Alfikri Rasyaki Akhmad, Ahmad Zaki Mubarok, Aji Sutrisno, Jenshinn Lin, Simon Bambang Widjanarko
The increasing health concerns associated with the high glycemic index of white rice have encouraged the development of alternative staple foods. This study aimed to formulate and optimize an analogue rice using a composite of rice flour, arrowroot flour (Maranta arundinacea), and porang flour (Amorphophallus muelleri) using the Mixture Optimal Custom Design approach. The goal was to produce analogue rice with improved functional, physical, and nutritional properties. Fifteen formulations were generated and evaluated based on the water absorption index, water soluble index, swelling power, texture (hardness), and whiteness. The optimal formulation, comprising 58.1% rice flour, 39.3% arrowroot flour, and 2.6% porang flour, was identified using statistical modelling and confirmed through validation experiments. The optimized analogue rice demonstrated favorable hydration capacity, textural resilience, and high whiteness, which closely aligned with the quality benchmarks of conventional rice. Pasting behavior analysis revealed stable gelatinization and retrogradation properties suitable for household cooking applications. Notably, the product exhibited a significantly lower estimated glycemic index (40.93) than commercial analogue rice and conventional white rice, attributed to the glucomannan and resistant starch in porang flour. Comparative evaluation showed that this formulation outperformed the control and commercial samples across multiple quality indicators without compromising acceptability. These findings support the use of indigenous starch sources for developing functional analogue rice, contributing to dietary diversification, improved glycemic control, and local resource utilization. This study underscores the potential of optimized composite flours in addressing nutritional challenges and offers a scalable model for health-oriented staple food innovation. © 2026, Walailak University. All rights reserved.
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; Porang Research Center, Universitas Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia; Department of Food Science, National Pingtung University of Science and Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan
