Ruel J. Arila Jr.

Particle Technology
BS Chemical Engineering July 28, 2018

Performance Task 4

A Review of the Study ‘Effects of particle size distributions of rice flour on the quality of gluten-
free rice cupcakes”
Ji-Myong Kim, Malschick Shin

Due to its relative ease in cultivation and high nutritional content, rice has grown to become
the major source of carbohydrates for a large majority of people in the world. In fact, it has become a
staple source of food for approximately half of the world population, especially in East Asia. Today,
with the rise of an increasingly globalized economy and culture, rice is presented with both challenges
and opportunities.

Due to the exposure of many Asians to Western culture and cuisine, the demand for Western-
styled pastries such as breads, cakes, and pastas have been increasing. Traditionally these products
are made of wheat flour, which has forced rice producers to produce a local alternative. This proved
to be a challenge, however, because rice did not contain gluten, a protein that bind starch molecules
together during baking allowing the bread to rise. To achieve the same effect, rice undergoes
gelatinization and drying before it can be milled into rice flour.

This study investigates the effects of using mills with sieves of different meshes, namely 80,
120, 160, and 200 mesh. The nutritional properties of amylose content and damaged starch were first
investigated for each mill product. Water binding capacity (WBC), solubility, and swelling property
(SP), properties important in the baking stage, were obtained for each mesh size and compared with
each other. After undergoing baking, the rice cakes were subjected to further analyses and preference
tests to determine the qualities that affect palatability such as hardness, cohesiveness, springiness,
appearance, taste, and flavor.

The results showed that the different particle sizes had major implications in the flour
properties. The WBC and solubility of rice flour in water, properties both desired by bakers, increased
significantly as the particle size decreased. Damage starch, which allows water to be trapped and
causes increased puffiness in the rice cupcakes, also increased as particle size decreased. This was
further confirmed by the cross-sectional microstructure of the cupcakes, showing more trapped air
bubbles in the smaller sized flour. The preference test, however, showed that the rice cupcakes from
the mesh 200 flours proved too soft and airy for commercial purposes. The study concluded that rice
flours from mesh 120 and 160 sieves were the most viable flours for cake-type bakery products.

This study opened to me the idea of an alternative for wheat based products. With an
increasing awareness on the existence of celiac disease, which forces a person to adhere to a gluten-
free diet (or else suffer from immunity disorders, osteoporosis, and other neurological problems), the
study on rice flour proves to be a crucial need. In the next few years rice flour could and probably will
become a major contributor in the baking industry.

What could be perhaps improved in this study is the use of other varieties of rice. An
interesting study would be the comparison of properties with that of glutinous rice (which, contrary
to its name, is gluten free). Other varieties found outside Korea, especially those being studied and
developed in the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines should also be studied,
considering the international potential of the rice flour industry.