UTILISATION OF INFRARED STABILISED IMMATURE RICE GRAINS IN A CEREAL BASED FERMENTED FOOD: TARHANA

Immature rice grain is one of the under-valued by-products of rice milling industry. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of immature rice grain flour (IRGF) substitution to tarhana, which is a traditional cereal-based, fermented food product. IRGF was replaced by refined wheat flour at the levels of 0 (control), 30, 50, 70. and 100%. and the effect of this replacement on the contents of crude rat, ash. protein. dietary fibre. phytic acid, minerals, vitamins B-1 and B-2, tocopherols, gamma-oryzanol contents and sensory properties were investigated. It was shown that stabilised IRGF remarkably improved nutritional properties of the end product without adversely affecting sensory quality up to 50%. In conclusion, it could be suggested that stabilised IRGF has a promising potential for many food applications due to being cheap, accessible, nutritious, and gluten-free.