Kazuko Nishita (1.) and Maura Bean check the quality of 100 percent rice-flour bread at the USDA Western Regional Research Center, Berkeley.

The search for new markets for California rice

Rice marketing and utilization study began at UCD in 1970 and was expanded into a joint research effort with the USDA Western Regional Research Center, Berkeley, in 1974. In 1977, $17,500 in grower support to rice utilization research attracted $125,000 in federal funds and greatly expanded research to develop new domestic uses for California rice. Research objectives have concentrated on reducing stickiness of cooked California rice, expanding uses of rice flour, and on the development, utilization, and stability aspect of other new rice products. The results:

• An instant rice was made from freezedried, precooked Calrose frozen rice.
• Techniques have been developed for making frozen rice products.
• Studies were earned out on precooked instant rice to determine best methods of preparation.
• A fermented rice called "Lao-chao" was produced from a mixture of 2/3 Calrose and 1/3 sweet rice.
• Canned-rice experiments involving Calrose rice fortified with kidney beans, garbanzo beans, and textured soy proteins developed a satisfactory product.
• Rice-flour products have attracted considerable interest as nutritious replacements for wheat-flour products. These products can be particularly useful to consumers allergic to wheat protein or on a low-sodium diet.
• Hot-air treatment of milled short or medium rice reduced stickiness on subsequent cooking.
• Three major food-processing companies have shown serious interest in Commercializing a USDA-developed quickcooking process which yields a flavorful, nonpasty product. Using a centrifugal fluidized bed for the critical drying step, the new process is very flexible and applicable to all grains of white rice and yields products similar to "minute rice." Brown rice and wild rice have also been processed satisfactorily.
• Surveys confirmed that rice grain length and ease and reliability of preparation are important to California consumers. Regardless of preparation method, California consumers in large metropolitan areas also rated long-grain rice superior to the medium grain in appearance, size, stickiness, and fluffiness. Recognition of these consumer preferences is essential for developing potential markets and underlines the importance of continuing the efforts by our rice breeders to develop a good long grain variety for California production