Drying Rough Rice in a Fluidized Bed Dryer

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of the fluidized-bed drying method on the final quality of two varieties of Iranian rice, medium- and long grain. The results were compared to that of paddy drying using a traditional method. Rough rice was treated in the fluidized bed drier at 140ºC for 2 minutes. Similar samples were dried for 8-10 hrs by the traditional method. Dried samples were dehusked and polished. Quality factors, including trade quality (head rice yield percent and whiteness), cooking quality (amylose content, gelatinization temperature, gel consistency, aroma and flavor) and nutritional quality (thiamine and lysine contents), were then measured for each sample. Finally, the data was analyzed. Results show that paddy drying in a fluidized bed dryer would reduce the quality factors except for rice whiteness for which conventional drying is more acceptable. Therefore modification of fluidized-bed drying technique is recommended.