Effects of milling degree on the chemical composition, physicochemical properties and cooking characteristics of brown rice

Brown rice variety, q34 was milled at different milling degrees (md) namely 4, 6 and 8% to produce partially milled and milled rice. the proximate content as well as the effect of different md on nutritional content, physico-chemical and cooking characteristics of brown rice were studied. the chemical composition of brown rice was significantly affected by the milling process. among the rice evaluated, brown rice milled at 8% md had the lowest protein, fat and crude fibre content. the highest mineral and vitamin contents were in brown rice followed by brown rice milled at 4, 6 and 8% md. this indicated that brown rice and partially milled rice offer healthier benefits than milled rice. milled rice (8% md) had the highest values for elongation ratio, volume of expansion, water uptake ratio and solid loss. brown rice took longer time (28 min) to cook which significantly differed from the cooking time of partially milled and milled rice.