{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T06:24:24Z","timestamp":1786947864064,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":36,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1786924800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Nutr."],"abstract":"<jats:p>\n                    This study aimed to identify shared physicochemical disparities between high eating quality rice and conventional high-yield cultivars across indica and japonica subspecies, and screen core taste-related trait indicators, while characterizing intrasubtype metabolic variation in indica rice. Four representative rice cultivars (two premium fragrant rice: Yuzhenxiang, Daohuaxiang No. 2; two high-yield rice: Huanghuazhan, Kendao 2066) were comprehensively evaluated via sensory, texture, RVA and multi-component quantitative detection; Untargeted metabolomics was further performed on the two indica cultivars Yuzhenxiang and Huanghuazhan. Rice with superior eating quality featured low protein, amino acids and citric acid, moderate soluble sugars, abundant 2-AP, elevated amylopectin long\/short chain ratio and low gelatinization temperature. A total of 1,318 differential metabolites were identified, with arginine biosynthesis and linoleic acid metabolism as the most significantly enriched pathways. A three-indicator multiple linear regression model with\n                    <jats:italic>R<\/jats:italic>\n                    <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                    = 0.972 was constructed for preliminary quantitative prediction only within tested materials. Findings from this multi-indicator integrated analysis revealed that starch structure, aroma compound 2-AP and small-molecule flavor substances jointly regulate rice taste across subspecies; among them, 2-AP, amylopectin long\/short chain ratio and RVA consistency viscosity act as core regulators of rice eating quality for both indica and japonica rice, while differential metabolites mainly account for taste variation within indica varieties. This study provides multi-dimensional theoretical references and candidate markers for high-quality rice breeding and quality evaluation.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2026.1914365","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T05:26:35Z","timestamp":1786944395000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Physicochemical characteristics and metabolomic profiling of representative rice cultivars distinct in eating quality"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Dongping","family":"Yao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Plant Science and Technology, Hunan Biological and Electromechanical Polytechnic","place":["Changsha, Hunan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Siyu","family":"Peng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University","place":["Changsha, Hunan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xiaomei","family":"Li","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University","place":["Changsha, Hunan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Xinjie","family":"Huang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Plant Science and Technology, Hunan Biological and Electromechanical Polytechnic","place":["Changsha, Hunan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Chaoming","family":"Xing","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University","place":["Changsha, Hunan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jiangwei","family":"Yin","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Agronomy, Hunan Agricultural University","place":["Changsha, Hunan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Bin","family":"Bai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Hybrid Rice, Hunan Hybrid Rice Research Center","place":["Changsha, Hunan, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1697","DOI":"10.1111\/pbi.70447","article-title":"Genetic determinants and breeding strategies for rice cooking and eating quality: a comprehensive review","volume":"24","author":"Lou","year":"2025","journal-title":"Plant Biotechnol J"},{"key":"B2","article-title":"Study on the differences of quality, flavor and metabolic characteristics of four kinds of indica rice sold in the market","author":"Zhang","year":"2025","journal-title":"Master's Dissertation, Wuhan Polytechnic University, Wuhan"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"145567","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2025.145567","article-title":"Identification of rice eating quality markers using metabolomics techniques","volume":"492","author":"Shu","year":"2025","journal-title":"Food Chem"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1917","DOI":"10.3390\/foods10081917","article-title":"Profiling of 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline and other volatile compounds in raw and cooked rice of traditional and improved cultivars of India","volume":"10","author":"Kasote","year":"2021","journal-title":"Foods"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"200","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15020200","article-title":"Comparative study of key aroma components in rice of different aroma types using flavor metabolomics","volume":"15","author":"Qi","year":"2026","journal-title":"Foods"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102427","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fochx.2025.102427","article-title":"Study on taste release and perception mechanism of japonica rice during oral processing","volume":"27","author":"Asimi","year":"2025","journal-title":"Food Chem:X"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2081","DOI":"10.1111\/1541-4337.13141","article-title":"Effect of protein\u2013starch interactions on starch retrogradation and implicationsfor food product quality","volume":"22","author":"Scott","year":"2023","journal-title":"Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e70004","DOI":"10.1002\/star.70004","article-title":"Analysis on eating quality and physicochemical properties of black rice with similar apparent amylose content","volume":"77","author":"Yao","year":"2025","journal-title":"Starch-St\u00e4rke"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"26","DOI":"10.1186\/s12284-026-00886-9","article-title":"Interrelationships between appearance quality and starch and protein structures in superior and inferior grains of soft and non-soft rice","volume":"19","author":"Chen","year":"2026","journal-title":"Rice"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1435977","DOI":"10.3389\/fnut.2024.1435977","article-title":"Differences in cooking taste and physicochemical properties between compound nutritional rice and common rice","volume":"11","author":"Zhang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Front Nutr"},{"key":"B11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100230","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fochms.2024.100230","article-title":"Metabonomic and transcriptomic profiling reveals amino acid metabolism affects the quality of premium japonica rice varieties in Northeast China","volume":"9","author":"Wang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Food Chem:Mol Sci"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"926","DOI":"10.3390\/agronomy16090926","article-title":"Molecular mechanism by which OsSUT2 regulates chalkiness formation in rice","volume":"16","author":"Yao","year":"2026","journal-title":"Agron"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e9738","DOI":"10.1002\/rcm.9738","article-title":"Determination of trace chelating carboxylic acids in rice by green extraction combined with liquid chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry analysis and its application in the evaluation of old and new rice","volume":"38","author":"Kang","year":"2024","journal-title":"Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"675","DOI":"10.1080\/00032719.2021.1960361","article-title":"Determination of fatty acids in rice oil by gas chromatography\u2013mass spectrometry (GC\u2013MS) with geographic and varietal discrimination by supervised orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA)","volume":"55","author":"Ye","year":"2022","journal-title":"Anal Lett"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"125817","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodchem.2019.125817","article-title":"Influence of high natural field temperature during grain filling stage on the morphological structure and physicochemical properties of rice (Oryza sativa L) starch","volume":"310","author":"Yao","year":"2020","journal-title":"Food Chem"},{"key":"B16","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.16819\/j.1001-7216.2024.230209","article-title":"Rice starch structure and physicochemical properties of good taste japonica rice cultivarsand their regulations by Nitrogen","author":"Yong","year":"2024","journal-title":"Chin. J. Rice Sci"},{"key":"B17","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"129918","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijbiomac.2024.129918","article-title":"Effect of starch and protein on eating quality of japonica rice in Yangtze River Delta","volume":"261","author":"Ma","year":"2024","journal-title":"Int J Biol Macromol"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"130","DOI":"10.1016\/j.fshw.2020.02.001","article-title":"Investigating cooked rice textural properties by instrumental measurements","volume":"9","author":"Tao","year":"2020","journal-title":"Food Sci Hum Wellness"},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"251","DOI":"10.1016\/j.carbpol.2019.05.031","article-title":"High-amylose rice: Starch molecular structural features controlling cooked rice texture and preference","volume":"219","author":"Tao","year":"2019","journal-title":"Carbohydr Polym"},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"167","DOI":"10.1002\/cche.10851","article-title":"Study on the correlation between aroma compounds and texture of cooked rice: A case study of 15 Japonica rice species from Northeast China","volume":"102","author":"Ye","year":"2025","journal-title":"Cereal Chem"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1303","DOI":"10.1002\/cche.10358","article-title":"Relating amylose and protein contents to eating quality in 105 cultivars of Japonica rice","volume":"97","author":"Liu","year":"2020","journal-title":"Cereal Chem"},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"577","DOI":"10.1002\/cche.10759","article-title":"Relationships between texture properties of cooked rice with grain amylose and protein content in high eating quality indica rice","volume":"101","author":"Li","year":"2024","journal-title":"Cereal Chem"},{"key":"B23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"e17242","DOI":"10.1111\/jfpp.17242","article-title":"Variation in amino acid profiles of selected Sri Lankan rice cultivars induced by milling","volume":"46","author":"Liyanaarachchi","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Food Process Preserv"},{"key":"B24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"520","DOI":"10.16819\/j.1001-7216.2022.220311","article-title":"Characteristics of grain protein accumulation and its response to Nitrogen level in good taste rice cultivars","volume":"36","author":"Lu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Chin J Rice Sci"},{"key":"B25","first-page":"46","article-title":"Composition and formation mechanism of sweetness in cooked rice","volume":"39","author":"Lin","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Chin Cereals Oils Assoc"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.3969\/j.issn.2095-6002.2019.01.001","article-title":"Contribution of starch components to flavor formation in instant rice products","volume":"37","author":"Jin","year":"2019","journal-title":"J Food Sci Technol"},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1689","DOI":"10.3390\/foods15101689","article-title":"Evaluation of eating quality in japonica rice: a multi-trait analysis of starch properties, protein content and taste value","volume":"15","author":"Li","year":"2026","journal-title":"Foods"},{"key":"B28","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"721","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ijbiomac.2020.04.006","article-title":"Insights into chain-length distributions of amylopectin and amylose molecules on the gelatinization property of rice starches","volume":"155","author":"Li","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Biol Macromol"},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"4130","DOI":"10.3390\/foods14234130","article-title":"Investigating the impact of amylopectin chain-length distribution on the structural and functional properties of waxy rice starch","volume":"14","author":"Zaman","year":"2025","journal-title":"Foods"},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"106064","DOI":"10.1016\/j.foodhyd.2020.106064","article-title":"Causal relations among starch chain-length distributions, short-term retrogradation and cooked rice texture","volume":"108","author":"Li","year":"2020","journal-title":"Food Hydrocoll"},{"key":"B31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"81","DOI":"10.3390\/genes15010081","article-title":"Effect of fat content on rice eating quality through transcriptome analysis","volume":"15","author":"Guo","year":"2024","journal-title":"Genes"},{"key":"B32","first-page":"31","article-title":"Distribution characteristics of the nutritional composition and volatile compounds for the typical rice in Hainan","volume":"37","author":"Jia","year":"2022","journal-title":"J Chin Cereals Oils Assoc"},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"13","DOI":"10.3839\/jabc.2023.013","article-title":"Gelatinization and retrogradation characteristics of Korean rice cake in the presence of citric acid","volume":"66","author":"Oyinloye","year":"2023","journal-title":"J Appl Biol Chem"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"124657","DOI":"10.1016\/j.carbpol.2025.124657","article-title":"Insight into the role of citric acid in modulating retrogradation behavior and physicochemical properties of rice flour during short and long-term storage","volume":"385","author":"Cho","year":"2025","journal-title":"Carbohydr Polym"},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"111","DOI":"10.1080\/87559129.2020.1720231","article-title":"Extraction, identification and quantification methods of rice aroma compounds with emphasis on 2-Acetyl-1-Pyrroline (2-AP) and its relationship with rice quality: a comprehensive review","volume":"38","author":"Verma","year":"2020","journal-title":"Food Rev Int"},{"key":"B36","first-page":"82","article-title":"Analysis of the key flavor compounds in cooked rice","volume":"37","author":"Miao","year":"2016","journal-title":"Food Sci"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Nutrition"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fnut.2026.1914365\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]],"date-time":"2026-08-17T05:26:40Z","timestamp":1786944400000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fnut.2026.1914365\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]]},"references-count":36,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fnut.2026.1914365"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fnut.2026.1914365","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-861X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-861X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,17]]},"article-number":"1914365"}}