Determination of the size distribution and percentage of broken kernels of rice using flatbed scanning and image analysis

A method was developed for the determination of the size and size distribution of rice and the amount of broken rice kernels using flatbed scanning (FBS) and image analysis (IA). The rice was placed on the glass plate of the scanner and covered with a black sheet of paper. A fully automatic procedure was developed using freeware IA software and standard spreadsheet software. The method was tested on parboiled and regular-milled white rice of different varieties and compared to manual analysis by weighing after visual separation of whole and broken kernels and by measuring the length and width of rice kernels using a sliding calliper. The FBS method is fast, easy to use and cheap. It yields the same accuracy and better precision than the more time-consuming manual method. Analysis by FBS-IA takes about 3 min per sample compared to about 30 min for manual analysis. The procedure requires a PC with standard desktop scanner. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]