In an effort to increase consumption of rice, a research institute based in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, developed a technology to create a gel-like material from rice which can be used as a substitute for wheat flour, the institute announced Tuesday, October 22.
A researcher displays cream puffs made from rice gel instead of wheat flour.
National Agriculture and Food Research Organization’s National Food Research Institute said it used high amylose rice with high starch content, such as Momiroman, a variety used mainly to produce rice flour or as feed for livestock. It created rice gel by heating rice until it becomes gruel-like, and mixing it at high speed.
The rice gel can be used as a substitute for wheat flour to produce low-calorie, low-fat cream puffs and other desserts, as well as bread and noodles, according to the institute. It can also be used to reduce or substitute the use of eggs, oils and gelatin, so that it will become a potential material for producing adult care food and substitutes for people with food allergies.
At Tuesday’s press conference, the institute showed cream puffs and chocolate mousse made from the rice gel. By substituting weak flour, butter, vegetable oil and a part of eggs with rice gel, the cream puffs have 53 percent less fat than ordinary cream puffs. Chocolate mousse which was made from rice gel, using cocoa powder instead of chocolate, contains 37 percent less fat.
The institute hopes the rice gel will be used by farmers, especially women who are working to produce new processed food products, as well as by food industries and food processing firms to produce bread and desserts.
Junichi Sugiyama, senior researcher of the institute, said they plan to develop a high-speed mixing device so the technology can be put into practical use. “Since the amylose content in rice differs according to the region, we must enable (producers) to create rice gel which is consistent (in quality),” Sugiyama said.
(Oct. 23, 2013)