BY DR. JOE E. STREET

Mississippi State University Rice Specialist

Rice has been one of man's most important foods and today, rice helps sustain two-thirds of the world's population. Rice has been produced commercially in the United States since the late seventeenth century. Records show that rice was grown near Estill, Mississippi in 1909, but production did not continue in this area.

Rice production in Mississippi using modern techniques and machinery started in 1948. Mr. Rex Kimbriel produced approximately 300 acres near Greenville in Washington County. Harvested acres increased to 5000 the next year. Following elimination of acreage control programs in 1973, acreage increased to a high of 335,000 acres in 1981 and for the past few years has stabilized at about 250,000 acres. Rice acreage in 1998 is estimated to be about 270,000 acres. Rice production in Mississippi has been confined almost entirely to the Mississippi-Yazoo Delta with very limited production outside this area. Mississippi grows primarily long grain rice.

Terminology used in the rice industry can be confusing. Here is a brief explanation of some of the rice terminology:

Types and Forms

Types

Long Grain Rice - long, slender kernel, 4 times longer than it is wide.

Medium Grain Rice - kernel is 2 to 3 times than wide.

Short Grain Rice - kernel is almost round.

Aromatic Rice - brown and white rice with a natural aroma and flavor similar to that of roasted nuts or popcorn.

forms

Rough Rice - kernels still within the hull. Before rice can be packaged or cooked, the outer hull must be removed.

Brown Rice - kernels of rice form which only the hull has been removed. Brown rice may be eaten as is or milled into regular-milled white rice.

Parboiled Rice - rough rice that has gone through a steam-pressure process before milling. This procedure gelatinizes the starch in the grain, and ensures a firmer, more separate grain.

Precooked Rice - white or brown rice that has been completely cooked and dehydrated after milling. This process reduces the time required for cooking.

Regular-Milled White Rice - rice that has the hulls, bran layers and germ removed. Most white rice is enriched, giving it a nutritional value similar to brown rice.

Processing and

by-products

The properties of rice nutrition, neutral flavor, non-allergenic, digestibility, and functionality make it a highly desirable ingredient in processed foods. White rice stands apart from most grains because it is generally consumed in its kernel form and its properties are ideal components in the manufacturing of cereals, snack foods, baby foods, frozen dinners, sauce thickeners and other products. Each part of the rice grain has many uses:

Rice Bran - the outer layer on brown rice. Rice bran, which gives brown rice its color and nutty flavor, is an excellent source of thiamin, niacin, vitamin B-6, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium and fiber.

Rice Flour - ground milled or brown rice. It is non-allergenic so it is particularly valuable as a wheat flour substitute to persons who are allergic to gluten and wheat flour products.

Rice Hulls - the outer covering or husk layer that enclosed the rice kernel. Rice grains from the field are encased in hulls which must be removed before consumption. Hulls are used as fuel in power plants and rice mills, as mulch, in abrasives and other products.

Rice Starch - the major component of milled rice. It is present only in the endosperm of the grain, making up 90-93 percent of the milled rice dry weight. Rice starch is used as a thickener in making sauces and desserts. It can be hydrolyzed to make a sweet syrup.

Rice Bran Oil - extracted from rice bran. Rice bran oil is a high quality cooking oil. Studies show it is effective in reducing cholesterol.

Broken Kernels - are those of less than three-fourths of a kernel of rice. Broken rice kernels are used to make various products, including rice flour and pet foods.

Brewers Rice - the smallest size of broken rice fragments. Brewers rice is used in the process of brewing beers and some other fermented products. DBJ

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