Business value of artificial rice

Business value of artificial rice

Over the years, food researchers have continued to study better ways of enhancing nutrition for healthy population growth. Today, manufacturers can add vital nutrients to processed food products, thanks to food extrusion technologies. One of the most important discoveries is the invention of artificial rice. 

What is artificial rice?

Artificial rice, otherwise known as nutrition rice, is a special type of rice that is reconstituted with the help of a special machine known as a nutrition rice machine. During reconstitution, the machine uses broken rice as the main constituent, and other vital vitamins and minerals as portions of the ingredient. Once the rice is reconstituted, the rice is extruded into rice form by a twin-screw extruder machine. Next, the rice is dried with the aid of a rotary dryer to attain defined moisture content. 

In essence, the extrusion technology makes it possible to augment and modify the micro-nutrient in rice. Artificial rice can be blended with regular rice before cooking. When cooking is over, artificial rice grains are broken down into small pieces which are similar to regular grains in elasticity, viscosity and taste. 

What are the benefits of artificial rice?  

1.Food Fortification. Over the years, food fortification has been used as a remedy for assisting people who are at high risk of mineral deficiencies. The addition of regulated amounts of essential mineral and vitamins has helped many people to avoid mineral deficiencies. Today, food manufacturers can supplement important nutrients such as calcium, zinc, iron and vitamins. These nutrients are important for disease protection. 

2. Cost effective. Since nutrition rice uses broken rice grains for reconstitution, the production costs are lowered considerably. Normally, vital surface nutrients are lost when regular grains are washed. However, artificial rice helps to eliminate segregation problems since the nutrients are constituted inside the grains. While artificial rice is more expensive than the regular grains, it is normally cost effective since vital nutrient supplements are included in the grains hence one may not necessarily require fruit and vegetable supplements. More so, cost effectiveness is better experienced when artificial grains are mixed with natural rice before cooking. Fortified rice kernels can be added to regular grains in the ratio of 1:100 or 1:200. 

3. Varieties of Rice for different needs. The nutrient reconstitution process is flexible thus allow modifications on shape, texture, nutrient formulation as well as color to suit the needs of different populations. In addition, fortified rice can be produced without changing mouth feel as well as taste thus eases the acceptability of fortified rice among different populations. More specifically, fortified rice grains exhibit good physical stability with exceptional retention of minerals and vitamins especially during washing, cooking and storage.

In core, the artificial rice technology offers the unique opportunity to fortify rice with various types of essential proteins, vitamins and minerals such as iron, zinc as well as vitamin A and B. In fact, researchers believe there is no limit to the type of vital nutrients that can be included in artificial rice. It is also possible to modify the shape, texture and color of artificial rice with the assistance of artificial rice machines.