In this era of unfettered influx of all types of rice through our porous borders into our markets in Nigeria, the average rice consumer may indeed be spoilt for choice as he/she is confronted with rice varieties from various parts of the world, however, we must be mindful of the fact that we consume rice primarily for its nutritional value and not necessarily for its aesthetic appeal, meaning that “the aesthetically embellished rice, sometimes polished with oily material to enhance its luster might not necessarily be the most nutritious and healthy rice for you” As a primary source of energy, rice is consumed as a source of carbohydrate, however, the style of rice processing can either enhance or reduce the nutritional profile of head rice regardless of its physical looks.
Africans have known from time immemorial that the nutritional quality of rice is severely low if it is not parboiled and that it is only by parboiling that the nutritional profile of rice can be enhanced to become not only a source of energy but high-quality starch –resistant starch-, essential vitamins and trace elements such as Iron and Calcium.
What is Rice Parboiling?
Parboiling is the process of precooking rice while still in its inedible husk before being processed into head rice for consumption This is a common way of improving the Texture, Storage and Health Benefits of Rice.
There are 3 main steps of parboiling
Rice Soaking: Raw Paddy Rice is soaked in water to increase its moisture content
Steaming: Paddy is steamed till the starch in the endosperm is converted to gel; this process also helps eliminate bacteria and other microbes
Drying: The rice is slowly dried to reduce its moisture content for milling
Parboiling changes the color of rice from white to yellow or amber color, as a result of pigments moving from the husk and bran into the endosperm as well as the browning reaction that happens during the process
During this process, some water-soluble nutrients are transferred from the bran of the rice kernel into the endosperm to enrich its nutritional quality, these nutrients such as Thiamine (Vitamin B1) and Phenolic Acids are vital for body functions, Thiamin enables the body to use Carbohydrate as Energy, it is essential for Glucose Metabolism and plays a key role in Nerve, Muscle and Heart function, Phenolic Acids possesses anti-oxidant properties and therefore help protect cells from damages resulting from oxidation reactions from free radicals.
Formation of Prebiotics/Fiber
During the steaming phase of the parboiling process, the starch content contained in the endosperm is gelatinized , when it cools , it retrogrades , meaning that the starch molecules reform and harden, this process of retrogradation creates a resistant starch which resist digestion and absorption in the small intestine, however this resistant starch serves as prebiotics (specialized plant fiber that acts as food for good bacteria) in the large intestine where it is fermented by beneficial good bacteria (probiotics ) and encourages their growth which promotes gut health by yielding short chain fatty acids which nourishes the cells of the large intestine.
This is the same reason why parboiled rice has a much lesser impact on the diabetic condition as evidence by its relatively low glycaemic index since resistant starch is not immediately absorbed and digested into simple sugars to raise the blood sugar level.
These are some of the reasons why we ensure that NaijaSweetRice is processed to meet the highest expectations of rice that is properly parboiled to deliver all the excellent qualities highlighted above, this fact is further evident from the texture of the rice when cooked as it is less sticky and fluffier than other competing brands.
NaijaSweetRice is the rice you can trust to deliver the nutritional benefits expected from genuinely parboiled rice
Place your order now at www.naijasweetrice.com/shop free delivery is available within Lagos.