Shinimai (dead rice)

Shinimai (死米, also given as "shigome") is a term describing rice quality. It refers to rice grains whose starch granules are incomplete compared with normal grains and have become powdery. Such rice is thin and lacks luster, and it falls short in both eating quality and fermentation capacity, so it is not suited to sake brewing. If shinimai is mixed in, it adversely affects the fermentation process and lowers the quality of the finished sake, so breweries take care not to use this kind of rice.