Submitter: (International Rice Research Institute - IRRI)
Rice flakes/flattened rice - is a quick-cooking and nutritious breakfast option, rich in micronutrients and vitamins. With all the inherent benefits of rice, it is considered as a healthy and wholesome food choice.
Popped rice - made from whole paddy, is a commonly consumed ready-to-eat breakfast cereal. As a wholegrain product, it is highly nutritious and provides a range of health-benefiting nutrients, including dietary fibre, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.
Wholegrain rice semolina - is made from whole brown rice either raw, parboiled, or pigmented and is typically used in preparing breakfast items such as porridge. It is a nutrient-rich ingredient, high in dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Wholegrain rice cookies - are nutritious snacks made from 100% wholegrain brown rice flour, sugar, and butter. These baked, sweet treats serve as a healthy option for all age groups, including children, and individuals with celiac disease. Naturally rich in insoluble dietary fiber, micronutrients, oryzanol, and nutraceuticals, these aromatic, crispy, and flavorful cookies are a delicious and healthful snacking alternative.
Rice Flakes / Flattened Rice
· Main Components: Paddy, brown rice and milled rice, processed through flattening.
· Processing Method: Parboiling and flattening of paddy and rice grains.
· Tools/Techniques: Roasters, edge runner, flaking rollers, rice flake grader and tray dryer.
· Benefits: Quick-cooking, convenient breakfast option, retains rice’s inherent nutrients – rich in micronutrients and vitamins, wholesome, healthy, and easily digestible, suitable for a variety of dietary patterns.
Popped Rice
· Main Components: Whole paddy rice grains.
· Processing Method: High-temperature dry heat treatment to pop grains.
· Tools/Techniques: Popping machines or electric or LPG revolving roaster and sieves.
· Benefits:Ready-to-eat, no cooking required, wholegrain-based, rich in dietary fiber and phytochemicals, contains essential vitamins and minerals, popular cereal snack with low-fat content and good satiety.
Wholegrain Rice Semolina
· Main Components: Brown rice (raw, parboiled, or pigmented).
· Processing Method: Milling into coarse semolina granules.
· Tools/Techniques: Hammer mill, plat mill and vibro sifters.
· Benefits: High in dietary fiber, vitamins (like B-complex), and minerals, can be used in porridge, upma, and breakfast blends, promotes digestive health and provides sustained energy and deal for health-conscious consumers.
Wholegrain Rice Cookies
· Main Components: Wholegrain brown rice flour (Pigmented and non-pigmented rice), white/brown sugar or jaggery and bakery shortening/butter.
· Processing Method: Dough mixing, molding, and baking.
· Tools/Techniques: Dough mixers, cookie molds and deck/rotary rack ovens.
· Benefits: Gluten-free – suitable for celiac individuals, rich in insoluble fiber, oryzanol, and natural antioxidants, crispy, aromatic, and flavorful, nutritious and appealing snack for all age groups.
Overall Value Added
Enhances marketability and profitability of rice, promotes better nutrition and dietary diversity, encourages use of underutilized rice varieties (e.g., pigmented rice), supports rural entrepreneurship and small-scale food industries.
These technologies will work in regions with: Rainfed lowlands and irrigated ecosystems: high rice productivity makes surplus available for processing; Hilly and tribal regions with traditional rice varieties: Value addition can preserve heirloom varieties and enhance farmer income; Coastal and deltaic zones: High potential due to dual cropping and seasonal surplus
These technologies are already used or adopted in regions with: India (e.g., Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam), North-Eastern India (e.g., Manipur, Meghalaya): Pigmented and indigenous rice varieties can be used for niche products like cookies or semolina.
These technologies are ideal for Rural agro-processing clusters and community-based enterprises (SHGs, FPOs), urban peripheries with access to markets and transportation and regions with youth and women-led microenterprises interested in food innovation and entrepreneurship.
The rice-based value-added products, rice flakes, popped rice, wholegrain rice semolina, and wholegrain rice cookies, offer highly scalable and adoptable food solutions due to their health benefits, consumer appeal, and ease of production. These products cater to a growing demand for nutritious, ready-to-eat or easy-to-prepare foods and can be positioned across rural and urban markets.
Why It Can Be Scaled
1. Low-Cost Production: These products can be produced with minimal processing infrastructure. Rice, the primary raw material, is widely cultivated and available at scale across many regions, especially in rice-producing countries.
2. Adaptable to Local Tastes: Recipes and flavor profiles can be easily tailored to suit local consumer preferences without significant changes to the production process.
3. Shelf-Stable and Transport-Friendly: All products mentioned are shelf-stable, lightweight, and easy to package and distribute, making them ideal for regional and national supply chains.
4. Health-Focused Market Demand: Growing consumer awareness of whole grains, gluten-free options, and nutritious snacks makes these products well-suited to modern dietary trends.
5. Partner-Ready Business Models: These products are suitable for cottage industries, MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises), and can also be scaled up through FPOs (Farmer Producer Organizations), cooperatives, or private entrepreneurs.
6. Employment & Entrepreneurship Potential: Can stimulate local economies by creating job opportunities in food processing, packaging, logistics, and retail.
What’s Needed to Adopt It
1. Training & Capacity Building: Technical training on processing techniques, food safety, and quality control. Entrepreneurship development programs for rural youth and women’s self-help groups.
2. Infrastructure & Equipment Support: Low-cost, modular processing units for puffing, flattening, milling, baking, etc. Support for access to packaging materials and storage facilities.
3. Market Linkages & Branding: Development of marketing strategies to promote health benefits. Support in branding, labeling (e.g., gluten-free, high-fiber), and certification for niche health-conscious markets.
4. Policy & Financial Support: Access to micro-financing, subsidies, and public-private partnerships. Inclusion under government food security and nutrition programs (e.g., mid-day meals, ICDS).
5. Research & Innovation: Continued development of product variations (e.g., flavored popped rice, fortified rice flakes). R&D support for improving shelf life, nutrient retention, and sensory appeal.
Product-Specific Adoption Highlights
· Rice Flakes: Easily adoptable with small-scale equipment; strong demand for quick-cooking breakfast options.
· Popped Rice: Traditional knowledge exists; modernized packaging and flavoring can broaden appeal.
· Wholegrain Rice Semolina: Requires minimal modification from existing grain milling systems; potential for nutritional fortification.
Wholegrain Rice Cookies: Strong fit for urban and export markets; demand for gluten-free and kids’ snacks supports scalability.
Dr. Nese Sreenivasulu, Principal Scientist, Grain Quality and Nutrition
Email: n.sreenivasulu@cgiar.org
Dr. Hameeda Banu Itagi, Scientist I - Product Development & Sensory
Email: h.itagi@cgiar.org
Mob. +91 8217859984
