Addition of chicken fat to cooked rice improved its flavor, cooking quality, and digestibility

In this study, we investigated the effect of chicken fat on the eating quality, volatile organic compounds, starch structure, and digestion of cooked rice. The results showed that the addition of 4 % chicken fat reduced the hardness (16.7 to 13.0 N), improved the sensory evaluation, and increased the (E)-2-octenal, ethyl 2-methylbutanoate, 1-penten-3-one, and ethyl-pyrazine content in cooked rice. The fatty acids in chicken fat bound to rice starch and formed starch-lipid complexes through complexation, thereby transforming the crystal structure of starch from A-type to V-type. This led to a higher short-range order of rice starch, greater thermal stability, and an increased resistant starch content. Additionally, the microstructure of rice flour showed smaller and uniform pores (∼10 μm) on the surface. This study suggests that the addition of chicken fat can improve the flavor and taste, and potentially lower the glycemic index of cooked rice by increasing the resistant starch content.