Black Rice: A Novel Ingredient in Food Processing

Black rice (Zizania aquatica) is a rice variety formed by the mutation of Kala4 gene. In the world it is mainly cultivated in Southeast Asian countries like China, Thailand and India. China accounts for 62% of black rice production in the world followed by Sri Lanka, India, Indonesia and Philippines. Thailand holds the 9th position for black rice cultivation. In India black rice is grown in North-eastern states like Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Assam and some parts of Odisha. Black rice is black in color due to the presence of the anthocyanin pigment on the outer layers (bran) of the rice kernel. Black rice is rich in tocopherols (vitamin E), iron and antioxidants. Black rice has high levels of protein, fiber, vitamins (Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, folic acid) and minerals (iron, zinc, calcium, phosphorous and selenium) compared to that of white rice. The major essential amino acids present in black rice are lysine and tryptophan. It also possesses lot of health benefits like antioxidant activity, anti-inflammatory properties, lipid oxidation, anti-diabetic, anti-ageing and anti-cancer effects. The use of black rice as an ingredient in food processing might help in creating value added products. In this paper, an attempt has been made to highlight the application of black rice as a novel ingredient in various sectors of food processing.