Current Status and Recent Subjects of Rice Products Development in Korea

국내 쌀 가공식품의 개발현황과 당면과제

Rice production in Korea began to rise significantly after 1970. Rice is the dominant food in Korea and most of the rice production (about 95%) is consumed as cooked rice. it provides over 4,000Kj of energy per capita per day. Apparent rice availability in 2000, 93.6Kg of milled rice per person annually. The non-allergenic character of rice offers a sound basis for development of products for markets for all age groups. Whole grains are washed rice, coated rice, enriched rice in Korea. Utilization of rice as food can be categorized three categories in Korea; direct food use, processed foods, and brewing. Rice for direct consumption include regular whole grain, precooked rice, brown rice and specialty products such as aseptic cooked rice, retort cooked rice and rice burger. Rice used for processed foods includes that for cereal, soup, baby food, snack, cake, noodle, brown rice tea, and minor unclassified uses. Rice use for brewing is for the production of fermented rice wine. The use of rice for direct food is by for the greatest of the three uses. Although direct food accounts for the largest domestic consumption, a significant quantity of rice is used in processed products. The use of rice by-products as human food should not be over looked. Utilization of by products(rice germ, rice bran) requires a specialized technology. Typical type of rice is black rice. When cooked, black rice gives a black color to cooked rice. Glutinous rice performs specific functions in several commercial products such as dessert, gravis, cake and snack. Rice starch production is quite limited because of the high cost of making of starch. Rice processed products in Korea are occupied small parts of total rice production compared to Japan. Rice cake (Garadog) is the principal from of rice product consumed in Korea. Rice cake and snack is usually prepared from non-glutinous milled by washing, grinding, steaming, cooling and packaging. Rice cake will be continued to be a major rice product in Korea. Rice products represent a means to study variety differences in rice grain quality, since the processing magnifies differences not normally detected from more boiling. Recently, rice processing companies in Korea are about 400 ones which uses rice about 160,000tons. New rice processed products and modified traditional products must be developed and diversified with high quality and processing properties of rice processed products are improved.