Basmati
Basmati (Hindi: बासमती, Bengali: বাসমতী, Tamil: பாஸ்மதி Kannada: ಭಾಸ್ಮತಿ,Oriya: ବାସୁମତୀ, Urdu: باسمتی, Telugu: బాస్మతి) is a variety of long grain rice grown in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, notable for its fragrance and delicate, nuanced flavour. Its name means "the fragrant one" in Sanskrit, but it can also mean "the soft rice". India is the largest cultivator, consumer and exporter of this rice; it is primarily grown through paddy field farming in the Punjab region.
The grains of basmati rice are longer than most other types of rice. Cooked grains of Basmati rice are characteristically free flowing rather than sticky, as with most long-grain rice. Cooked basmati rice can be uniquely identified by its fragrance. Basmati rice is available in two varieties: white and brown.
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[edit] Flavour
Basmati rice has a typical pandan-like (Pandanus fascicularis leaf) flavour caused by the aroma compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline.[1] Basmati Rice is the choice of rice used for cooking Biryani, Pilao and sometimes Kheer.
[edit] Varieties and hybrids
A number of varieties of basmati rice exist. Traditional types include Basmati-370, Basmati-385 and Basmati-Ranbirsinghpura(R.S.Pura), while hybrid basmati varieties include Pusa Basmati 1 (also called 'Todal', because the flower has awns). Fragrant rices that are derived from basmati stock but are not considered true basmati varieties include PB2 (also called sugandh-2), PB3 and RH-10.
Scientists at Indian Agricultural Research Institute, Delhi took the traditional basmati and genetically modified it to produce a hybrid which had most of the good features of traditional basmati (grain elongation, fragrance, alkali content) and the plant was a semi-dwarf type. This basmati was called Pusa Basmati-1. PB1 crop yield is higher than the traditional varieties (up to twice as much).
[edit] List of approved varieties
Punjab, Kernel Basmati Dehradun, Safidon, Haryana, Super basmati, Kasturi (Baran, Rajasthan), Basmati 198, basmati 217, basmati 370, basmati 385, basmati 386, Bihar, Kasturi, Mahi Suganda, Pusa, Ranbir, Taraori.[2] Some non-traditional aromatic crosses with basmati characteristics are marketed under a Sugandh designation.[3][4]
[edit] Detection of adulterated strains
Difficulty in differentiating genuine traditional basmati from pretenders and the significant price difference between them has led fraudulent traders to adulterate traditional basmati. To protect the interests of consumers and trade, a PCR-based assay similar to DNA fingerprinting in humans allows for the detection of adulterated and non-basmati strains. Its detection limit for adulteration is from 1% upwards with an error rate of ±1.5%. Exporters of basmati rice use 'purity certificates' based on DNA tests for their basmati rice consignments. See Protocol [1] and [2]. Based on this protocol, which was developed at the Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics, Labindia, an Indian company has released kits to detect basmati adulteration.[5]
[edit] Patent battle
In September 1997, a Texas company called RiceTec won a patent (U.S. Patent No. 5,663,484) on "basmati rice lines and grains." The patent secures lines of basmati and basmati-like rice and ways of analyzing that rice. RiceTec, owned by Prince Hans-Adam of Liechtenstein, faced international outrage over allegations of biopiracy. It had also caused a brief diplomatic crisis between India and United States with India threatening to take the matter to WTO as a violation of TRIPS which could have resulted in a major embarrassment for the United States.[6] Both voluntarily and due to review decisions by the United States Patent and Trademark Office, RiceTec lost or withdrew most of the claims of the patent, including, most importantly, the right to call their rice lines "basmati."[7] A more limited varietal patent was granted to RiceTec in 2001 on claims dealing with three strains of the rice developed by the company.[8]
[edit] Glycemic index
According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, basmati rice has a "medium" glycemic index (between 56 and 69), thus making it more suitable for diabetics as compared to certain other grains and products made from white flour.[9]
[edit] See also
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ S. Wongpornchai, T. Sriseadka, S. Choonvisase (2003). "Identification and quantitation of the rice aroma compound, 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, in bread flowers (Vallaris glabra Ktze)". J. Agric. Food. Chem. 51 (2): 457–462. doi:10.1021/jf025856x. PMID 12517110.
- ^ foodstandards.gov.uk
- ^ `Sugandh' set to take on Thai Jasmine rice. The Hindu. Monday, October 13, 2003.
- ^ Two new aromatic rice for North-western plains. The Hindu. Thursday, October 2, 2003.
- ^ Basmati Testing - Basmati Verifiler Kit. Labindia.
- ^ Basmati Case Study
- ^ "Bid for patent for basmati rice hits a hurdle", The Hindu, November 5, 2006
- ^ "India-U.S. Fight on Basmati Rice Is Mostly Settled", The New York Times, August 25, 2001
- ^ Canadian Diabetes Associate - The Glycemic Index
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- What is Basmati Rice
- About patent dispute
- Kannan, Shilpa (February 15, 2008). "India and Pakistan link to protect Basmati". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7246900.stm. Retrieved April 26, 2010.
