Q:
What is Sprouted Rice? a.k.a. GABA Rice, Germinated Brown Rice
A: It is whole-grain brown rice that has been soaked in plain warm water until a sprout just starts to grow or germinate. It is processed in a gluten-free facility that specializes in sprouting various rices, grains and beans.
Q:
Is it more nutritious?
A: Yes! Sprouting a grain has been shown to triple most of the nutrients existing in a whole-grain. Please visit our "Resources" page for specifics on nutrition and the benefits of sprouting. Thank you!
Q: Do you add
anything when processing SBR?
No. We soak brown rice in water and let Mother Nature do her part.
Q:
It looks just like regular rice...
A: That's because the rice sprout is allowed to grow only a few millimeters. If we let the sprout get too long, it would break off and be lost during drying.
Q:
How do you dry it?
A: Solar drying beds are used for the first phase. Then the sprouted rice is roasted for maximum flavor and a safe moisture level.
Q:
Won't roasting kill the enzymes?
A: The important enzyme activity took place in the warm water soak: that is when the grainsf natural enzymes started a chain of events that lead to the oil in the bran being converted to simple sugars and the protein being converted to amino acids. The growing sprout needs this energy, plus the multiplying vitamins and minerals, for growth. Now, all that increased nutrition is stored in the grain waiting to be released after it is cooked and eaten.
Q:
This rice has to be cooked?
A: Yes, it is not a raw food. It is meant to be a super-nutritious cooked grain that requires almost no extra enzyme work in your body to digest. That is why children and the elderly who have fewer available enzymes can readily digest a sprouted grain...it is much more similar to a vegetable carbohydrate!
Q:
Is it organic brown rice?
A: Yes. We use an organic medium-grain California brown rice called Golden Rose. This variety is known to have the best natural flavor of any CA grown rice. And from our experience, sprouting does not change the flavor much; just the texture...cooked sprouted rice has a texture much more like white rice. It's not as hard as regular brown rice.
Q:
Does it cook quicker?
A: Yes. Depending on your cooking method, it could be 10 minutes quicker. Please see our recipe page for complete directions.
Q: How long does
your rice last?
Our SBR and SBR Flour both have a shelf life of 7 to 8 months. You can
freeze both products for a longer shelf life of up to 12 months.
