Water content of cooked rice is related to variety and cooking method

If an average water content is used with records of weighed food intake to calculate nutrient intake, it is important to establish that the value is appropriate. A previous study in three villages in The Gambia, West Africa, reported an average value for the water content of cooked rice of 65.8% and a fairly wide range of values for individual samples (SD 5.52, n 2666). We present values for the water contents of ten varieties of rice that confirm the results of the previous study. A wide range of values is observed because some varieties of rice, and the same variety cooked in different villages, have average water contents, ranging from 60% to 68%, that differ significantly from the overall mean. Use of the overall mean value for water content for those varieties could lead to underestimates of water intakes of the order of 6%, representing underestimates of nutrient intake of 15%. © 1991 Pergamon Press plc. All rights reserved.