When purchasing black rice, consumers can use sensory evaluation from the following aspects:
Look:
Observe the color and appearance of the black rice. Generally, high-quality black rice has a luster, evenly sized grains, few broken or cracked grains, no insects, and no impurities. Inferior or poor-quality black rice has a dull color, unevenly sized grains, poor fullness, many broken grains, insects, or clumping. For dyed black rice, since the black color is concentrated in the bran layer, the endosperm remains white. Therefore, consumers can scrape off the entire bran layer of a grain and observe if the grain is white. If it is not white, it is highly likely to be artificially dyed black rice.
Smell:
Smell the aroma of the black rice. Take a small amount of black rice, breathe hot air onto it, and then immediately smell it. High-quality black rice has a normal, fresh aroma without any other odors. Slightly odorous, musty, sour, foul, or otherwise abnormally smelling black rice is of inferior or poor quality.
Taste:
Taste the flavor of the black rice. You can take a small amount of black rice, chew it slowly, or grind it before tasting. High-quality black rice has a good taste, is slightly sweet, and has no off-flavors. Tasteless, slightly off-flavored, sour, bitter, or otherwise unpleasant-tasting black rice is of inferior or poor quality.