Introduction: A culturally significant, semi-domesticated cereal crop, North American wild rice (Zizania spp.) is valued for its strong protein and amino acid profile and its ability to grow on marginal land with minimal agricultural inputs. However, the wild rice industry is constrained by limited understanding of how growing and processing conditions influence product quality. This study evaluated 11 wild rice sources for differences in nutritional and sensory characteristics.

Methods: Samples were sourced from a diverse range of commercial growers and processors, including American paddy-grown, traditionally processed Indigenous, lake-specific Canadian, and pooled Canadian and American lake-grown wild rice. Analyses included grain size, antioxidant capacity (ORAC), total phenolics, specific phenolic compounds (via NMR), and eNose responses. Five samples underwent additional profiling for volatile organic compounds (VOCs), fatty acids, and descriptive sensory attributes.

Results: Grain size was largest in lake-specific samples and smaller in pooled, American, and Indigenous rice. Traditional Indigenous processing resulted in increased antioxidant activity and total phenolics compared to paddy-grown and commercially processed samples, though the specific contributing compounds remain unclear. eNose data showed modest differentiation, while SIMCA modeling classified samples into three distinct groups with 90.2% accuracy. VOC analysis identified 52 compounds, with traditionally processed rice displaying the richest profile followed by paddy-grown rice. Paddy-grown rice had a higher omega-6/omega-3 ratio (1.5) than other samples (~1.0). Sensory analysis found traditionally processed samples to be most distinct, with subtler differences among lake-specific and American rice.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that wild rice quality is influenced by both growing conditions and processing methods used, while also suggesting that wild rice grown in specific lakes may also exhibit unique properties. The elevated antioxidant activity observed in traditionally processed samples suggests that incorporating aspects of these methods into commercial practices may improve nutritional quality, though changes to sensory attributes should be considered.