Improvement in Storage Stability of Infrared-Dried Rough Rice

Infrared radiation heating has a promising potential in improving drying rate and food safety, but its effect on the storage stability of rough rice is not known. The objective of this study was to develop an infrared drying (IRD) method to improve the storage stability of rough rice during storage. The effects of IRD on the physicochemical properties of stored rough rice were compared with those of hot air drying (HAD) and ambient air drying (AAD). Freshly harvested M206 rice was dried to a targeted moisture content of 16 % (d.b.) by using IRD, HAD, and AAD. The dried rice samples were then stored at 35.0 ± 1.0 °C and a relative humidity of 65.0 ± 3.0 % for up to 10 months. The physicochemical and cooking properties of rice samples were periodically determined over the storage duration. Compared with AAD, the yellowness index, water uptake, and volume expansion ratio of the rough rice dried with IRD and stored for 4 months were reduced by 26.3, 76.3, and 14.5 %, respectively. After 10 months of storage, the change in hardness of cooked IR-dried rice was significantly reduced by 22 % compared to that of samples dried with AAD. IRD likely caused a slight denaturation of protein and annealing of starch that was located on the surface layer of rice kernels, resulting in decreased gelatinization temperature, enthalpy, and viscosity, and reduced the changes in microstructure, but retained cooking characteristics after storage. Therefore, IRD is recommended as a promising technique that achieves high rice drying efficiency and improved storage stability.