy and deteriorated rice is easy to see. Therefore, merchants prefer to choose the new rice polishing sales, polished rice clean and bright, crystal clear, and even can be exempted from washing, the price is more expensive than the rough rice.

Polishing is risky?

The more processing links, the greater the chance of risk

Modern rice processing technology mainly includes cleaning, hulling, milling, rice grading, packaging, polishing and color selection procedures.

"Most of the rice on the market is either triple-throwing and triple-selecting or double-throwing and double-selecting." Du Yanling said. The first step is vibration cleaning, which cleans out the sand and stones mixed in the rice through the vibration function. The second step is rice hulling, where the rice grains are separated from the hulls by crushing. The third step is to separate the rice from the brown rice, separating the rice that has not been dehulled cleanly and dehulling it again. The fourth step is the color selection, screening of different color grains, the yellowish belly white rice screening out of the rice, that is, the process of screening out the "white beauty" rice. The fifth step is processing. The sixth step is grading. The seventh step is polishing. Repeat the process of polishing and color selection 2-3 times, that is, the so-called double-throwing and triple-throwing and triple-selection.

"The current popular polishing is wet polishing, that is, adding the right amount of water in the process of polishing, which can make the endosperm and a small amount of rice bran remaining on the rice of the combination of weakening, is conducive to the complete grinding away of the bran, improve the smoothness of the rice and the uniformity of polishing." Du Yanling said, but the more processing links, the greater the chance of insecurity. In order to improve the brightness of the rice surface, some unscrupulous manufacturers in the polishing not only add water, but also illegally add inedible mineral oil or polishing powder, become "toxic rice". Others to process industrial oils, polishing agents, flavors, etc., but also in the rice packaging on the "no washing" label.

"There are also unscrupulous merchants will be stale grain, many times after polishing mixed in, it is difficult to recognize!" Du Yanling said, "Polishing program reduces the rate of rice, increased electricity consumption, our rural areas are generally eating brown rice or slightly processed. The deeper the degree of processing, the longer the industrial chain, the greater the amount of raw material loss and energy consumption." So the consumer concept of blindly pursuing over-processed rice is wrong. Many people are looking for refined rice, free of washing rice, more money, but buy the loss of nutrients in the rice, inadvertently also caused a waste of resources.

Identify

Brown rice vs. rough rice

Brown rice is rice hulls just removed, hulls have not been completely removed, by the embryo as well as the pericarp, seed coat, paste and endosperm composed of rice. It includes all the nutrients, but the texture is similar to rice bran, rough and difficult to swallow.

Rough processed rice is dehulled once through traditional craftsmanship, but does not go through the three throws and three selections or double throws and double selections, and there may be some rice heads that are yellowish incomplete grains, which are not beautiful. However, the nutritional elements of the rice are retained as much as possible and the taste is suitable.

Rough processed rice vs polished rice?

Traditional roughing rice amalgamated rice water concentration is much thicker than polished rice water, from the refreshing degree, polished rice water to be much cleaner, roughing amalgamated rice water color is very white, to amalgamate 3-4 times is still very white. In addition, the hand is inserted in the traditional rough rice, there will be a dry feeling, rice flour will stick to the hand.