Cooked rice

Rice boiled or steamed in water, whose gelatinized starch is easy for microorganisms to use.

Characteristics

Cooking gelatinizes the starch and makes it readily available.
Cooked in excess water, part of the starch passes into the liquid.
Traditionally used as bait to collect indigenous microorganisms (IMO).
After a few days, colonized rice shows a white, cottony mould.

Role in the preparation: Serves as a carbon substrate on which environmental microorganisms colonize and multiply, before being mixed with sugar.

Caution: Discard batches with black mould, wear gloves and a mask if sensitive to spores, and wash hands before and after handling.

Sources: Kokua Hawaii Foundation – Cultivate Beneficial Microorganisms (AINA resource) · FAO – Rice in human nutrition: effects of washing and cooking

Documentary information: this is neither a recommendation for use nor a plant-protection or veterinary claim. Check your country's regulations before any use.