Impact of ultrasonic treatment on rice starch and grain functional properties: A review

•First report on the current information on the effects of ultrasonic treatment on rice grain and rice starch.•Ultrasound imparts morphological, textural, and physicochemical changes in rice rain and rice starch.•Ultrasonication enhances the formation of metabolites, uptake of fortificants, and softening of rice texture.•Ultrasonic treatment can be used for applications towards the improvement of rice functional properties. As a green, nonthermal, and innovative technology, ultrasonication generates acoustic cavitation in an aqueous medium, developing physical forces that affect the starch chemistry and rice grain characteristics. This review describes the current information on the effect of ultrasonication on the morphological, textural, and physicochemical properties of rice starch and grain. In a biphasic system, ultrasonication introduced fissures and cracks, which facilitated higher uptake of water and altered the rice starch characteristics impacting textural properties. In wholegrain rice, ultrasonic treatment stimulated the production of health-related metabolites, facilitated the higher uptake of micronutrient fortificants, and enhanced the palatability by softening the rice texture. This review provides insights into the future direction on the utilization of ultrasonication for the applications towards the improvement of rice functional properties.