White rice is milledrice that has had thehusk,bran, andgerm removed. This alters the flavor, texture, and appearance of the seed; helps preventspoilage (extends itsstorage life); and makes it easier to digest. Afterbrown rice ismilled (hulled), it ispolished, resulting in rice with a bright, white, shiny appearance. The milling and polishing processes both remove nutrients.
An unbalanced diet based on unenriched white rice leaves many people vulnerable to the neurological diseaseberiberi, due to a deficiency ofthiamine (vitamin B1).[1] White rice is oftenenriched with some of the nutrients stripped from it during its processing.[2] Enrichment of white rice withB1,B3, andiron is required by law in the United States when distributed by government programs to schools, nonprofits, or foreign countries.[3][4] As with all natural foods, the precise nutritional composition of rice varies slightly depending on the variety, soil conditions, environmental conditions, and types of fertilizers.
Adopted overbrown rice in the second half of the 19th century because it was favored by traders, white rice has led to aberiberi epidemic in Asia.[5][6] At various times, starting in the 19th century, brown rice and other grains such aswild rice have been advocated as healthier alternatives.[7][8] The bran in brown rice contains significantdietary fiber and the germ contains many vitamins and minerals.[9]
Before mechanical milling, rice was milled by a hand pounding technique with large mortar and pestle type devices. Some versions of this improved uniformity of the product, but with mechanical milling much larger quantities were able to be produced. In the late 19th century, different machines were produced like the Huller & Sheller Mills (1870) and theEngelberg Milling Machine (1890). By 1955, new machinery had been developed inJapan that had significantly improved the quality and output capacity.[10]
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 1,527 kJ (365 kcal) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
79.95 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sugars | 0.12 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dietary fiber | 1.3 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
0.66 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
7.13 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water | 11.62 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults,[11] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from theNational Academies.[12] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Whilebrown rice and white rice have similar amounts of calories and carbohydrates, brown rice is a far richer source of all nutrients when compared to unenriched white rice. Brown rice is whole rice from which only the husk (the outermost layer) is removed. To produce white rice, the bran layer and the germ are removed, leaving mostly the starchy endosperm. This process causes the reduction or complete depletion of several vitamins and dietary minerals. Missing nutrients, such as vitaminsB1 andB3, andiron, are sometimes added back into the white rice, a process calledenrichment.[13] Even with the reduction of nutrients, unenriched white rice is still a good source ofmanganese and contains moderate amounts of other nutrients such aspantothenic acid andselenium.[14][15]
Typically, 100 grams of uncooked rice produces around 240 to 260 grams of cooked grains, the difference in weight being due to absorbed cooking water.
