Variety Screening and Characterization Analysis of Storage Stability of Eating Quality of Rice

To screen rice varieties with high storage stability for eating quality and elucidate their traits, 34 widely grown rice varieties were selected to examine the changes in the eating quality of their grains after natural storage for one year. A hierarchical analysis, normalization method, and cluster analysis were used to identify the rice varieties that maintained their eating quality during storage. Meanwhile, the yield and its components, panicle traits, grain size, grain major component content, physiological indicators (such as antioxidant enzyme activity), and key growth stages were analyzed at rice maturity. The results showed that after storage, the values of the appearance, texture, and taste of the cooked rice decreased by 18.7%, 19.1%, and 14.2%, respectively. The storage stability of the eating quality of rice was evaluated using a hierarchical analysis based on the storage stability scores of the appearance, texture, and taste of the cooked rice. A judgment matrix was established, where the corresponding weights of the appearance, texture, and taste of the cooked rice were identified to be 0.105, 0.259, and 0.637, respectively. Based on a cluster analysis and the normalization method, these varieties were classified into three categories regarding the storage stability of their eating quality: high storage stability, intermediate storage stability, and low storage stability, accounting for 14.7%, 52.9%, and 32.4%, respectively. Finally, five rice varieties with high storage stability were screened. These varieties exhibited storage stability scores of the appearance, texture, and taste of cooked rice that were 215%, 219%, and 340% higher than those of the low storage stability type, respectively. The correlation analysis revealed that the storage stability of the eating quality of the rice was significantly and negatively correlated with amylose starch content, peroxidase activity, and malondialdehyde content. The amylose starch content, peroxidase activity, and malondialdehyde content of the high storage stability type were 12.4%, 35.9%, and 6.42% lower than those of the low-storage-stability variety, respectively. Therefore, the major features of rice varieties with high storage stability included low amylose starch content, diminished peroxidase activity, and low malondialdehyde content. This study provides valuable theoretical insights into the safe storage of rice grains and the selection and breeding of rice varieties with high storage stability.