Investigating the Baking Characteristics in Folic Acid Enriched Rice

Folic acid is one of the daily needs of body, and a substance that, by participating in some of the vital functions of the body and with proper consumption, we can prevent certain diseases in the embryonic and adolescence period. Enrichment is a method in which a specific amount of a substance from necessary material enters the intended diet and it supplies daily body intake. Regarding the high level of rice consumption in the community, rice was chosen as a suitable substrate for enrichment. The amount of 0, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.2 gr of folic acid was added to 300 gr of rough rice cultivar Hashemi and the enrichment was performed using a parabolic or semi-boiling process. After peeling and whitening, the effect of increasing the concentration of folic acid on the qualitative properties and cooking of brown and white rice was studied. The highest and lowest amount of amylose was different in white and brown rice regarding the amount of folic acid. The results showed that with increasing folic acid, the amount of amylose in the grain decreased and the mean gelatinization score in folic acid treatments (5.72) was significantly higher than folic acid-free treatments (5.5). Based on this result, the use of folic acid significantly increased the gelatinization score in rice which reduced the temperature of the gelatinization and reduced the cooking time as well.