Why is Thai fragrant rice so fragrant

Why is Thai fragrant rice so fragrant

Why is Thai fragrant rice so fragrant

Thai fragrant rice is a long-grain rice native to Thailand and is a type of indica rice. It is renowned worldwide for its fragrant texture and unique pandanus aroma. It is one of the world's largest rice exports after basmati.

Thai fragrant rice is mainly produced in the northeast of Thailand, especially in Roi Et, Ubon Ratchathani, Burirum, four color chrysanthemum, Surin (Sulin), Yissothong and other places.

Thai fragrant rice can only show the best quality in the country of origin. This is because there are special growing conditions, especially during the flowering of fragrant rice, where the cool climate, bright daylight, and gradually decreasing humidity in the soil during rice filling play a very important role in the production and accumulation of fragrance.

Thailand's rice standards are the most detailed and detailed of any rice-producing country in the world. Strict rice standards have played a protective role in the quality of Thai rice exports and are also the passport for Thai rice to sell well in the world.

history

Rice has been cultivated in Thailand for more than 5,000 years, but only the famous Thai jasmine rice is considered a source of national pride. In 1945, a farmer in Chon Buri province in eastern Thailand discovered the KDML fragrant rice variety, which is short for Khao Dawk Mali, the Thai word for white jasmine.

The KDML seeds then spread to the neighbouring province of Chachoengsao, where agricultural officials collected 199 rice ears and started pure line breeding of KDML using single ear selection at Khok Samrong rice test Station in Lop Buri Province, central Thailand. Excellent strains were selected and tested in the northern, northeastern and central regions of Thailand. On May 25, 1959, it was officially named Thai Hom Mali Rice (KDML105) and later became one of the main varieties used in Thailand. The yield of KDML105 is usually very low, but with proper field management techniques, high yields of KDML105 can be achieved.

Aromatic mechanism

On May 22, 2007, the Thai Agricultural University discovered a compound called 2-acetyl-pyrroline (2-acetyl-1-pyrroline) from a Thai fragrant rice variety, KDML 105. This is despite the fact that rice's fragrance is made up of more than 200 unstable compounds. However, 2-AP is the main ingredient in the formation of this fragrance. Moreover, the compound has also been found in other cereals, banlan, fungi and bacteria.

The aroma of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline (acetylpyrroline) is similar to that of Pandanus amaryllifolius (Pandanus amaryllifolius). Some indigenous people in Southeast Asia often cook ordinary rice with fragrant leaves to produce a flavor similar to fragrant rice.

A team of scientists at Thailand Agricultural University has identified a DNA sequence that enhances the synthesis of acetylpyrroline in crops and fungi, the "odorant" gene in the Thai fragrant rice genome, and has filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

The rice genome consists of about 5,000 genes. Fragrant rice is "fragrant" because of genetic mutations, and fragrant rice actually contains abnormal genes. In its genetic map, eight genes are "down." Thai scientists say they are now investigating whether eight genes in the same position in the genome of other rice can be "artificially destroyed" to make it in a "shutdown" state, so as to achieve the purpose of changing ordinary rice into fragrant rice. The discovery has significant implications for Thai agriculture. In the same way, some common varieties of corn, rice, wheat, beans and coconuts can be artificially improved to improve quality and yield.