anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant, anti-inflammatory plant pigment colors rice black-purple-reddish



Just like it does with blueberries, sweet potato, red cabbage and poppy flowers.


verify the authenticity of black rice with the vinegartest



written by Alex Cochez MD
June 2021.
Alex' Linkedin profile



anthocyanin is water-solvable

Anthocyanin dissolves in water and (alkaline) water will color black. Simple as that.

Soaking rice overnight results in a loss of 15-20%.
At home we don't soak our rice and many of our customers don't do either. The longer one soaks, the more whitish the grain becomes.



anthocyanin is stored in the bran, a layer on the outside of the grain
(in nature pigment is always located on the outer layers)
anatomy of a rice grain


The core of the grain, the endosperm, contains the brown-whitish macro-nutrients (carbs, protein).



the vinegar test,
find out whether your rice is real and not dyed

Anthocyanin is a pH INDICATOR. When mixed with an acid, the solution colors reddish.

Vinegar is such an acid solvent and therefore 'the vinegar test' is the golden standard to verify the authenticity of any colored rice variety at home.

Dissolve some black rice in vinegar and in 3-5min the solution will color red.



we are the only rice producer who measures anthocyanin and puts the actual value on the box