Bioactivity and chemical components of Thai rice in five stages of grain development

Tracking changes in the bioactive compounds of white (ML-W), red (ML-R) and black (RB) rice during the 5 stages of grain development were studied. Total anthocyanin (TAC) was found only in RB (stages 3–5) and proanthocyanidin (TPAC) contents were only found in ML-R (stages 2–5). Considerable amounts of total phenolic contents (TPC) were found in stages 2–4 of ML-R, while total flavonoid contents (TFC) were most detected in stages 4–5 of RB. The DPPH activity of ML-W and ML-R decreased from stages 1–5. The highest FRAP activity was found in ML-R (stages 2–3) indicating that it is highly related to the bioactive compound content. Cyanidin-3-glucoside and peonidin-3-glucoside were found in RB at stages 3–5. The cyanidin of RB in stages 4–5 was related to the amount of TAC. The proanthocyanidin compound catechin was first found and reported in stages 2–3 of ML-R. Principal component analysis indicated that antioxidant activity and the bioactive components were highly related. The data from this study suggests that ML-R at stage 2 and RB at stage 4 are the most suitable stages for harvesting to achieve the highest level of bioactive compounds, which have many health benefits.