THE saccharides of seven rice samples (Oryza sativa Linn.), including some old ones that are in common domestic use, have been investigated, with the view of correlating the carbohydrate changes in stored rice with the nutritive value and taste. Four kinds of raw rice (basmati) and three types of parboiled rice (saila) were chosen (basmati and saila are the local names for raw and parboiled rice respectively in northern India). Among the raw rice were included two one-year old samples, one new sample and a fourth that had been stored for three years in tins (30 ± 5° C). The parboiled rice consisted of the varieties Burdhwan, Mainpuri and Patna.