## 1 Introduction  
Rice (_Oryza sativa_ L.) is one of the most important cereal crops and food in the world. Global milled rice production was 532.87 million metric tons in the crop year 2024/25 [1]. It is cultivated in more than 120 countries, spanning latitudes from 35\({}^{\circ}\) S to 53\({}^{\circ}\) N, with the majority of production concentrated in the tropical and subtropical regions of Asia [2]. Regarding human nutrition, rice accounts for over one-fifth of the global caloric intake. In Asia, more than two billion people derive 60-70% of their daily caloric intake from rice. Worldwide, most consumed rice is long grain and polished white rice, but there are many cultivars that contain pigments known as coloured or pigmented rice. Pigmented rice is consumed with its seed coat (bran) and has a nutrier flavour compared to polished white rice, where the exterior seed coat has been removed. However, pigmented rice can still be considered as niche product in most parts of the world. Due to poor consumer awareness, its lower yield and staggered market potential, production of pigmented rice is only 0.1% of total rice production [3]. Meanwhile, several studies have shown that pigmented rice has superior nutritional quality compared to polished white rice and non-wholegrain cereals due to the presence of flavonoids and other bioactive compounds [4]. Historically, pigmented rice has been a dietary staple in China, Japan, and Korea for a long time, and still today traditional Chinese medicine includes pigmented rice to improve eyesight, kidney function, blood circulation, remove blood stasis, and treat diabetes. Bioactive substances in pigmented rice possess antioxidant and free radical scavenging, anti-tumour, antiatherosclerosis, hypoglycaemic, or anti-allergic activities [5]. Pigmented rice is also known for its health benefits, including regulation of high blood pressure, anti-obesity effects, anti-diabetic effects, antioxidant activities, anti-inflammatory properties, anti-cancerous properties, and skin anti-aging properties [3]. Overall, pigmented rice is now gaining a lot of attention due to its nutritional value largely attributed by high phenolic compounds, micronutrient content, and high resistant starch content [6].  
Bread and pasta are an essential part of the global human diet. The expected average volume per person consumption of bread and pasta in 2025 are 25.5 kg and 7.4 kg, respectively [7,8]. Both can contain functional ingredients or be fortified with bioactive components. Much work has been conducted to improve not only the technological processing, but also the nutritional properties to increase the health benefits of these foods. This includes the use of functional ingredients and innovative technologies. Studies have shown that the use of wholegrain cereals can improve the nutritional properties of bread and pasta (wheat-based and GF), particularly when pigmented varieties are used.  
Currently, polished white rice is predominantly utilized as an ingredient in food products due to its GF nature and mild flavour. However, limited research has explored the potential of pigmented rice. This review aims to enhance the knowledge of the potential applications of wholegrain pigmented rice for bread, bakery products, and snacks, and focused on the effects of pigmented rice on the technological, nutritional, and sensory properties of the food products. A review by [PERSON] et al. [6] compared the phenolic acids and flavonoids of various pigmented rice varieties (including non-pigmented rice and rice bran) and examined the effects of post-harvest processing. As this topic has already been addressed, it will not be the focus of this review.