(ANSA) – ROME, AUGUST 16 – Due to its high content of polyphenols, black rice plays a significant role in good nutrition and these bioactive compounds are preserved both in the traditional risotto recipe and with more modern cooking techniques such as vacuum packing. This is demonstrated by a study on the cooking of Italian black rice (Oryza sativa L., Artemide cv), published in Food Research International, which compared the domestic techniques of risotto and pilaf with innovative methods such as vacuum packing.
Given that lower temperatures in sous vide cooking better preserve the anthocyanin content, the study found that fiber content increased after all cooking methods, reaching a 29% increase in risotto. In addition, toasting the rice seems to create a barrier that protects the anthocyanins from degradation.
An overall increase in free phenolic acid concentrations was also observed after cooking.
Antioxidant activity, total polyphenols, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins were reduced on average by 40%, 34%, 43% and 39%, respectively. Individual anthocyanins were decreased, while phenolic acids and other flavonoids showed different behaviors, also depending on whether considered in their free or bound form. Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside was reduced up to 56% in rice cooked under vacuum at 99°C, and only by 45% and 37% in risotto and rice cooked under vacuum at 89°C, respectively.
Even the traditional risotto preparation and the innovative sous vide cooking at 89°C maintained the highest content of antioxidant polyphenols, saving 63% of the antioxidant activity compared to raw black rice. In conclusion, these latter techniques can be suggested for a better preservation of bioactive compounds. (ANSA).
2024-08-16 09:48:42