Published on January 18, 2006

Among the staple foods of humanity, rice is the most common; it is eaten by nearly half the world’s population.

However, innovative technologies are being used in Thailand to add value to the country’s premier crop. In the future, specially prepared rice may command prices of up to Bt300 per kilo and cook for just three minutes in a microwave oven.

There was a taste of the innovative rice products of the future yesterday, when they were launched as part of Thailand’s master plan to boost the value of Thai rice and expand its market.

A new technology that helps rice retain its nutritional value for as long as two years has resulted in one new product called O-rice, which comes in 150-gram packages for Bt50.

Launched at the same time were three other new products: instant rice, rice paper (or rice wrapper) and Japanese-style Udong noodles.

The “instant” rice can be cooked in three minutes, while the Udong noodles, normally made entirely from imported wheat, contain a percentage of rice.

Science and Technology Minister Pravich Ratanapian said the government was focusing more on producing innovative rice products for commercial purposes, in order to capture huge foreign markets.

The new value-added rice products will strengthen Thailand’s bargaining power as the world’s biggest rice-exporting country, by quoting a greater range of rice prices.

“What we have been doing is differentiating rice quality and rice products. We’re conducting several experimental projects, including ones that involve biotechnology and organic rice,” he said, adding that innovation would upgrade rice in terms of price and quality.

Playing a key role in product development is the ministry’s National Innovation Agency, which provides financial and technological support.

Jaturaporn Pornsilapatip, a consultant for Phetchabun Innovation Co Ltd, said that although the new products would be launched domestically at first, they were designed to capture high-end markets worldwide and attract high prices.

Jaturaporn said O-rice was produced using a process called “orisination”, in which white paddy rice is first soaked in water to expand its molecules, then steamed so the rice can absorb all of the nutritional value of the grain into the inner seed. Finally, it is dried.

He said O-rice had been produced to serve the health-conscious younger generation. It will also reduce their intake of carbohydrates, because they would eat less rice.

The company has drawn up a two-year plan to create both local and export markets. So far, some customers from the US and the EU have expressed interest in importing high-quality rice. The company plans to participate in Germany’s well-known food exhibition, the Anuka Fair, this year.

Watanakul Mungkalarungsi, assistant managing director of Asian Superior Foods Co Ltd, said his company’s rice products were aimed at beating Chinese noodle and rice products.

The company’s instant rice was priced at Bt30 per kilogram, compared with Chinese instant noodles costing between Bt40 and Bt50 per kilogram. The lower price and shorter cooking time are expected to attract more rice consumers.

At the outset, Asian Superior Foods products will be focused only on export markets, particularly in the US and South and Central America. The company has applied for US Food and Drug Administration approval for sale in the US market.

Watanakul said his company had changed the ingredients of its Thai Udong noodles, which contain 30-per-cent white-rice flour instead of 100-per-cent wheat flour. However, the flavour remains unchanged. The new process reduces production costs and uses more local raw materials.

Asia Superior Foods was established four years ago to focus on producing value-added and innovative rice-based foods. Its parent company, Thai Better Foods, is a leading manufacturer and exporter of vermicelli and based in Ratchaburi province.

“We want to create a greater variety of products instead of exporting only vermicelli, and rice products have great export potential – particularly instant rice, which will have customers worldwide,” he said.

Achara Pongvutitham

The Nation

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