Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is the staple food of over approximately one-half of the world’s population. In Asia alone, more than 2000 million people obtain 60–70% of their calories from rice and its products.
Rice production in Taiwan is estimated to be 1.2 million ton; people in Taiwan consume rice as boiled rice besides in processed products like noodles, crackers, cakes, desserts, and cookies.
Starch is the main component of rice grain.
Gelatinization, retrogradation and pasting characteristics of starch affect the quality of rice flour and hence rice products. These characteristics are dependent upon the ratio of amylose to amylopectin, chain length,degree of branching of amylopectin, lipid-complex amylose, and chains and granule architecture, i.e. crystalline to amorphous area ratio.