Consumer Taste Preference Test of US Southern Medium Grain Rice.

Many Asians consume large amounts of medium-grain rice as their primary staple food. Even the average Asian American consumes 70-100 lbs per year of medium-grain table rice. Gradually, demand around the world for high quality medium-grain rice has increased due to greater interests in healthy diets, food safety and taste preferences. Because of taste preference by consumers, the price of high quality Japonica type medium-grain rice in the grocery store is more than double that of Indica type. Currently, California produces most of the US domestic japonica type medium-grain rice. Some states in the mid-South, including Arkansas and Louisiana, have increased medium-grain rice production. It can also be produced in the Missouri boot heel. Taste preference of medium-grain rice is related to factors including genetic characteristics, crop and soil management techniques and post-harvest treatments linked to cooking processes. Quality japonica type medium-grain rice has less than 7% protein in the grain and the starch has less than 20% amylose content. Genetics of the variety is the major factor controlling grain quality. Nitrogen (N) application is essential for maintaining rice grain yield. It also increases milling quality and but increases protein content of the head rice. The rice research team at the University of Missouri Delta Research Center produced several medium-grain rice varieties (Bangal, CL261, Jupiter and Neptune) with better rice quality. Reducing N by 30% reduced grain yield by 15%. Yet, grain quality was improved by having less than 6% grain protein and starch with less than 18% amylose content. A taste preference test involved over 270 consumers who regularly use medium-grain rice. Based on test categories (i.e., shape, smell, taste, stickiness, texture, and overall), the panel preferred Jupiter 8% higher than the reference rice variety, Nishiki, a commercial California variety. Taste accounted for 73% of the preference and price accounted for only 16%. Asians and other participants who eat rice more than five times a week could detect variety differences. The non-Asian group did not have a taste preference for a specific variety. The medium-grain rice varieties used in this research were usually ranked higher by participants in the in-home taste test than by the first panel test in a controlled test environment. The results indicate production of high quality medium-grain rice appeals to Asians and to other every-day rice consumers. Further study on high quality rice varieties and their management technologies are necessary improve grain quality, selling price and profit for rice producers.