Copyright@ Ken’ichi Ohtsubo | Biomed J Sci & Tech Res | BJSTR. MS.ID.006282. 31209 Review Article ISSN: 2574 -1241 Palatability Evaluation, DNA Analyses, and Functional Processing of Rice Ken’ichi Ohtsubo* and Sumiko Nakamura Faculty of Applied Life Sciences, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, 265-1, Higashijima, Akiha-ku, Niigata, 956-8603, Japan *Corresponding author: Ken’ichi Ohtsubo, Faculty of Applied Life Sciences, Niigata University of Pharmacy and Applied Life Sciences, 265-1, Higashijima, Akiha-ku, Niigata, 956-8603, Japan DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2021.39.006282 ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT Received: September 15, 2021 Published: October 08, 2021 Citation: Ken’ichi Ohtsubo, Sumiko Nakamura. Palatability Evaluation, DNA Analyses, and Functional Processing of Rice. Biomed J Sci & Tech Res 39(2)-2021. BJSTR. MS.ID.006282. Quality evaluations of rice are performed by sensory testing and physico-chemical measurements. The former is a basic method that requires large amounts of samples and several panelists. The latter is an indirect method that estimates the eating quality based on the chemical composition, cooking quality, gelatinization properties, and physical properties of cooked rice. Many novel methods to evaluate the rice quality using various kinds of apparatus, such as Tensipresser, RVA, NIR, and spectrophotometer were developed. Simple, rapid, and accurate method to evaluate the quality of rice grains is very valuable. As the cultivars of rice affect markedly eating quality, processing suitability and price, identification or differentiation of rice cultivar is very important. The present authors developed suitable STS (sequence-tagged-site) primers for PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) and it became possible to identify rice cultivar using template DNA extracted and purified from rice grains. Two kinds of multiplex kit for identification of “Koshihikari”, dominant cultivar in Japan, have been developed. Application of cultivar identification method by PCR method to processed rice products was investigated. It became possible to identify the material rice cultivars of the processed rice products, such as cooked rice and rice cake, by PCR method using template DNA prepared by the “enzyme treatment method”. Diabetes and dementia are life-style related diseases, and patients have been increased all over the world. The authors tried to prevent diabetes using the high- amylose rice cultivars. It was shown that the postprandial BGL of high-amylose rice was lower than that of low- amylose rice. “Super hard rice”, of which starch contains long-chain amylopectin, was developed in Kyushu University, Japan, and we clarified its characteristics by the cooperative research. It was very hard after cooking, and rich in resistant starch. We prepared super-hard rice bread blended with 5% of black rice bran (SRBBB), which showed inhibitory activity against β-secretase after heating. Aged mice, which were fed SRBBB diet for 4 weeks, showed lower amyloid β40 in the blood than the control. We investigated the effects of the blend of ordinary brown rice and black rice cooked after a high-pressure treatment (HPTKO). A randomized, single-blind, crossover-designed study was conducted using 15 subjects, and BGLs at 90 and 120 min after ingesting the cooked HPTKO were significantly lower than that for cooked ordinary polished rice. Furthermore, post-prandial blood amyloid β40 did not increased markedly compared with the control. Abbreviations: HPTKO: High-Pressure Treatment; AAC: Apparent Amylose Content; RS: Resistant Starch; RD: Retrogradation; STS: Sequence Tagged Site; SSRs: Simple Sequence Repeats; TE: Tris-EDTA Buffer; SDS: Sodium- Dodecylsulphate; JAS: Japan Agricultural Standard; SNPs: Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms; Wx: Waxy; SS1: Starch Synthase I Gene; SBE1: Starch Branching Enzyme 1 Gene; SNP: Single Nucleotide Poly-Morphism; QTL: Quantitative Trait Locus; BILs: Backcross Inbred Lines; CSSLs: Chromosome Segment Substitution Lines; OE: Overall Evaluation; GL: Glossiness; TA: Taste; ST: Stickiness; HA: Hardness; AC: Amylose Content; PC: Protein Content; NGS: Next Generation Sequencing; GWAS: Genome-Wide Association Analysis; MAGIC: Multi- Parent Advanced Generation Inter-Cross Population; GI: Glycemic Index; APP: Amyloid Precursor Protein; GABA: Gamma- Aminobutyric Acid; HDL: High-Density Lipoprotein; HPT: High-Pressure Treatment; CRSH: Cooked Rice from Super-Hard Rice; BGL: Blood Glucose Level