Effect of storage on parboiling, milling and cooking properties of paddy varieties in Chhattisgarh

Abstract

The present study was taken up to evaluate the degree of parboiling of rice grains, milling and cooking characteristics and then storage of both raw and parboiled paddy with their associated changes. Two varieties of paddy, Mahamaya and Swarna were purchased from the grain market of Raipur, C.G. Parboiling experiment was conducted by soaking paddy at 60 °C for 4 h, steaming for 15 min and then drying under shade for 24 h for both Mahamaya and Swarna varieties. Raw and parboiled samples were stored in polyethylene bags which were then kept in stainless steel containers. The stored samples were tested for milling and cooking qualities at 0, 20 and 40 days of storage. Head yield and milling quality of raw and parboiled samples initially decreased and then increased at the end of storage period in Mahamaya variety whereas in Swarna variety the raw and parboiled samples decreased throughout the storage period. Leaching loss and water uptake ratio of raw as well as parboiled grains showed, in general, decreasing trend with increasing storage period in both Mahamaya and Swarna varieties. EMC-S values are decreased at the end of storage period in Mahamaya variety whereas the EMC-S values are increased throughout the storage period in Swarna variety. Alkali spreading values of raw rice samples decreased at the end of storage period but for the parboiled rice samples, it increased at the end of storage period in both Mahamaya and Swarna varieties.