User:Livelaughgarfield/sandbox

The two main components and determinants of taste in rice are starch and protein. 80-90% of the weight of an uncooked rice grain is starch, and 7-10% is protein. Other important components of rice include fat, fibers, and minerals, all comprising less than 1% of rice by weight. The ratio of the two types of starch, linear amylose and branched amylopectin, affects cooked rice texture. Rice is mostly amylopectin, with amylose making up only 0-30% of the total starch. Amylopectin chains form double helices with each other and encourage crystallization, which raises the peak viscosity and starch gelatinization ability of cooked rice, meaning higher amylopectin content in rice will lead to a stickier cooked product. Gelatinization is also inhibited by protein, and a higher protein content leads to increased hardness of the surface of rice grains. Protein and amylose content is determined by the conditions of rice growth. Higher concentrations of fertilizer result in higher protein content, and nonoptimal environmental factors such as higher temperature and insufficient water make rice chalkier by decreasing starch levels.