Parboiling of rice. Part II: Effect of hot soaking time on the degree of starch gelatinization

A differential scanning calorimetric study was done on raw and parboiled rice to determine the degree of gelatinization. Unparboiled rice absorbed the highest amount of endothermic heat, the enthalpy change gradually decreasing with increasing hot soaking time. The highest degree of gelatinization was achieved when the paddy was soaked for 120 min at 80 °C. With increasing degree of gelatinization, the yield point in a compression test also increased. During the parboiling process internal fissures were healed, resulting in higher head rice yield during milling.     

Effect of soaking medium on the physicochemical properties of parboiled glutinous rice of selected Laotian cultivars

The effect of various soaking mediums, viz. water (control), 3% NaCl and 0.2% acetic acid, and without soaking on the physicochemical properties of parboiled selected glutinous (TDK8 and TDK11) and non-glutinous (Doongara) was investigated in the present study. Results showed that the chemistry of soaking had a significant effect on the head rice yield (HRY), grain hardness, crystallinity, color, pasting and thermal properties, textural attributes, and glycemic index of these rice varieties. Soaking with NaCl and acetic acid significantly increased the grain hardness and HRY than control and without soaking treatments. Acetic acid and NaCl soaking significantly affected crystalline regions of starch resulting in reduced crystallinity in X-ray diffraction analysis and thermal endotherms in DSC analysis. NaCl soaking induced swelling of starch granules resulting in high peak and final viscosities. However, acetic acid restricted swelling resulting in reduced peak and final viscosities. NaCl and acetic acid soakings also resulted in increased hardness and adhesiveness of cooked grains than normal water soaked and un-soaked parboiled rice samples. Interestingly, change in textural attributes was prominent in parboiled glutinous rice. The color difference value for fresh parboiled samples was significantly lower for acetic acid soaked samples compared to NaCl soaked and un-soaked samples probably due to bleaching effect of acetic acid. Moreover, parboiling also resulted in significant reduction in glycemic index of glutinous rice. These findings revealed the potential application of parboiling with modified soaking techniques to improve the grain quality.     

Folic acid fortification of parboiled rice: Multifactorial analysis and kinetic investigation

Folic acid fortification of parboiled rice has been systematically studied to obtain quantitative insights into the role of key process variables. Parboiling was conducted with brown rice soaked at 70 °C for 1, 2 and 3 h with four different fortificant concentrations added and dried parboiled rice was milled for three durations (i.e. 0, 60 and 120 s). Both residual folate concentration in treated parboiled rice and pH of the soaking water after soaking stages were measured. Multifactorial model was developed to describe the residual folate retention behaviour and suggested that both soaking and milling were significant factors in folic acid fortification. The optimum soaking time was deduced to be 1.97 h. Folate retention rate followed a 1st order kinetics while the rates of natural rice hydrolysis and folate uptake were both time-dependent.     

Technological properties of microwave parboiled rice

Two rice varieties, a short grain (Giza 175) and a long grain (Giza 181), were parboiled by soaking in water at 80–85 °C for 1.5 h and then dried in the microwave oven for 3, 5, 6 and 8 min. The effect of such parboiling treatment on milling output and technological properties (cooking and eating quality) of milled rice were studied. There was a negative significant correlation between head rice and the drying time and a positive correlation between the drying time and the broken grains. The effect of such treatment on the chemical composition of milled parboiled rice, i.e. amylose, protein, fat and ash contents, showed that the amylose content of Giza 175 variety significantly decreased while not affect in Giza 181 variety. No significant differences were obtained in protein, fat and ash contents by increasing drying time. Microwave drying was more pronounced on Giza 175 variety rather than Giza 181 one. However, the optimum cooking time of the parboiled samples of the two varieties was not affected as a result of increasing the microwave drying time.     

Quality changes in HTST processing of rice parboiling

Paddy soaked to saturation level, when treated at a high temperature for a short time in a mechanical sand roaster is parboiled and dried in a single pass of 47 s duration. The extent of drying depends on the sand temperature. The sand temperature is critical as it decides the associated quality changes in the milled rice. Even at a sand temperature of 125°C, paddy could fully be parboiled but with mild effect. The parboiling became severe at high temperatures. Roasting the soaked paddy at 250°C, reduced the cooking time of the resultant milled rice. A sand temperature of 125–150°C was considered suitable for producing normal parboiled rice by this technique.     

Milling breakage susceptibility and mechanical properties of parboiled brown rice kernels

Parboiling, a hydrothermal treatment of paddy or brown rice, impacts both head rice yield and texture and nutritional characteristics of cooked rice. Here, milling breakage susceptibility of parboiled brown rice was investigated on both bulk and kernel level. Brown rice was parboiled by soaking at 40, 55 or 65 °C and steaming at 106, 120 or 130 °C. The breakage susceptibility and changes in starch and proteins of bulk samples were related to the properties of individual rice kernels. An increase in milling breakage susceptibility from 1% to 11% corresponded to a decrease in average bending force of individual kernels from 34.9 to 14.6 N. Furthermore, both white bellies and fissured parboiled rice grains were more breakage susceptible. Their average bending force was respectively 14.1 N and 17.6 N compared to an average of 39.6 N for intact parboiled rice grains. Whereas the level of proteins extractable with sodium dodecyl sulfate containing medium had no impact, the degree of starch gelatinization was critical in determining the presence of both white bellies and fissured parboiled rice grains. More in particular, complete starch gelatinization ensured the absence of white bellies and minimized fissuring in the parboiled end-product, thereby decreasing milling breakage susceptibility.     

Swelling and solubility behaviour of parboiled rice flour

Parboiled rice flour swelled and dissolved more than raw rice flour in water at temperatures below 70°C, but less than raw rice at higher temperatures. This difference between raw and parboiled rice increased with an increasing degree of parboiling. A sample of parboiled rice produced by dry-heating soaked paddy in hot sand behaved differently; but when it was wetted and tempered to favour reassociation of starch, its properties fell in line with normal steam-parboiled rice. The above behaviours of raw and parboiled rice flour were similar to those of corresponding whole-grain rice. They also reinforce the earlier suggestion of starch reassociation in conventional parboiled rice.     

稻谷水热加工过程中镉迁移规律研究

目的研究稻谷在蒸谷米水热加工过程中镉的迁移规律。方法以蒸谷米小试装置及生产线采集样品为研究对象,在优化碾米时间的基础上,在排除水分含量差异对测定结果的前提下,利用统计分析考察水热工艺(浸泡和蒸煮)对稻谷各部分(稻壳、米糠和精米)镉含量的影响。结果由实验数据推断,在水热过程中,镉的迁移主要发生在稻谷的内部,且主要是在浸泡时从精米向米糠迁移富集,而蒸煮工艺则对镉的分布变化影响很小;经过浸泡,精米中的镉含量可降低约40%;推测热水的浸泡一方面使胚乳淀粉分子间游离的镉部分溶出,一方面促使镉向络合能力更强的米糠蛋白迁移,最终导致其分布发生明显变化。结论该研究为在稻谷加工过程中实现重金属镉的消减提供了科学依据。     

蒸谷米快速浸泡工艺研究

研究不同浸泡工艺包括温度-时间、微波、酸碱溶液、低浓度乙醇、酶对稻谷吸水率的影响,结合蒸谷米外观品质及米饭质构分析,筛选有效的快速浸泡工艺。结果表明,在稻谷∶水为1∶1(g/mL)、温度60~70℃、浸泡4~5 h时,便达到浸泡工艺要求,吸水率达到30%;能显著提高稻谷吸水率的方法是质量比5%的纤维素酶浸泡4 h,吸水率达30.07%;能显著缩短浸泡时间方法是5 min、700 W微波浸泡,吸水率为31.69%。且2种浸泡工艺对蒸谷米的外观品质和米饭质构无不良影响,有望作为蒸谷米快速浸泡工艺进行应用。     

EFFECT OF ARTISANAL PARBOILING METHODS ON MILLING YIELD AND COOKED RICE TEXTURAL CHARACTERISTICS

ABSTRACT

One of the main objectives of artisanal rice parboiling is to reduce the levels of broken grains (brokens) on milling. Rice samples that had been parboiled using different regimes of soaking temperatures and steaming times were analyzed for their physical properties and cooked rice textures. It was established that inappropriate soaking and steaming regimes resulted in greater levels of brokens than raw‐milled paddy. Consequently, in artisanal parboiling, the initial soaking temperature should be about 90C and the steaming time should be more than 8 min, ideally, about 12 min. On cooking, more severely parboiled rice samples had firmer textures than mildly parboiled samples. The commercially parboiled sample and the more severely laboratory‐parboiled samples required a rice‐to‐water ratio of 1:3, while the raw‐milled sample and the mildly parboiled ones required a 1:2½ rice‐to‐water ratio for optimum cooking.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

Artisanal rice parboiling is carried out mainly to reduce the levels of broken grains and increase the yield of milled rice in many countries. If this is carried out very well, there are economic benefits as more rice of better quality is available to be sold. This study provides information on optimum processing conditions, i.e., initial soaking temperature of about 90C and a steaming time of about 12 min. The study also provides recommendations on optimum cooking conditions, i.e., rice‐to‐water ratio, for the variably parboiled rice samples.     

Some physical properties of paddy and rice and their interrelations

Grain dimensions, density, bulk density, porosity and angle of repose of paddy and rice were studied with respect to (a) varietal difference, (b) effect of moisture content, and (c) effect of degree of milling.

• (a) Grain breadth and thickness were mutually correlated; all dimensions of milled rice were closely related to those of the corresponding paddy. Density was nearly constant at 1.452 g/ml in all rice varieties; in paddy, the value was around 1.182 g/ml for round varieties and around 1.224 g/ml for others. Bulk density varied appreciably in both rice (0.777–0.847) and paddy (0.563–0.642 g/ml), and so did porosity (41–46% in rice, 46–54% in paddy). These were related to the grain shape (l/b ratio); the more round the grain, the greater was the bulk density and the lower the porosity and vice versa. Angle of repose was relatively constant in different varieties of rice (average 37.5°) and paddy (average 36.5°).
• (b) With increasing moisture content, in rice, density decreased linearly; but the bulk density decreased twice as fast and the porosity increased owing to a concurrent progressive increase in the frictional property which decreased the degree of grain packing. In paddy, with increasing moisture content, density and bulk density increased, showing the presence of void space between the husk and the kernel; the angle of repose also increased moderately, but the porosity remained nearly constant.
• (c) Density of rice increased slightly with milling; but bulk density, porosity and angle of repose were markedly affected by the degree of milling. In general, with progressive milling, bulk density decreased at first and then increased, while porosity and angle of repose changed in reverse fashion—the changes being more pronounced in parboiled rice than in raw rice. Thus brown rice packed well and flowed freely; rice of intermediate polish, particularly parboiled rice, had poor packing and flow properties; and fully milled rice again packed and flowed well. The primary change in these was in frictional property, which affected the porosity and hence the bulk density. The frictional property in turn was related primarily to the surface fat content of the rice. The surface fat increased sharply on initial milling, more in parboiled rice, and then gradually disappeared on full milling.

     

Starch Retrogradation and Starch Damage in Parboiled Rice and Flaked Rice

The equilibrium moisture content attained on soaking in water (EMC-S) of parboiled paddy was very high immediately after steaming and fell appreciably on storage, demonstrating starch retrogradation. The extent of retrogradation was dependent on the temperature of storage as well as the moisture content. It was maximum at about 25% moisture when stored at room temperature. Roasting of soaked raw paddy raised its EMC-S due to gelatinization. When stored at room temperature there was progressive retrogradation above 18% moisture. Flaking of roasted paddy and of moist milled rice, both raw and parboiled, also raised the EMC-S. This appeared to be caused by mechanical damage of starch granules. Flaked rice, too, showed retrogradation. — These results confirmed that many properties of parboiled rice are due to starch retrogradation while those of roasted and flaked rice are due to absence of retrogradation.     

Parboiling of paddy by simple soaking in hot water

Parboiling of paddy by mere hot water soaking, without steaming, has the advantage of not requiring a boiler. Soaking at a temperature 10–15°C above the gelatinization temperature (i.e. generally at about 80–85°C) is necessary to achieve fair to moderate gelatinization (i.e. parboiling). However, soaking at such temperatures for a time sufficient for the water to penetrate and gelatinize the grain core invariably leads to over-imbibition of moisture, husk splitting and leaching; soaking for less time, on the other hand, leaves many grains with 'white belly'. The best method therefore is to soak the grain for such time as to imbibe about 30% moisture (wet basis) (i.e. for about 1 1/2–2 hr), drain out the water, and temper the hot paddy for another 1–2 hr. This process yields optimally parboiled paddy without 'white belly' or grain splitting and with reasonably good milling quality and colour.     

Parboiling improved oxidative stability of milled white rice during one-year storage

Parboiling was investigated to improve the long-term oxidative stability of milled white rice beyond its current application to paddy brown rice. White rice was steamed at 105°C for 20 min, 120°C for 5 min, or 120°C for 20 min without soaking in water, followed by drying at 70°C for 3 h. During oneyear storage at 25 and 4°C, acid value as an index of oxidative deterioration of rice remained relatively constant in parboiled rice samples, while significant increases were observed in raw rice with higher acid values at 25°C compared with 4°C. This indicates that the parboiling improved the oxidative stability of white rice over the long period of time even at room temperature, therefore it can be an efficient alternative to retard the oxidative deterioration of white rice.     

Zinc fortification of whole rice grain through parboiling process

The present study evaluated the effectiveness of zinc (Zn) fortification in a parboiling process for improving Zn density in parboiled-polished rice and its potential bioavailability in the human diet. Fortification of Zn in whole paddy rice grain with 50–400 mg Zn/kg paddy rice, during parboiling, increased Zn concentrations in polished-parboiled rice from 1.3 to 4.5 times those in unfortified parboiled rice. The added Zn rapidly penetrated into parboiled rice grains in the initial soaking process before saturation. There was an exponential correlation between Zn concentrations in unpolished (r = 0.63) (p < 0.01) and polished rice (r = 0.30) (p < 0.05) and soaking time. Zinc concentrations in unpolished rice were linearly correlated with Zn concentration in the polished rice (r = 0.60) (p < 0.01). Moreover, more than half of the added Zn is retained after a simulated washing process before cooking, ranging from 64–100%. In the Zn-fortified parboiled rice, 57–100% of Zn in polished rice grain was soluble in dilute acid, which was indicative of a high potential Zn bioavailability for human intake. The results suggest that parboiled rice has great potential for Zn fortification.     

Process of Producing Parboiled Rice with Different Colors by Fluidized Bed Drying Technique Including Tempering

Steamer is utilized to gelatinize rice starch. High pressure or long steaming time is conventionally applied to obtain the dark brown color of the product. A new alternative method to produce dark brown parboiled rice was proposed in this work. High temperature fluidized bed drying technique including tempering was therefore explored to determine the operating condition to meet the requirement of light and dark brown parboiled rice along with high head rice yield. In addition, the couple of heat and mass transfer model was developed to determine the effective moisture diffusion coefficient, the temperature and moisture distributions within a grain kernel during drying. The effective diffusion coefficient was well correlated with grain temperature by Arrhenius equation. The drying temperature and moisture content after drying caused the drop of head rice yield. When the parboiled paddy at the intermediate moisture contents of 22 and 27% d.b. was tempered, the head rice quality was improved while the parboiled rice color was browner. To obtain high drying capacity, high head rice yield, and light brown color, the parboiled paddy should be dried at a maximum allowable temperature of 150 °C and tempered for 30 min. The tempering time should be extended to 60 min for the dark brown parboiled rice.     

Iron fortification and parboiled rice quality: appearance,cooking quality and sensory attributes

BACKGROUND: Iron (Fe) fortification of parboiled rice increases both Fe concentration and bioavailability in milled grains (i.e. white rice). The aim of the present study was to evaluate parboiled rice fortified with 250 and 450 mg Fe kg^?1 paddy rice for its pre‐cooking appearance, cooking quality, basic sensory attributes and overall acceptance in comparison with unfortified parboiled rice in Thailand and local parboiled rice in Bangladesh. RESULTS: Fe fortification at 250 mg Fe kg^?1 paddy rice significantly elevated Fe concentration in white rice to as high as 19.1 mg Fe kg^?1 white rice, compared with 6.2 mg Fe kg^?1 white rice for unfortified parboiled rice, without any adverse impact on consumer acceptance based on the current preliminary assessment. The added Fe was well retained in the cooked rice, with significant residual value for human intake. Panellists in Thailand and Bangladesh did not detect significant differences in the acceptability of parboiled rice fortified at 250 mg Fe kg^?1 paddy rice compared with unfortified and local parboiled rice respectively. However, Fe fortification of parboiled rice at the higher level of 450 mg Fe kg^?1 paddy rice significantly intensified the yellow colour of the grain and changed the off‐flavour, chewiness and flakiness of the cooked Fe‐fortified parboiled rice. This resulted in a low acceptability ranking of parboiled rice fortified at 450 mg Fe kg^?1 paddy rice by panellists in both Thailand and Bangladesh. CONCLUSION: Fe fortification of parboiled rice at an appropriate level (e.g. 250 mg Fe kg^?1 paddy rice) is dosage‐effective and acceptable to rice consumers. Consumer acceptability of Fe‐fortified parboiled rice is closely related to pre‐cooking appearance, cooking quality and sensory attributes. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

HIGH-TEMPERATURE DRYING-CUM-PARBOILING OF PADDY

Alternate methods of parboiling of paddy, in place of conventional steam-parboiling, for obtaining improved hydration ability in the parboiled rice were explored. Ratnachudi variety, a medium-grained, tall indica, high-amylose rice, was used. The paddy was soaked in warm water to a saturation moisture level (ca 30%, w.b.). The soaked paddy was dried by either exposing it to very hot air (150°—200°C) or by roasting it in hot sand (250°—300°C) for a few minutes. It was observed that under appropriate high-temperature conditions paddy got simultaneously dried and parboiled by both the above treatments. Parboiled rice so produced was examined for appearance (translucence, color), milling breakage, alkali degradation pattern and starch retrogradation. It was found to be quite comparable to normal steam-parboiled rice in all respects, except that it showed the desirable property of improved hydration ability due to lowering of starch retrogradation. Possible development of the technique into commercial process is indicated.     

Chemical composition and mineral content of rice bran of two egyptian rice varieties heated by microwave

Two rice varieties, a short grain (Giza 175) and a long grain (Giza 181), were parboiled by soaking in water at 80—85 °C for 1.5 h, then dried in the microwave oven for 3, 5, 6 and 8 min. The effect of such parboiling treatment on the chemical composition and mineral content (Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe, Na, K, Ca, Mg and P) of rice bran were studied. The ash and protein contents of parboiled rice bran varieties decreased with microwave time. The oil extraction increased until 5 min, then decreased after 6 and 8 min microwave time, while acid value of the oils decreased gradually. Each of the mineral components of the brans exhibited different magnitudes of loss, but Mg loss was smaller.     

蒸谷米浸泡工艺参数初探

通过研究浸泡温度、浸泡时间、浸泡压力对蒸谷米含水量的影响,采用正交试验优化蒸谷米浸泡工艺参数,经过中试试验修正的工艺参数为:浸泡温度55℃、浸泡压力400kPa、浸泡4 h.