Rheological properties of rice–blackgram batter while replacing white rice with brown rice

Rice–blackgram batter is a raw material for many traditional convenience foods in Asia. Reformulation of traditional convenience food by replacing white rice with whole rice (brown rice) is a novel method to reduce the consumption of refined grain and increase the intake of whole grain in our diet. In this study, rheological properties of rice–blackgram batter was investigated while replacing white rice with brown rice at five levels (T1 – 0% replacement (control), T2 – 25% replacement, T3 – 50% replacement, T4 – 75% replacement, and T5 – 100% replacement). The shear stress versus shear rate plot indicates that the rice–blackgram batter exhibited non-Newtonian fluid behavior (shear thinning property) even after 100% replacement of white rice with brown rice. The rheological characteristics of rice–blackgram batters fitted reasonably well in Cassan (r² = 0.8521–0.9856) and power law (r² = 0.8042–0.9823) models. Brown rice replacement at all levels did not affect the flow behavior index, yield stress, consistency coefficient, and apparent viscosity of batter at 25 ℃. However, at higher temperature, the viscosity was greater for T4 and T5 (no difference between them) than T1, T2, and T3 (no difference between them) batters. Further research is required to determine the sensory attributes and acceptability of the cooked products with brown rice-blended batter.