Enhancement of γ-aminobutyric acid in germinated paddy by soaking in combination with anaerobic and fluidized bed heat treatment

• Germination of paddy by SA and SAH required shorter germination time in comparison with that required by CS.
• The GP prepared by SAH had the highest GABA content.
• The shade-dried GP prepared by SA and SAH had the higher number of fissured kernels than that prepared by CS.
• The head brown rice yield of the fluidized bed dried samples was higher than that of the shade-dried samples.
• The texture of the fluidized bed and shade dried samples was similar.

Enhancement of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in germinated grain could be induced via environmental stresses. Soaking in combination with anaerobic treatment (SA) as well as soaking in combination with anaerobic and heat treatment (SAH) are proposed in this work to increase the GABA content in germinated paddy; the results were compared with that obtained via a conventional germination (soaking) method (CS). The quality of germinated rice prepared from paddy (GP) by CS, SA and SAH after shade drying and fluidized bed drying in terms of the GABA content, number of fissured kernels and textural property was also investigated. The results showed that the GP prepared via SAH had the highest GABA content. The GABA contents in GP prepared by CS, SA and SAH increased 15, 25 and 29 times as compared to that of the un-germinated brown rice, respectively. However, SAH resulted in the higher number of fissured kernels as compared with CS and SA. After fluidized bed drying at 150 °C, the GABA content in GP did not decrease, but the number of fissured kernels of the fluidized bed dried samples was higher than that of the shade-dried samples. However, the head brown rice yield of the fluidized bed dried samples was higher than that of the shade-dried samples. Hardness and stickiness of the fluidized bed dried samples prepared by the three germination methods were not significantly different; exception held nevertheless for the hardness value of the complete kernels obtained via CS.