Use of monosodium glutamate as alternative to reduce sodium in cooking affects the physicochemical, phytochemical, and sensory attributes of pigmented and non-pigmented rice

The increased consumption of processed foods makes diets more susceptible to high levels of sodium chloride (NaCl) and foods of low nutritional value. With this, the objective was to evaluate the influence of different contents of sodium chloride (NaCl) and monosodium glutamate (MSG) during the cooking of brown, black, and red rice, in order to reduce the concentration of NaCl in the rice preparation, since it toward public health concern. Replacing NaCl with 100% MSG in the preparation of pigmented and non-pigmented cooked rice resulted in reduced cooking time (up to 25.44%), rice hardness (up to 24.32%) and improved free phenolics. In addition, black rice showed an 8.60% increase in anthocyanins, while in red rice 55% of proanthocyanidins remained after cooking with 100% MSG. On the other hand, an increase in the content of leached compounds during cooking was mainly represented by amylose, proteins and proanthocyanidins. Regarding sensory attributes, MSG improved the appearance and texture, increasing the acceptability of cooked brown, black and red rice.