DisplayTitle

Milled Rice Breakage Due to Environmental Conditions¹

¹Published with the approval of the Director of the Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas. Mention of trademark or proprietary products does not constitute a guarantee or warranty by the University of Arkansas and does not imply its approval to the exclusion of other products that may also be suitable. ²Professor, research assistant, and former research assistant, respectively, Biological and Agricultural Engineering Department, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701. ³Corresponding author: E-mail: tsiebenm@saturn.uark.edu Phone: 501/575-2841. Fax 501/575-2846.

Milled, long-grain rice was exposed to air at temperatures (T) of 20, 30, and 40°C, and relative humidities (RH) ranging from 25 to 85%. The kernels then were subjected to a breakage test to determine the extent of damage that occurred during each exposure condition. Increasing air T levels produced higher amounts of broken kernels across the RH range. Milled rice at higher moisture content (MC) levels sustained more extensive stress crack damage at low RH conditions and less stress crack damage at high RH conditions relative to milled rice at lower MC levels. Varietal differences were also present, but were overshadowed by MC effects.