Evaluation and application of suitable Hokkaido rice cultivars for commercial use

Abstract

Recently, the demand for commercial Hokkaido rice has been on the rise. Consumers are calling for the development of Hokkaido rice cultivars that are suitable for commercial use, in addition to the popular household varieties. In response, we have been developing new Hokkaido rice cultivars as well as evaluation methods to determine the suitability of these cultivars for commercial use. 1. Definition of suitability for commercial use From 2009 to 2013, we visited 13 major commercial users of Hokkaido rice and conducted interviews to gain an understanding of the qualities considered essential in commercial rice. All the surveyed companies listed the following four processes in rice production: 1) commercial milling, 2) commercial cooking, 3) rice processing and molding, and 4) storage and distribution prior to consumption. The data demonstrated that in each process, the suitability of rice was evaluated based not only on taste andquality, but also on the unique commercial perspectives of economic efficiency and workability. 2. Development of a methodto evaluate the suitability of Hokkaido rice for commercial use Basedon the results of the above survey, we identified the appropriate parameters to evaluate the suitability of commercial rice, as specified by actual consumers. We undertook the development of new evaluation methods that take into consideration economic efficiency (cooking yield) and workability (stickiness), aspects not previously considered. Addition of the parameters from the new evaluation method to the existing parameters of taste and quality is anticipated to make the assessment comprehensive andad dress the requirements of various commercial users, which include determining the amount of water to be added to achieve low stickiness (workability) and high cooking yield (economic efficiency). The ultimate goal is to select cultivars with reduced stickiness (workability), culminating in the selection of cultivars that have only moderate stickiness and little discoloration (taste and quality).