Rice is at the heart of our ingredient portfolio and provides an exceptionally versatile starting point for food product development. With more than 44,000 rice varieties known worldwide, understanding the characteristics of the raw material is essential for achieving the desired functionality. We work with rice types ranging from waxy rice with <1% amylose, through Japonica rice with 12–20% amylose, to Indica rice with 20–32% amylose.
The amylose-to-amylopectin balance is an important parameter when selecting rice for ingredient development. Combined with particle size and processing technology, the choice of rice provides different routes to functionalities such as thickening, water binding, gelling, texturizing and coating.
For R&D teams, this broad diversity makes rice particularly interesting when managing texture, viscosity, moisture and processing behaviour. By starting with the right rice characteristics, developers can explore solutions for applications ranging from gluten-free bakery, coatings and snacks to dairy and baby food.
