8 minutes "raw rice" becomes "cooked rice" What's the secret in the "rice" of self-heating rice?

　　No fire, no electricity, no washing dishes, self-heating rice, which can be eaten by using a heating pack for ten minutes, has long been a must-have food for many people.

"There are many flavors, and you don't have to worry about the hygiene of take-out. You can eat in about ten minutes, which is very convenient." Taking advantage of the activities in the previous two days, Mr. Zhang, who lived alone, bought two more boxes.

However, while enjoying the convenience, he also had doubts. It usually takes more than half an hour to cook a pot of rice. Can the rice "steamed" with a heating pack in ten minutes really be eaten with confidence?

Reporter visit>>

8-15 minutes can turn "raw rice" into "cooked rice", but the taste is different

　　In advertisements about self-heating rice, many businesses will use the rice in self-heating rice as a publicity stunt, such as "preferring Wuchang rice", "long-grain fragrant rice", etc., making "eat a bowl of hot rice anytime, anywhere" become a possible.

On the morning of September 9, the reporter came to a supermarket in Yuhuatai District. Various self-heating foods took up a lot of shelf space.

Mushroom beef, broad-flavored sausage, Taiwanese braised pork... The variety of self-heating rice is dizzying.

The reporter found that there are two main ways of "cooking" rice for these self-heating rice, one is to use a heating pack, and the other is to brew directly with boiling water, which can basically make "raw rice" in 8-15 minutes. " becomes "cooked rice".

Rice, mono- and diglyceride fatty acid esters, and other additives such as edible corn starch and calcium dihydrogen phosphate are also featured in the rice ingredient list on the packaging of these products.

Although self-heating rice is easy to operate and has a variety of flavors, it is a must-have for many people's homes, but everyone's evaluation of self-heating rice is quite different.

"Sometimes the self-heating rice I buy tastes grain by grain. It is not as fragrant and glutinous as home-cooked rice, but sometimes I eat rice that is too 'sticky', which is too glutinous." Citizens Ms. Wang told reporters that she likes rice that is soft and glutinous, but every time she buys self-heating rice, it's like opening a blind box.

The reporter also tried a certain brand of scallop and mushroom-flavored bibimbap, which can be eaten after 8 minutes of brewing self-heating rice in boiling water.

Expert answer>>

Self-heating rice is different from real rice, and food additives are its "secret"

　　Tao Yajun, an associate researcher of the conventional rice breeding team of the Institute of Grain Crops, Jiangsu Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told reporters that at present, the rice that can be quickly steamed on the market is roughly divided into two types: dehydrated and non-dehydrated.

"Non-dehydrated rice is normal rice that is cooked and stored in a freezer. It can be eaten after being heated in a microwave oven for tens of seconds, and has a very short shelf life. Many rice balls and bentos sold in convenience stores use this process. Rice is what we call self-heating rice, and this type of rice is more appropriately called 'artificial rice'." The reason why self-heating rice can be cooked faster than natural rice is actually because the rice has been processed in advance. effort.

Tao Yajun introduced that in general, self-heating rice is made by adding a small amount of water to natural rice and cooking until it is about to mature, then dehydrating, drying, and then grinding into powder, adding some konjac flour and other formula materials, and re-pressing it. Rice grain properties.

Therefore, those hard rice grains that seem to be raw are actually packaged after a curing process. When eating, just add a small amount of water and heat them for a short time before eating.

　　Natural rice contains a lot of starch. When the rice is cooked and then cooled, the rice will feel hard. This is the result of rearrangement of the starch crystal structure and the "regeneration" of the starch.

Starch "rejuvenation" is irreversible and cannot be returned to its previous state by re-cooking.

As mentioned above, self-heating rice has already undergone a process of cooking and dehydration during processing, and consumers cook it a second time when eating it. Therefore, some people feel that self-heating rice tastes hard and not chewy. Strong reason.

"The digestion and absorption rate and nutritional value of the 'rejuvenated' rice will be reduced, and it is not conducive to digestion." Tao Yajun said that for self-heating rice, the "rejuvenation" of starch is a big obstacle, so odd and double additions are added. Additives such as glycerol fatty acid esters can help improve the softness, but at present, there is no national standard for the production of this type of food, only local and enterprise standards, so the taste varies greatly.

Doctor Reminder>>

Not necessarily less nutritious than traditional rice, but some people eat it at their discretion

　　With the acceleration of the pace of life, all kinds of consumption that can "liberate" people from cooking, such as takeaways and pre-made dishes, are constantly being accepted by the public, but while accepting them, food safety is also the focus of consumers' concern one.

So, can self-heating rice be eaten often as a staple food?

Is the nutrient content worse than natural rice?

"Self-heating rice is a product of industrial production, and it is already a mature food processing technology. The original flavor of the rice will be lost in the process of crushing the rice, but it will not have any effect on health." Tao Yajun Tell the reporter that the process of grinding and pulverizing is convenient for artificially adding some other raw materials, such as konjac flour and other dietary fibers, but it will make the nutrition of "compound rice" more balanced and comprehensive, which is its advantage.

However, it is difficult to grasp whether the manufacturer's environmental sanitation, use of additives and other issues meet the relevant requirements and standards.

"In terms of taste and safety, natural rice is still a better choice."

　　In addition, Jin Hui, chief physician of the Clinical Nutrition Department of Zhongda Hospital Affiliated to Southeast University, also reminded that mono- and diglyceride fatty acid esters are widely used as emulsifiers in biscuits, cakes, breads and other foods, and their main function is to improve the taste of food. , making it softer.

"But mono- and diglyceride fatty acid esters are themselves esters, which are not friendly to human blood lipid metabolism. Diabetic patients and people with dyslipidemia should eat as little food containing mono- and diglyceride fatty acid esters as possible. The fatty acid content increases, so it has a certain effect on raising the patient's blood lipids and blood sugar."

　　Yangzi Evening News/Ziniu News reporter Xu Qianqian