Fatty acid degradation and linoleic acid metabolism are responsible for the synthesis of scent-imparting organic compounds in Mushk Budiji rice. Credit: Mudasir Rawloo/ iStock/Getty Images Plus
The altitude and climate of the highland Himalayan slopes shape the aroma and taste of Mushk Budiji (also spelt Budji), Kashmir’s indigenous rice variety1. As many as 35 volatile organic compounds (VOCs), including alcohols and aldehydes, give the short-grain mountain rice its distinctive fragrance, scientists say.
Mushk Budiji is cultivated in pockets across 10,000 hectares at 5,000 to 7,000 ft above sea level. Scientists at Sher-E-Kashmir University of Agriculture Sciences and Technology of Kashmir decoded the flavour profile of rice grown at eight distinct elevations — spanning 5216.53 to 7053.80 feet — in Jammu and Kashmir using gas sensors and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. Using transcriptomics, they unpacked the genetic basis of Mushk Budiji’s aroma.
Rice samples collected from sites at higher altitudes (6397.63 ft) which have more rainfall showed lower concentrations of VOCs compared with those from lower elevations (5216.53 ft) receiving less rainfall. High temperatures and low rainfall increase aroma in Mushk Budiji. The build-up of some aromatic compounds such as 2-acetyl-1-pyroline was influenced more by rainfall than by the altitude.
The researchers found that fatty acid degradation and linoleic acid metabolism are responsible for the synthesis of VOCs in Mushk Budiji. This research could help to inform cultivation strategies for aromatic rice to achieve a specific scent.
