Format:
5 kg bag
25 kg bag
Harinas Polo Rice Flour: The perfect technical ally for smoother textures and crispy baked goods.
In the industrial formulation of gluten-free baked goods, extruded snacks, premium batter systems, and soft-crumb bakery products, rice flour is an indispensable raw material due to its neutral flavor profile, high digestibility, and water-holding capacity. Harinas Polo’s Rice Flour is a high-quality technical ingredient of agricultural origin from Spain.
Fully aligned with the Clean Label trend, this flour stands out for being completely free of additives. Structurally, it is a fine powder obtained by milling rice middlings or broken rice (Oryza sativa)—sourced from mature, sound, dry, and industrially cleaned grain—that has been selectively stripped of its bran and germ through mechanical dehulling and polishing processes. It offers complete operational versatility in the plant, making it ideal for direct inclusion in bread or pastry doughs, without any manufacturer-recommended minimum or maximum percentage. As a pure derivative of the rice endosperm, it exhibits a characteristic white color along with a typical, clean aroma and flavor.
Uses and Applications: How to make the most of it?
1. In Bread Making and Pastry Making:
Rice flour is the quintessential substitute for wheat flour.
Shortcrust Pastry: Ideal for cookies, alfajores, and tart bases that require a sandy, light texture.
Specialty Breads: When combined with other flours (such as amaranth), it provides structure and a soft crumb to gluten-free breads.
2. The Secret to the Perfect Batter:
Looking for a professional finish? Rice flour absorbs less fat than other flours during frying.
Tempura and Fried Foods: Creates an extremely crispy, light, and golden coating that stays firm for longer.
3. Natural and Healthy Thickener:
Thanks to its high starch content, it is the technical solution for:
Sauces and Béchamel: Achieve creamy, lump-free textures.
Spoon-feeding and Purées: This is the safest and most easily digestible basis for the nutrition of infants and older adults.
Physicochemical Parameters, Degree of Purity, and Sanitary Control.
The mechanical, structural, and analytical properties of the rice flour meet rigorous control standards to ensure uniform particle size and prevent clumping on automated lines:
Absolute Botanical Purity: The selection and grinding process ensures a 100% purity level.
Structural Moisture Control: A critical maximum limit of<span class="math-inline" data-math="<15.0% is established, which is essential for mitigating enzymatic activity and preventing microbiological alterations during storage.
Macronutrient Specification: The protein concentration is set within a range of 6.0 – 8.5%, while the fat content is limited to a strict <span class="math-inline" data-math="<1.0% on a dry matter basis due to grain polishing. Total ash content is restricted to below <span class="math-inline" data-math="<1.0%, confirming the absence of pericarp residues.
Complete Nutritional Sheet (100g)
| Component Analytical | Average value per 100 g | Functionality and Impact on Rheological Mapping |
| Fats | 0.60 g | Minimal lipid content. Removing the germ reduces free fatty acids, neutralizing the risk of oxidative rancidity. |
| Saturated | 0.20 g | Negligible saturated fat content; ideal for clean nutritional profiles. |
| Carbohydrates | 79.30 g | Major component (native starch). Composed of amylose and small-granule amylopectin; it absorbs water efficiently and yields a plump, soft crumb without imparting gumminess. |
| Of which sugars | 0.20 g | Virtually zero simple sugar content; limits excessive browning due to the Maillard reaction during rapid baking. |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.00 g | Very low fiber content due to the mechanical removal of the bran, ensuring a smooth mouthfeel and no mechanical interference in shakes. |
| Proteins | 7.00 g | Native proteins (mainly oryzenin). They do not form gluten. They act as a structural diluent for elastic networks in wheat doughs or provide mild cohesion in products suitable for celiacs. |
| Ashes | 0.40 g | Low mineral level, confirming an excellent degree of rice polishing. |
| Water (Moisture) | 11.50 g | Optimal drying percentage that ensures the product's hygroscopic stability. |
| Salt / Sodium | 0.010 g / 0.004 g | Negligible residual native sodium content; simplifies formulations with strict sodium restrictions. |
| ENERGY VALUE | 354 Kcal / 1506 KJ | Official caloric density stipulated for the development of the final customer labeling. |
A gluten level of less than 20 mg/kg (or 20 ppm) is the legal technical limit established by European Union regulations (EU Implementing Regulation No. 828/2014) for a food product to be formally labeled as "Gluten-Free." Although rice is naturally a gluten-free cereal, industrial processing can be subject to airborne cross-contamination in the fields or during transport. Harinas Polo guarantees this status through rigorous quantitative analytical checks performed by accredited external laboratories, providing complete technical assurance to industries developing products specifically for the celiac population.
To address this technical challenge in gluten-free baked goods, the industry employs two strategies: the use of hydrocolloids (such as xanthan gum or guar gum), which artificially mimic the viscosity and elasticity of gluten, or subjecting the flour to pre-gelatinization processes (producing pre-gelatinized flours), in which physically modified starches act as a structural framework that traps water and binds the dough together.
The low level of free sugars (0.20 g per 100 g) is due to the fact that the ingredient is produced through a purely physical process using refined endosperm (compact starch), with the outer layers and the germ—where soluble compounds are concentrated—having been removed. In industrial practice, this means that rice flour does not significantly accelerate the Maillard reaction (non-enzymatic browning). When formulating gluten-free cookies or breads, the doughs will require slightly different baking times or the controlled addition of reducing sugars if a deep golden crust color is desired.
Rice bran and germ contain high concentrations of lipids and enzymes such as lipases. If the grain were milled whole, these lipases would rapidly break down the fats into free fatty acids, causing premature hydrolytic and oxidative rancidity (resulting in a bitter taste and unpleasant odors). By mechanically removing these fractions through polishing, the fat content of the rice flour is drastically reduced to **0.60 g per 100 g**. This almost completely neutralizes lipid degradation pathways, allowing the ingredient to maintain a long, safe shelf life of **12 months** under normal storage conditions.
