Abstract: Food made of uncooked fermented rice are an important kind of rice products, having a long history in China. Variationof the microbe during rice fermenting and effects of fermentation to its chemical composition and physicochemical properties were discussed. During fermenting, rice components were decomposed by microbe, and the particular flavor of fermented food was formed. Lactic acid bacteria was the predominant microbe during rice fermentation. After fermentation, starch and free fatty acid content increased, while lipid, protein and ash content in the rice decreased gradually. Fermentation was beneficial for starch gelatinizing and texture of rice food improving. With the development of study on fermentation mechanism, the application of soaking fermentation of rice would be more extensive.

Key words: fermentation, rice, rice food