Assessment of the texture and digestion properties of a high amylose content rice cultivar under various water‐to‐rice ratios

Abstract Background and Objectives Increasing the water‐to‐rice (W/R) ratio can alleviate the hardness of cooked rice with high amylose content. However, whether it affects starch digestibility remains unknown. To determine the effect of the W/R ratio during cooking on starch digestion and texture properties, three W/R ratios, that is, 1.2, 1.6, and 2.0, two cultivars with different amylose contents: Zhenguiai (ZGA, 26.8 g/100 g) and Yuzhenxiang (YZX, 17.2 g/100 g) were evaluated. Findings Our results showed that the different W/R ratios had no significant effect on the glucose production rate (GPR) of the ZGA and YZX cultivars. However, when the W/R ratio increased from 1.2 to 2.0, the hardness and chewiness of ZGA decreased by 33.5% and 42.0%, respectively. The hardness and chewiness of ZGA were quite close to YZX under the 2.0 W/R ratio. In addition, the GPR of ZGA was 48% lower than that of YZX under the same cooking condition. Conclusions The hard texture of the high amylose content cultivar can be maximally adjusted without affecting digestion properties by increasing the W/R ratio in the range of 1.2–2.0. Significance and Novelty Diabetic patients will not have to endure the hard texture of high‐amylose rice. Rice producers can recommend more than one W/R ratio for consumers.