Some observations on the histology of raw and parboiled rice.

Stained transverse sections of dehusked grains of (i) raw and (ii) parboiled rice were prepared. Oil globules in (i) were discrete round bodies dispersed mostly in the aleurone layer, but in (ii) the globular structure had been destroyed. In many sections of (ii) there were indications that the bran layers had separated from the aleurone layer. Oil globules were not affected when paddy was soaked in water less than 70 degree C, but steaming of the soaked paddy or soaking greater than 80 degree C tended to rupture the globules. The loose spongy cells separating the scutellum and endosperm became compressed by expansion of the endosperm cells during parboiling. Protein was predominant in the aleurone and sub-aleurone cells in (i) and (ii), and appeared to remain in situ during parboiling and cooking.