What is Integral Rice?
Brown rice (in English "brown rice" or "hulled rice" or "unmilled rice") is a food of vegetable origin that is part of the cereal group.
Brown rice is made from the seeds of the Oryza sativa plant, of which there are many varieties (venere rice, arborio rice, vialone rice, carnaroli rice, etc.).
Brown rice has a delicate hint of hazelnut; at chewing it is slightly chewy and from the chemical point of view it brings above all an excellent quantity of carbohydrates and energy.
Differences between Brown Rice and White Rice
Any type of rice (long, short, glutinous, etc.) can be sold whole or white-refined.
To produce brown rice it is sufficient to remove only the outer fibrous layer, called chaff, while to obtain white rice, the underlying layers must also be eliminated. The refining procedure is called hulling and consists in removing the husk, consisting of the glumelles (or bracts ) and the germ (or embryo); what remains, the starchy endosperm, is subjected to a polishing phase (shining, from which the term polished rice).
Compared to the white one, the brown rice includes a greater fibrous and lipidic portion which, in addition to determining the dark pigmentation of the seed, characterizes: nutritional content, digestibility and absorption, metabolic impact, organoleptic properties, shelf life, cooking times and gastronomic trends.
Brown rice has longer cooking times than white rice and tends to release less starch, which is why it is less suitable than the white one for risotto production.
From the conservative point of view, the integral one is certainly not the most long-lived rice and tends to go rancid faster because of the lipid germ.
Despite being considered better than the refined one, the brown rice seems to contain higher quantities of inorganic arsenic, a poisonous substance potentially carcinogenic.
Nutritional Features
Brown and refined rice have similar amounts of carbohydrates and total calories. However, the former provides more lipids, proteins and fibers, while the latter has higher concentrations of starch; also vitamins and mineral salts are more abundant in brown rice than in refined one.
In fact, with the separation of the husk (fibrous bracts and lipid embryo) various nutrients are lost (dietary fiber, fatty acids, fat-soluble vitamins, water-soluble vitamins and mineral salts). Among these, vit B1 (thiamine), vit PP (niacin) and iron, are often added again to the refined product giving rise to the so-called "enriched white rice".
| Nutritional Composition for 100g of Integral Rice, Raw | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nutritional values (per 100 g of edible portion)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
It seems that in the USA, white rice producers are obliged by the "Food and Drug Administration" to apply this nutritional correction in their brown and polished products.
The only mineral not artificially reintegrated into white rice is magnesium. In fact, a 195g cup of cooked long grain brown rice brings 84mg of magnesium, while the equivalent of white rice contains only 19mg. Ultimately, brown rice brings about 440% more magnesium than refined rice.
We reiterate once again that during the removal of the bran, in addition to the fibrous components, the germ is also removed. This, rich in lipids (although, proportionally, in the rice they are of modest quantity), remains instead in the brown rice defining the good lipid profile (beneficial) and of liposoluble vitamins (especially the vit E).
NB . What remains from the hulling for the production of refined white rice is generally subjected to oil extraction, also intended for sale (rice oil).
Integral Rice and Diet
From a general point of view, brown rice is a rather energetic food, rich in carbohydrates, with a significant but not excessive portion of protein, and few lipids.
Carbohydrates are almost exclusively complex (starch), peptides with a medium biological value and generally unsaturated lipids (details not shown in the table).
The protein quality of rice is considered superior to that of pasta, although the latter is - in absolute terms - slightly richer in peptides.
Cholesterol is absent, fibers are abundant and a certain amount of phytic acid is also detectable.
As far as vitamins are concerned, B1 and PP are well present; with regard to mineral salts, on the other hand, concentrations of iron (although not very bioavailable), magnesium, potassium and phosphorus stand out.
Brown rice has a lower glycemic index than the refined one, an aspect that makes it more suitable for the diet of the obese, type 2 diabetic, hypertriglyceridemic and, in general, those suffering from metabolic syndrome.
It also lends itself to vegetarian and vegan nutrition; moreover, it contains neither gluten nor lactose.
Brown rice is excellent for any kind of food, but it is necessary not to exceed with the portions. Due to the high concentration of fibers and the presence of phytic acid, even more so in those suffering from chronic diarrhea, this food can lead to an increase in the frequency of evacuations, with undesirable effects such as liquid stools, flatulence, abdominal tension, malabsorption, etc. Sportsmen, who can benefit from its magnesium content, must therefore take this limit into account.
Brown rice is very suitable for nutrition against constipation.
The average portion of brown rice should not exceed 90g raw (300kcal).
Cold Vegan Dish - Vegetable Meat Carpaccio with Brown Rice
X Problems with video playback? Reload from YouTube Go to Video Page Go to Video Recipes Section Watch the video on youtubeWhole Sprouted Rice or GABA Rice
There is a method of consuming rice "nutritionally superior" to others, or sprouting before cooking.
Sprouted brown rice was invented during the "International Year of Rice" and, compared to the amorphous one, uses a significant increase in concentrations of amino acids and GABA ( gamma-amino butyric acid ); for this reason, sprouted brown rice (GBR) is also called GABA rice.
GABA is a non-essential amino acid produced from arginine, which plays the role of inhibitory neurotransmitter in the body and is frequently used for topical use in certain anti-wrinkle products (for more information, see the article: Gamma-Amino Butyric Acid) .
GABA rice is obtained by softening the whole seeds for about 20 hours in water at 34 ° C before cooking. (obviously, refined rice cannot germinate because it is devoid of the embryo). Soaking in water stimulates germination activated by various enzymes. Thanks to the bio-regulatory action of the latter, it is therefore possible to enjoy a more complete amino acid profile (and, theoretically, vitamin).
Arsenic in Integral Rice
A 2012 research report by "Consumer Reports" found quite significant levels of arsenic in almost sixty varieties of rice and their derivatives (such as biscuits).
The institution states that the brown rice contains on average 80% more inorganic arsenic than the white one of the same variety, because this pollutant tends to accumulate in the outer layers of the seed.
A 2013 study revealed that the products analyzed contained more arsenic than those of the previous year.
Furthermore, "Consumer Reports" stated that even a portion of these foods could have exceeded the maximum tolerable ration for a child; for this reason, in the younger population it is not advisable to go beyond a weekly portion.
Other studies have also been conducted; for example, in a publication of the "National Academy of Sciences Journal" an average level of arsenic 56% higher in the urine of subjects who had consumed rice rather than other foods (sample of adult women) was detected.
storage
Brown rice has a total duration of about 6 months, even if by means of the so-called hermetic vacuum storage or refrigeration or freezing, the shelf-life can increase significantly. Obviously, in these cases there is not always the guarantee that GABA rice can be made from brown rice; on the other hand, by freezing it (even periodically) the infestations of the so-called Indian Mealmoth moths can be effectively combated .
