Effect of static magnetic field treatment on the germination of brown rice: Changes in α-amylase activity and structural and functional properties in starch

The study aimed to explore the stimulating effect of static magnetic field (SMF) treatment on germinated brown rice (GBR) by monitoring changes in α-amylase activity and structural and functional properties of starch. Brown rice was exposed to SMF (10 mT, 60 min, 25 °C) and then germinated for 0 h -72 h at 30 °C. Compared with the control, SMF treatment improved α-amylase activity (15.2%), leading to the hydrolysis of starch into reducing sugar (8.2%) and increasing the germination rate (9.7% -158.8%), shoot length (9.1% -87.3%), root length (19.2% -110.0%), and fresh weight (0.9% -16.5%). In view of the properties of starch, SMF treatment also altered the surface microstructure, induced partial losses of birefringence, exerted no significant effect on the crystalline type, slightly increased the gelatinization temperatures, and significantly decreased the peak viscosity. This study suggested that SMF could serve as a prospective technique for GBR products processing.