Exploring the Role of Traditional Cooking Methods in Boosting Probiotic Diversity in Fermented Rice (Oryza sativa). A Comprehensive Insight into its Nutritional Influence on Human Health

Objectives: The current study investigates the probiotic characteristics of naturally fermented rice prepared through three traditional cooking techniques: mud pot-cooked, pressure-cooked, and steel vessel-cooked. The objective is to evaluate how these methods influence microbial development, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) proliferation, and core biochemical parameters which contribute to the probiotic prospective of fermented rice. Methods: Rice was cooked using the three methods and subjected to spontaneous fermentation for 16 hours. pH, titratable acidity were measured at before (0 hrs) and after (16 hrs) fermentation to monitor fermentation progress. Total Viable count (TVC), Lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Yeast count, overall microbial diversity index were enumerated using selective methods respectively. Additionally, the production of significant organic acids like reducing sugars, total protein and total lipid content were analysed before and after fermentation. Enzymatic activities - amylase, protease, phytase and lactase were assessed to understand microbial metabolism and nutritional enhancement resulting during the process of fermentation. Findings: Food fermentation through pot cooking produced fermented rice with the richest microbial diversity including beneficial lactic acid bacteria Lactobacillus plantarum, L. fermentum and Lactococcus garvieae. Multiple selected bacterial isolates demonstrated beneficial probiotic properties in addition to their capability to tolerate pH and bile salts and show moderate hydrophobicity and pathogen-threatening capability. Pot-cooked rice samples revealed increased enzymatic activity together with higher lipid oxidation rates because they enabled active microbial fermentation. The microbial growth along with probiotic functionality remained lower in steel- and pressure-cooked rice samples because higher-pressure cooking can prevent substrate effectiveness or inhibit microbial settlements. The antibiotic sensitivity tests established the safety properties of selected bacterial isolates, yet the antimicrobial resistance analysis uncovered possible antagonistic traits among Bacillus pumilus and Citrobacter freundii. The research demonstrates that traditional cooking techniques both protect rice nutritional components during pot preparation while creating suitable conditions for probiotic food development. Research indicates that pot-finished rice functions as an appealing natural probiotic dietary component with cultural roots. Novelty: This study represents a pioneering investigation into the 16-hour spontaneous fermentation of rice prepared through divergent traditional cooking methods, engaging a variety of utensils such as steel vessels, pressure cookers, and earthenware pots. This unique approach stands out as the first of its kind to compare the effects of these three distinct cooking methods. The results of this study reveal that rice cooked in an earthenware pot harbors the maximum growth of beneficial microbes and induces exemplary biochemical changes including the formation of hundreds of useful metabolites. Keywords: Cooking method, Early fermentation, Nutritional values, Microbial population, Probiotic properties, Pot rice