DIY germinated rice is very simple; the Kaohsiung Agricultural Research and Extension Station has developed a dedicated electronic rice cooker.
Text and photos/Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station
Sprouted rice is an excellent health food. To let the public conveniently enjoy fresh sprouted rice, researchers at the Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station have carefully developed a rice cooker that has the basic functions of a household rice cooker and can also conveniently make sprouted rice. Simply put washed brown rice into the pot and press the set function button; after 18 hours the brown rice will sprout and then directly cook into sprouted rice. Its functions surpass similar products currently sold domestically and abroad.
The Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station pointed out that during soaking, brown rice undergoes special biochemical reactions that fully activate its internal enzymes and produce sprouts 0.05-0.1 cm long. Sprouted brown rice contains health-promoting components such as gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), ferulic acid and inositol hexaphosphate (IP6) at levels 10 times those of white rice.
Among these, GABA has been proven to have positive effects on lowering blood pressure, aiding sleep, relieving menopausal symptoms in women, and protecting kidney and liver function, making it quite popular with consumers. Because sprouted rice is still made by manual methods, the sprouting time is complicated and lengthy, and the water must be changed manually during sprouting, which affects people's willingness to make it themselves.
In view of this, the Kaohsiung Station took the lead in establishing a complete sprouted rice production model, combining the principle of automatic control with an IC circuit control board to develop a small sprouted rice rice cooker. It is hoped that after future commercialization it can be provided for consumers to use, thereby increasing people's willingness to eat rice; if the catering industry needs a larger capacity, this design can also be expanded according to actual conditions.
The Kaohsiung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station further explained that the sprouted rice rice cooker looks similar to commercially available household rice cookers but has better functions. In addition to making sprouted rice, it can also be used to simply cook white rice. Its operating process begins after a person places rice into the pot; it can then automatically add water, change water, ventilate, germinate and control temperature. After sprouting is complete, the water-changing motor must be removed before cooking. After performance testing, it has reached the practical stage. In the future, the technology will be transferred to manufacturers for commercial production, providing consumers with more diverse choices.
If anyone needs further information about the sprouted rice rice cooker, they can contact the Kaohsiung Station's Agricultural Machinery Research Laboratory (08-7389158) directly, and technical staff will wholeheartedly serve all sectors.