Abstract

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of parboiling on the nutritional value of three Iraqi rice varieties grown in Iraq: Iraqi Amber 300, Iraq 179, and Iraq Basmati 201.The results indicated that the parboiling process does not affect grain length, but significantly influences grain width and elongation capacity. The width of brown rice grains was recorded at 3.18, 2.06, and 2.05 mm, respectively. It was found that processing techniques and rice variety play a crucial role in altering the chemical composition. Furthermore, the gelatinization capacity and water retention increased depending on the preparation method. The data showed that the crude protein content decreased slightly during parboiling. Conversely, the results revealed that parboiling increases the ash content, reaching 0.86% in Iraq Basmati 201, while carbohydrate percentages ranged between 90.14% and 91.40%.The findings also indicated that the level of phenolic compounds in white rice samples was significantly higher than in parboiled rice. Regarding antioxidant activity, the DPPH free radical scavenging activity was comparable in both parboiled and white rice; the highest scavenging activity was recorded at 37.10% and 33.20% in white Iraq Basmati and white Iraqi Amber 300, respectively. Finally, the results demonstrated that parboiled rice achieved high overall acceptability in sensory evaluation indices. These findings highlight the characteristics of new Iraqi Amber rice varieties and the impact of parboiling on their properties.