Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Ge(germanium) treatment on rice quality. Rice samples were divided into the following treatment groups: control(CON: cultivated without Ge), Ge-1(cultivated with 200 kg of rough stone powder containing 1.6 mg/kg germanium per 10 ha), and Ge-2(cultivated with 500 kg of rough stone powder containing 1.6 mg/kg germanium per 10 ha). The mean total Ge level in the Ge-2 sample was 20.47 ppb. The levels of Ca and Na in the Ge-2 rice increased by 65.12 and 110.28%, respectively, when compared to the control, whereas the Zn, Mn, Fe, Mg and K content decreased by 11.44~30.50%. No significant difference in the percentage weight of C and O was observed among samples. The order of the percentage weight of P, S, and Cl was Ge-2>Ge-1>CON. The free amino acids were higher in samples from the Ge-1 and Ge-2 groups than in samples from the control. The GABA($\gamma$-aminobutyric acid) amount in the Ge-2 products was significantly high compared to other groups. The micro structure of Ge-2 showed a firmer network than the control and had a macroporous structure. Conversely, the Ge-2 products had higher scores for stickiness, hardness and overall taste when compared to the other groups. These results suggest that rice treated with rough stone powder containing germanium can be used in the production of commercially-desired functional rice.
