Is the green bamboo rice, which is very popular on the Internet, a nutritious and healthy ingredient, or is it "technology and hard work"?

It is the autumn harvest time again. Right now, it is the time when new rice is put on the market. But have you ever seen green rice?

Recently, reporters found on multiple social media platforms that green rice that appeared in offline supermarkets has sparked heated discussions among netizens. The pictures and text descriptions uploaded by netizens show that this kind of rice is emerald green, which is in sharp contrast to ordinary rice.

In this regard, one netizen commented: "This is 'technology and hard work' at first glance." Another netizen said that he had bought and eaten this kind of rice and that "it has a bamboo fragrance."
So, is green rice natural or artificial? Compared with ordinary rice, is this kind of rice more nutritious? With these questions, the reporter interviewed relevant experts.

Artificial granulation products

It is understood that this green rice is called green bamboo rice. The reporter searched for green bamboo rice as a keyword on an e-commerce platform and obtained more than 5,000 results, and found that its price range is between 7 yuan and 20 yuan per catty.

The reporter randomly clicked on the details page of a green bamboo rice on an e-commerce platform, and saw descriptions such as "full of fragrance", "pure natural" and "no additives". The product description information shows that this green bamboo rice is made by mixing light bamboo leaf powder with grain powder and other raw materials. In the ingredient list of another green bamboo rice, the reporter saw that its ingredients are rice powder, spinach powder, light bamboo leaf powder, edible kudzu powder and water.

"Judging from the ingredient list, green bamboo rice is made by grinding a variety of raw materials into powder and mixing them together. It is an artificial granulation product." Fan Zhihong, professor at the College of Food Science and Nutritional Engineering of China Agricultural University and director of the Chinese Society of Food Science and Technology, told reporters.

Li Zaigui, a professor at the Department of Nutrition and Health at China Agricultural University, said in an interview with Science and Technology Daily that from a processing technology perspective, green bamboo rice is obtained by extruding starch gel formed by aging after starch gelatinization, and is a starch gel product.

Nutritional value may be very limited

Many bloggers on the Internet have conducted taste reviews on green bamboo rice. Most bloggers said that the steamed green bamboo rice has a thicker texture and tastes like glutinous rice.
On an e-commerce platform, the reporter opened a product promotion interface for green bamboo rice. Relevant information shows that green bamboo rice cannot be soaked or used to cook rice alone, but must be mixed with rice; it can be mixed with other grain rice to cook porridge. After cooking other rice until 80% done, add green bamboo rice and cook for 15 minutes, then simmer for 5 minutes before serving.

"Green bamboo rice is a starch gel product, and it may have a chewier texture," said Li Zaigui.

Green bamboo rice has a unique taste, but what about its safety and nutritional value?

Li Zaigui told reporters that green bamboo rice, like other regenerated rice (i.e. artificial rice), is made by squeezing various raw material powders. It has been on the market for more than ten years, and "there should be no problem with food safety."

Li Zaigui reminded that green bamboo rice can be eaten occasionally, but if it is eaten for the purpose of increasing nutrition, the effect may be very limited.

One of the ingredients of green bamboo rice, bamboo leaf powder, is bamboo leaf extract. Fan Zhihong told reporters that bamboo leaf is a food and medicine ingredient. "Food and medicine ingredients have certain medicinal properties and may not be suitable for everyone. Consumers should be cautious when purchasing."