Correlation between Evaluation of Palatability by Sensory Test and Physicochemical Properties in Chinese japonica–type Rice

To obtain basic information on the breeding for palatability of japonica–type paddy rice in China, we collected 28 varieties from the northern area of China and examined the correlation between evaluation by sensory test (appearance, aroma, taste, stickiness, hardness and overall eating–quality) and physicochemical properties (amylose content and protein content of polished rice, breakdown value of polished rice flour and hardness/adhesion ratio of cooked rice). The overall eating–quality in the sensory test was highly correlated with appearance and taste, and not with hardness. Appearance, aroma, taste, stickiness and overall eating–quality were negatively correlated with protein content and hardness/adhesion ratio, and positively correlated with breakdown value. Amylose content did not significantly correlated with any evaluation items in sensory test. About 46% of the varietal difference in overall eating–quality was explained by protein content, breakdown value and hardness/adhesion ratio. Contribution ratio of protein content, breakdown value and hardness/adhesion ratio to overall eating–quality was estimated about 37%, 29% and 34%, respectively