Effects of newly developed functional rice grains Goami (high-amylose rice) and Nokwon (green-kerneled rice) on the glucose metabolism and antioxidative defense system in C57BL/6N mice under high fat diet condition were investigated. Animals were randomly divided into five groups (n = 8) and given experimental diets for eight weeks: normal control diet (NC), high fat diet (HF), and high fat diet supplemented with white rice (HF-WR), Goami rice (HF-GR), and Nokwon rice (HF-NR). At the end of the experimental period, the HF group exhibited markedly higher blood glucose level, insulin concentration, plasma lipid peroxidation and lower hepatic glycogen concentration than that exhibited by NC group. However, diet supplementation of Goami and Nokwon suppressed the high fat diet-induced hyperglycemia and oxidative stress through inhibition of the glucose-regulating enzymes and enhancement of the antioxidant enzymes activities. The results illustrate that the new functional rice Goami and Nokwon may be useful in the development of functional foods with preventive effect against high fat diet-induced hyperglycemia and oxidative stress.

Nokwon, a new cultivar for vegetable soybean, was developed from the cross between Keunolkong and Hyangnam-1 and released in 2006. The pedigree of Nokwon, designated as Milyang 153 in 2003, was SS96425-2B-11-4-1-1-1. Nokwon, used as a vegetable soybean was characterized by dark green pod, large seed, very short plant height, and lodging resistance. Nokwon has determinate growth habit, white flowers, gray pubescence, oval leaf shape and brown pods at maturity. The mature seeds have a greenish yellow seed coat with brown hilum and yellow cotyledon. In Korea, Regional Yield Trials (RYT) for vegetable soybean from 2004 to 2006, Nokwon shows strong tolerance to soybean mosaic virus and lodging in fields. Fresh pods of Nokwon harvested at the beginning of August, and stem height was 11cm shorter than 45 cm of Hwaeomputkong. In the same tests, fresh pod of Nokwon (11.4 ton/ha) yielded 14% higher than Hwaeomputkong (10.0 ton/ha). Nokwon had 5.9 cm fresh pod length, 13.1 mm fresh pod width, 75.4 g seed weight per 100 green seed, 39.4% green seed protein content, and 17.3% green seed oil content.