Fermented Rice Beverages in the Food Industry: Advances in Processing, Nutrition, and Commercialization

The consumption of fermented rice-based drinks has been a common practice in several cultures for many years, because of their interesting tastes, strengthened nourishing value, and possible health benefits. Interest in healthier and probiotic-enriched drinks has led the food industry to develop ways to scale up the production and commercial selling of fermented rice beverages. As a result of these processes, rice wine, sake, amazake, handia, tapai, and other rice-based probiotic drinks become easier to digest, get improved nutrients, and contain beneficial bacteria. This part of the chapter looks at the microbiology, chemistry, and engineering parts of making rice beverages. It considers the function of microbial teams, the impact of various enzymes, and how parameters in the fermentation process can be improved to increase production in industries. The focus of this part is on controlled fermentation, bioreactors, help from enzymes during processing, and new ways of packaging food. Also, the opportunities in the industry for commercial products, the issues caused by regulations, and consumers’ trends are discussed. At the end of the chapter, possible future projects and ways to increase the production, features, and marketing of fermented rice beverages are discussed.