Medicinal properties and process optimisation for GABA enrichment in rice

Abstract

Rice, the grain of life is consumed worldwide and serves as the cornerstone of global food security. Brown rice in its whole form contains various nutritive and bioactive components and has numerous health benefits. Germination is an effective method to enhance the organoleptic, textural and nutritional qualities of rice grains, including functional compounds such as gamma amino butyric acid (GABA).

The present study revealed that, GABA content in rice can be enhanced by adopting optimum soaking and germination durations. In GABA enriched rice, the antioxidant, antiproliferative activities, nutritional benefits and sensory qualities were found to be higher than ungerminated rice. The developed processed rice products showed good sensory qualities and retained GABA content. Germination is an effective and low cost strategy to transform rice into a functional food.