Characterization and utilization of hydroxypropylated rice starches for improving textural and storage properties of rice puddings.

This work investigated the effect of hydroxypropylation on the physicochemical characteristics of Basmati and Irri rice starches with milk and water. The effect of hydroxypropylated starches on the storage, texture stability and sensory characteristics of rice pudding was studied. Pudding was prepared by replacing 3%, 5% and 10% of Irri rice flour with native and hydroxypropylated starches isolated from two predominant rice varieties of Pakistan; Irri and Basmati. Syneresis was not observed in pudding made with hydroxypropylated starches and native basmati starch. On the contrary, pudding prepared with Irri rice flour and Irri starches showed poor keeping quality. Sensory analysis showed that modification of rice starches did not significantly alter the color, flavor, taste and overall acceptability of pudding. The results suggested that rice pudding, a very popular dessert of South Asia could be prepared with improved storage characteristics using hydroxypropylated starches without altering the taste and acceptability of the product.