STUDY ON DEVELOPMENT AND NUTRITIONAL CHANGES IN FERMENTED RICE – A TRADITIONAL SOUTH INDIAN FOOD

Fermentation remains the oldest means of food in India and other Asian countries. It is one of the cheapest and suitable method to maintain food safety and quality. In India, many traditional rice based fermented foods are being prepared. Some of them have been scientifically investigated and have also been reported to have health benefits. Fermented rice is a desirable staple food in Tamil Nadu. The objective of the current study was to investigate the changes in Milled rice (raw R, cooked C & fermented F) and Hand pounded rice (raw R, cooked C & fermented F) during fermentation (Table 1). Rice samples were cooked by traditional excess water method. Fermented rice was prepared by soaking the cooked rice and was allowed to left overnight at room temperature for fermentation to take place.

During fermentation there is no significant difference in the fat, ash and fibre content. Protein was found to be lower in cooked and higher in fermented samples. Decrease in starch and increase in reducing sugar content was observed during fermentation. Anti-nutritional factors such as total phenol and tannin content were found to be decreased during cooking and fermentation. Studies shown that this will increase the bioavailability of micro nutrients present in the sample. RS was found to be higher in HP rice and lower in the fermented samples thereby improving the digestibility. Protein digestibility was also found to be improved during fermentation. Decrease in pH and increase in titratable acidity in the fermented rice confirms the occurrence of fermentation. The organisms present in the fermented rice were enumerated. Among the total bacteria present in the fermented sample, most of them were Lactic acid bacteria. Studies shown that most of the LAB in the fermented foods have probiotic potential which will be an additional benefit. Hand pounded samples were found to be highly nutritious than milled samples because of the presence of bran layer. A new product was developed using fermented rice in Shrikhand, a Gujarati sweet made using curd. This serves as a nutritional pool and helps to overcome nutritional deficiency malnutrition in developing countries like India.