Brown rice is a

whole grain A whole grain is a grain of any cereal and pseudocereal that contains the endosperm, germ, and bran, in contrast to refined grains, which retain only the endosperm. As part of a general healthy diet, consumption of whole grains is associated ...

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

with only the inedible outer hull removed. This kind of rice sheds its outer hull or husk but the bran and germ layer remain on, constituting the brown or tan colour of rice.

White rice White rice is milled rice that has had the husk, bran, and germ removed. This alters the flavor, texture and appearance of the seed; helps prevent spoilage (extends its storage life); and makes it easier to digest. After brown rice is milled ...

is the same grain without the hull, the bran layer, and the

cereal germ The germ of a cereal grain is the part that develops into a plant; it is the seed embryo. Along with bran, germ is often a by-product of the milling that produces refined grain products. Cereal grains and their components, such as wheat ge ...

. Red rice, gold rice, and

black rice Black rice, also known as purple rice or forbidden rice, is a range of rice types of the species '' Oryza sativa'', some of which are glutinous rice. There are several varieties of black rice available today. These include Indonesian black ri ...

(also called purple rice) are all whole rice with differently pigmented outer layers.

Cooking time

Brown rice generally needs longer cooking times than

white rice White rice is milled rice that has had the husk, bran, and germ removed. This alters the flavor, texture and appearance of the seed; helps prevent spoilage (extends its storage life); and makes it easier to digest. After brown rice is milled ...

, unless it is broken or flour blasted (which perforates the bran without removing it). Studies in 2003 estimated a cooking time between 35 and 51 minutes. A shorter cooking time is necessary for "converted" or

parboiled rice Parboiled rice, also called converted rice, easy-cook rice, sella rice, and miniket (as predominantly called in West Bengal and Odisha in India, and in Bangladesh) is rice that has been parboiling, partially boiled in the husk. The three basic s ...

Storage

Brown rice has a shelf life of approximately 6 months, but hermetic storage,

refrigeration Refrigeration is any of various types of cooling of a space, substance, or system to lower and/or maintain its temperature below the ambient one (while the removed heat is ejected to a place of higher temperature).IIR International Dictionary of ...

freezing Freezing is a phase transition in which a liquid turns into a solid when its temperature is lowered below its freezing point. For most substances, the melting and freezing points are the same temperature; however, certain substances possess dif ...

can significantly extend its lifetime. Freezing, even periodically, can also help control infestations of Indian meal moths.

Nutrition

Cooked, long-grain brown rice is 70% water, 26%

carbohydrate A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ...

s, 3%

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

, and 1%

fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specif ...

. In a reference amount of , cooked brown rice supplies 123

calorie The calorie is a unit of energy that originated from the caloric theory of heat. The large calorie, food calorie, dietary calorie, kilocalorie, or kilogram calorie is defined as the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of one liter o ...

s of

food energy Food energy is chemical energy that animals and humans derive from food to sustain their metabolism and muscular activity. Most animals derive most of their energy from aerobic respiration, namely combining the carbohydrates, fats, and protein ...

, and is a rich source (20% or more of the

Daily Value In the U.S. and Canada, the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) is used in nutrition labeling on food and dietary supplement products to indicate the daily intake level of a nutrient that is considered to be sufficient to meet the requirements of 97� ...

, DV) of

manganese Manganese is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese was first isolated in the 1770s. It is a transition m ...

(36% DV) and moderate source (11-17% DV) of

magnesium Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...

, niacin, and

thiamine Thiamine, also known as thiamin and vitamin B1, is a vitamin – an Nutrient#Micronutrients, essential micronutrient for humans and animals. It is found in food and commercially synthesized to be a dietary supplement or medication. Phosp ...

Arsenic

Arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol As and atomic number 33. It is a metalloid and one of the pnictogens, and therefore shares many properties with its group 15 neighbors phosphorus and antimony. Arsenic is not ...

is in the natural environment and may be present in common grains, such as brown rice. Although rice may absorb arsenic more readily than other crops, rice remains as a staple of a well-balanced diet, particularly when fortified with

micronutrient Micronutrients are essential chemicals required by organisms in small quantities to perform various biogeochemical processes and regulate physiological functions of cells and organs. By enabling these processes, micronutrients support the heal ...

s in infant rice cereal. Cooking brown rice in hot water can reduce the content of inorganic arsenic by 40-60%, although this cooking method also diminishes the content of micronutrients.

In Vietnam

Brown rice is widely cultivated in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, mainly in the northern and central provinces. According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the area of brown rice cultivation in Vietnam in 2023 reached 150,000 hectares, with a production of 1.2 million tons. Brown rice has high economic value and is popular in the market. The price of brown rice is usually higher than white rice by 10-20%. Brown rice has great potential for development in

, and could become a major export product.

Gallery

File:Reis - Sorte C roh.jpg, African rice in its inedible husk ''(seed rice, will sprout)'' File:Reis - Sorte C voll.jpg, The same rice, husked (whole brown rice) ''(colour varies by variety)'' File:Reis_-_Sorte_C_weiss.jpg, The same rice, with almost all bran and germ removed to make white rice

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brown Rice American Chinese cuisine Rice dishes Rice Rice varieties Peasant food de:Reis#Verarbeitung