Abstract:The variations in taste and quality of different varieties of indica brown rice in South China remain poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, the appearance, physicochemical, cooking, pasting, thermodynamic, and texture properties of 14 indica rice varieties in South China were analyzed. The entropy method and cluster analysis were used for comprehensive evaluation and classification. The results showed that for brown rice, skin thickness had a substantial impact on water absorption (correlation coefficient −0.605), amylose content had a substantial impact on the expansion rate (correlation coefficient −0.434), and protein content had a substantial impact on the disintegration value (correlation coefficient −0.573), fat content, and rice soup dry matter (correlation coefficient 0.600). Soluble and insoluble dietary fiber substantially affected the enthalpy of gelatinization of brown rice (correlation coefficients were 0.501 and 0.425, respectively). Entropy analysis revealed that the varieties Meixiangzhan 2 and 19xiang exhibited the highest comprehensive scores of 0.105 and 0.105, respectively. Moreover, 16 core indices were identified that could represent the taste quality of brown rice. Fourteen varieties were divided into three categories by cluster analysis, consisting of 2, 9, and 3 varieties, respectively. In summary, this study elucidates the differences among 14 indica brown rice varieties in South China, identifies two varieties suitable for consumption as staple foods, and provides a theoretical basis for indica brown rice screening.