2023-12-28 13:00:00
food
Nurungji and Sungnyung eaten following a meal… “It helps with digestion” vs “It’s a superstition”
Reporter Lee Hae-rim
Entered 2023/12/28 22:00
Nurungji, the ingredient of Sungneung, contains an ingredient called dextrin, which promotes digestion./Photo = Getty Image Bank
Many people freshen their mouths following a meal with Sungneung, which is made by soaking scorched rice in water. There is a saying that Sungnyung is a natural digestive aid. Is this true?
Nurungji is made by sticking rice together. If you leave the temperature at the bottom of the rice cooker up to 220 to 250 degrees, the rice that touches the pot will turn yellowish brown. The cause is that proteins and carbohydrates undergo the Maillard reaction at high temperatures, producing melanoidin, a brown pigment. The substances produced through this browning reaction are known to have antioxidant and antibacterial effects.
Eating scorched rice or sungnyung following a meal definitely has health benefits. The savory taste of scorched rice is created by the creation of substances called glucose and dextrin during the decomposition of starch, of which dextrin promotes digestion. It is also rich in ingredients that are effective in relieving hangovers, such as amino acids and dietary fiber. Sungnyung also neutralizes the body’s acidity, which has increased following eating foods high in sodium, into alkalinity. It is also good for refreshing salty mouth following a meal.
However, there are some things to watch out for. When making scorched rice, it is best not to heat the rice for too long. This is because when the Maillard reaction occurs, acrylamide, a suspected carcinogen, is also produced. There is an experimental result by a research team in the Department of Food and Nutrition at Hankyong National University that the longer the heating time of the nurungji, the more polyphenols and flavonoid antioxidants, and the production of acrylamide also increases. The research team concluded that the appropriate heating time for making scorched rice is less than 5 minutes.
Acrylamide is not broken down in the body and accumulates in the blood or tissues. As a result of several animal tests, the possibility of carcinogenesis was recognized, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified acrylamide as a probable carcinogen (Group 2A). There are still no reliable research results proving whether it causes cancer in humans, but there is no harm in being cautious with this substance.
People with high blood sugar levels should also eat scorched rice or sungnyung with caution. If you already have diabetes, it is best not to eat scorched rice or sungnyung following a meal. Nurungji is a food composed mainly of carbohydrates, so it quickly raises blood sugar levels. As a result of a joint research team from the Department of Food and Nutrition at Seoul National University and Gachon University calculating the estimated glycemic index (GI) of common Korean foods, the GI of Nurungji was estimated to be 72. The higher the glycemic index, the faster blood sugar levels rise following consumption. Usually, if the GI is over 70, it is classified as a ‘high glycemic index’ food with a high glycemic load.
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