Some Characteristics of Rice Paper of Vietnamese Traditional Food (Vietnamese Spring Rolls)

Abstract

Rice papers made of non-glutinous rice are a common food item in Vietnam and Thailand. Called as Banh Da Nem in Vietnam, rice papers are used very often in the making of a traditional dish called Nem, i.e., Vietnamese spring rolls. The amino acid content in the rice papers extracted with water was found to be 2 to 3 fold higher than that in cooked nee, showing that the protein was resolved by microbial enzymes during the rice paper processing. Among organic acids, lactic acid is most common in rice papers, indicating that lactic bacteria is involved in the manufacturing. Many Gram-positive bacteria: Streptococcus constellatus, Streptococcus acidominimus, Staphylococcus capitis, Lactobacillus curvatus, Lactobacillus salivarius, and Gram-negative bacteria: Enterobacter cloacae, Klebsiella Sp., Pseuaomonas sp., along with wild type yeast were isolated from the milled-rice.