Albert wrote:
> I was at the local asian grocery store and noticed they were selling
> individually sealed trays of rice. You lift a corner and pop in the
> microwave for 1 minute (no need to add water or anything else). I
> bought one (99 cents) and it tasted just like regular white rice. I'm
> thinking these would be ideal for taking to work for a quick lunch.
>
> Only one problem. These sealed trays can be stored at room
> temperature (!) for months, if not years. I expected to see a
> paragraph of ingredients but it only said water, rice and glucono-
> delta-lactone. Is glucono-delta-lactone safe to eat? It must be a
> powerful preservative.
>

Maybe there was some other form of preservation. Radiation works well,
as does simple heat sterilization.