*2.5.2 Rice*

Rice is an important staple food crop for many of the world's population, especially those living in Asia. Rice is cultivated mainly for human consumption and this include utilization as breakfast cereals, and its use in Japan as brew saké [65, 67]. There are a lot of rice varieties but only a few are grown widely (*e.g.* varieties of the improved semi-dwarf plant type with erect leaves). The rice grain possesses an outer protective coating which is referred to as the hull or husk and the edible rice caryopsis. Also, the brown rice contains an outer layer called pericarp (which contains pigment), seed coat, the embryo and the endosperm. The endosperm comprises of the aleurone layer which encloses the embryo, sub aleurone layer and the starchy or inner endosperm. However, wild rice is less common and it is the grain of a North American plant, *Zizania aquatic*. It is difficult to harvest and it is more expensive than other grains. It possesses higher protein content than rice [64].
