FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC NEKEDE

P.M.B 1036 OWERRI IMO STATE

TERM PAPER

ON

Processing of rice using conventional milling method and

WRITTEN BY

NAME: UZOMA HARMONY CHIGAEMEZE

DEPT: FOOD TECHNOLOGY

LEVEL: HND II (EVENING)

COURSE TITLE: PROCESSING AND PRESERVATION OF

COURSE CODE: FST 415

LECTURER: MRS. NNEKA AMADI -UZONNA

DATE: APRIL, 2024

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 INTRODUCTION

RICE PROCESSING

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is considered as a semiaquatic annual grass chiefly

grown as a kharif season crop. The majority of the rice cultivated in the world

belongs to two main species: Oryza sativa (Asian rice) and Oryza glaberrima

(African rice). The former species is produced and utilized on a larger scale in

comparison to the Oryza glaberrima species, which is restricted to the region of

West Africa. The widely cultivated Asian rice includes three subspecies: indica,

javonica, and japonica, which vary in kernel size and dimensions. According to

FAO (2020), the global rice production reached 501.3 million tons in the

marketing year 2019–20 with India, Pakistan, Thailand, Vietnam, and the

United States as leading exporters. India contributed roughly 112 million tons of

rice to the global production in this marketing year (Singh, 2019). Rice

production is further expected to rise to 550 million tons worldwide by the year

2035 (Yue, Mun, & Lee, 2017).

Around two-third of the world’s population eat rice as their staple food. The

consumption of rice in some Asian countries (Bangladesh, Burma, Cambodia,

China, India, Indonesia, Korea, Laos, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, and

Vietnam) is relatively high, contributing about 75% of their daily calorie intake

(FAO, 2001). Rice is predominantly consumed in the form of fully milled white

rice, which comprises regularly milled as well as parboiled rice and only a small

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fraction is consumed as brown rice. It is also used in the preparation of

processed foods, such as noodles, puffed rice, fermented sweet rice, snack

foods, and beverages (such as beer, wine, sake, and vinegar). The process of

converting paddy into well-milled, edible, silky-white rice, involves a series of

steps such as parboiling, drying, and milling that must be carried out with

utmost care in order to produce high-quality rice. The market value of rice

depends largely on its physical (moisture content, grain dimensions, weight,

density, and color), mechanical (grain strength and elasticity), thermal

properties (specific heat, thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, coefficient

of expansion), and biochemical properties. Understanding the physical

characteristics of a rice kernel is of paramount importance as it influences the

design and dimensions of the operating equipment and helps in optimizing the

storage and processing conditions. In cases, where the machineries are

improperly designed and operations are executed inappropriately, cracked and

broken rice kernels are produced, which fetches a low marketing price.

Substantially, the percentage of whole grain rice obtained is one critical

parameter, since long whole grains command higher market prices than the

broken ones.

The cooking and eating quality of rice is essential for establishing the economic

value of rice. The preference of rice varies greatly among people; some people

prefer long and flaky rice, others prefer short and sticky rice. The texture,

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aroma, flavor and a number of other parameters play a crucial role in visualizing

consumer acceptability and deciding the cost of the rice (Ghadge & Prasad,

2012).Once the plants have reached full growth (approximately three months

after planting) and the grains begin to ripen—the tops begin to droop and the

stem yellows—the water is drained from the fields. As the fields dry, the grains

ripen further and harvesting is commenced. After harvesting rice, it is

transferred to the processing plant where the following steps are carried out.

Cleaning Essential for removal of undesired foreign matter, paddy cleaning is

given utmost importance to ensure proper functioning of the Rice Milling

machinery. Rough rice is passed through a series of sieves and closed circuit

aspiration system is provided to remove dust and light impurities through

positive air suction. Undesired material, heavier than rough rice (but of similar

size) is removed through a destoner/gravity separator. This machine works on

the principle of specific gravity. Stones and other heavy impurities, being

heavier, stay on the screen surface whereas rough rice, being lighter, fluidizes

into the positive air gradient created by an external source.

Drying Before milling, rice grains must be dried in order to decrease the

moisture content to between 18-22%. This is done with artificially heated air or,

more often, with the help of naturally occurring sunshine. Rice grains are left on

racks in fields to dry out naturally. Once dried, the rice grain, now called rough

rice, is ready for processing.

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PROCESSING OF RICE USING CONVENTIONAL METHOD

Hulling: Hulling can be done by hand by rolling or grinding the rough rice

between stones. However, more often it is processed at a mill with the help of

automated processes. The rough rice is first cleaned by passing through a

number of sieves that sift out the debris. Blown air removes top matter.

Cleaning: the rice is hulled by a machine that mimics the action of the

handheld stones. The shelling machine loosens the hulls from the rice by rolling

them between two sheets of metal coated with abrasives. 80-90% of the kernel

hulls are removed during this process.

From the shelling machine, the grains and hulls are conveyed to a stone reel that

aspirates the waste hulls and moves the kernels to a machine that separates the

hulled from the unhulled grains. By shaking the kernels, the paddy machine

forces the heavier unhulled grains to one side of the machine, while the lighter

weight rice falls to the other end. The unhulled grains are then siphoned to

another batch of shelling machines to complete the hulling process. Hulled rice

grains are known as brown rice.

Milling: Since it retains the outer bran layers of the rice grain, brown rice

needs no other processing. However along with added vitamins and minerals,

the bran layers also contain oil that makes brown rice spoil faster than milled

white rice.

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That is one of the reasons why brown rice is milled further to create a more

visually appealing white rice.

• The brown rice runs through two huller machines that remove the outer bran

layers from the grain. With the grains pressed against the inner wall of the

huller and a spinning core, the bran layers are rubbed off. The core and inner

wall move closer for the second hulling, ensuring removal of all bran layers.

• The now light-colored grain is cooled and polished by a brush machine.

• The smooth white rice is conveyed to a brewer's reel, where over a wire mesh

screen broken kernels are sifted out. Oftentimes, the polished white rice is then

coated with glucose to increase luster.

Rice: Whitening Brown rice is rubbed with a rough surface, created using

emery stones of specific grid size. The rough emery removes off the brown bran

layer. The radial velocity of the stone wheels, grid size of the stones, clearance

between stone surface & the other screen and the external pressure on the outlet

chamber of the whitening machines determine the extent of whiteness. The bran

layer removed from the surface if pneumatically conveyed to a separate room

for further processing /storage.

Polishing: The surface of whitened rice is still rough and is smoothened by a

humidified rice polisher. The process involves rubbing of rice surface against

another rice surface with mystified air acting as lubricant between the two
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surfaces. Usually a modified version of this process is used to produce superfine

silky finish on rice surface. The bran layer removed from the surface if

pneumatically conveyed to a separate room for further processing/storage.

Grading: Broken rice is removed from whole rice by passing the lot through a

cylindrical indented screen rotating at a particular speed. The broken/small

grains, fit into the indents of the rotating cylinder, are lifted by centrifugal force

and gravitational pull falls the grains into a trough. Adjusting the rotational

speed and angle of trough can vary the average length of grains. Sorting

Discoloured rice grains are removed off from the like coloured grains by Rice

colour sorting machines. Photo sensors/CCD (Charged Coupled Device) sensors

generate voltage signal on viewing discoloured grains, which are then removed

off by air jet generated through solenoid valves.

Enriching : The milling process that produces white rice also removes much of

the vitamins and minerals found primarily in the outer bran layers. Further

processing is often done in order to restore the nutrients to the grain. Once

complete, the rice is called converted rice. • White rice is converted in one of

two ways. Prior to milling, the rice is steeped under pressure in order to transfer

all the vitamins and minerals from the bran layers to the kernel itself. Once

done, the rice is steamed, dried, and then milled. Rice that has already been

milled can be submersed in a vitamin and mineral bath that coats the grains.

Once soaked, they are dried and mixed with unconverted rice.

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Packing: The finished product is then packed and is stored to be delivered to

valued customers

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 REFERENCES

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