Fluidized‐bed drying of black rice grains: Impact on cooking properties, in vitro starch digestibility, and bioaccessibility of phenolic compounds

This study evaluated the influence of different fluidized‐bed drying temperatures (20, 60, and 100 °C) on the cooking properties, in vitro starch digestibility, and phenolic bioaccessibility of black rice. The results indicated that the formation of fissures in the grains dried at or above 60 °C reduced the physical integrity of the grains after cooking, increasing the starch digestion and the rehydration ratio, and reduced the cooking time, the hardness and adhesiveness. Due to the higher digestibility of grains dried at higher temperatures, an increase in the bioaccessibility of ferulic acid, which was previously associated with the polysaccharides, was observed. Caffeic acid was the only phenolic compound whose levels decreased when the drying temperature increased. At high temperatures and in the gastric phase, cyanidin chalcones were formed due to the deglycosylation of cyanidin‐3‐O‐glucoside. Practical Application The results of this study provide information to the food industry about the effects of different fluidized‐bed drying temperatures on the rice structure after cooking and that, consequently, affect the availability of bioactive compounds after digestion and the glycemic index of black rice.