Milling Yield of Rough Rice Blended at
Different Moisture Contents
D . L. Calderwood
MEMBER
ASAE
ABSTRACT
OUGH rice at different moisture levels commonly
R is blended during harvesting and drying operations.
Such blending, whether done accidentally or on purpose,
may cause a reduction in milling yield due to moisture
adsorption by low-moisture kernels. Tests were run to
determine the extent to which mixing rice at a wide range
of moisture contents and in different proportions
affected the subsequent milling yields. Mixing of rice
within the range of 12 to 22% moisture content caused
little or no reduction in whole kernel yields, but mixing
rice at 8% moisture content with rice at a moisture
content of 17% or higher caused a severe reduction in
whole kernel yields. Labelle variety, with a high whole
kernel yield, tolerated a wider range of moisture contents
in mixing than did Lebonnet variety, which had a smaller
whole kernel yield.
INTRODUCTION
High-moisture and low-moisture rough rice commonly
are blended either accidently or intentionally. The total
amount of moisture within the blended mass remains
unchanged, but the high-moisture portion desorbs
moisture, whereas the low-moisture portion adsorbs
moisture. Experience with unheated air-drying has
shown that desorption of moisture at a slow rate causes
no internal damage to rice kernels, but several
researchers (Henderson, 1954; Kunze and Hall, 1965;
Kunze and Hall, 1967; and Kunze and Prasad, 1978)
observed that moisture adsorption caused rice kernels to
crack or fissure. The fissured kernels are unlikely to
remain whole during the milling process, causing a low
milling yield. Milling yield is defined as an estimate of
the quantity ofwhole kernels and total milled rice (whole
and broken kernels combined) that are produced in the
milling of rough rice to a well-milled degree (USDA,
1972).
The potential for grain to fissure during harvesting
and drying operations, due to mixing of rice at widely
different moisture contents, was discussed by Kunze and
Prasad (1978). Chau and Kunze (1978) examined rice in
a field suitable for harvesting and found that a difference
of 10% moisture content (M)* existed between the
wettest and driest kernels from a relatively dry panicle
and a difference of 46 M existed between kernels from
the top of the driest panicle examined and kernels from
near the bottom of the wettest panicle examined. Thus,
Article was submitted for publication in April, 1983; reviewed and
approved for publication by the Electric Power and Processing Div. of
ASAE in September, 1983. Presented as ASAE Paper No. 79-3552.
Approved for publication as Technical Article No. 15641 of Texas
Agricultural Experiment Station.
The author is: D. L. CALDERWOOD, Agricultural Engineer,
USDA-ARS, Beaumont, TX.
*M signifies percent moisture content, wet basis, throughout this
report.
248
rice within a wide range of moisture contents is mixed
together during typical harvesting operations.
Rice at different moisture levels is blended in bin
dryers equipped with stirring augers. These augers move
relatively dry rice from near the floor of a dryer and
deposit it on the relatively wet rice at the top. However,
this kind of blending did not appear to reduce the milling
yield of rice receiving this treatment (Calderwood, 1977).
In addition to blending rice at different moisture levels
accidentally, dryer operators frequently blend rice at
different moisture levels intentionally. Rice of the same
variety, but at different moisture contents, may be mixed
together to fully utilize the available storage space.
Freshly harvested rice may be mixed with dried rice as a
method of drying the former to a level that will not
support mold development.
A solar grain-drying technique that might be applied
to rice was described by Bern et al. (1978). They collected
energy during summer months and used it to overdry
corn. Later, they mixed the overdried corn as a desiccant
with freshly harvested corn. The equilibrium moisture
content of the mixture was low enough so that no
spoilage resulted from completing the drying operation
by the low-temperature method.
The objective of this research was to investigate the
effect, on subsequent milling yield, of mixing rough rice
at various moisture contents in different proportions.
METHODS AND MATERIALS
Each test required a 10 to 15 kg quantity of high-
moisture, rough rice within the range of 17 to 22 M. A
15-kg quantity was large enough to comprise 12 samples
of 1.2 kg each for a test having two replications of
samples of five mixtures and an unmixed control. Some
of the tests were made with only three mixtures and the
unmixed control. These tests require eight 1.2 kg
samples. In a test involving five one-to-one ratio-
mixtures, five 1.2 kg samples were placed in sealed
containers and stored at 5 °C for a few days while other
1.2-kg quantities were dried to 14, 12, 10, 8, and 6 M,
respectively, for mixing and two other 1.2-kg samples
were dried to 12 M to become the duplicate unmixed
control samples.
Drying was accomplished by movement of air through
1.2-kg quantities of rice in 20-cm-square, screen bottom
containers at a thickness of about 5 cm. Ambient air at
24 °C and 60% relative humidity was adequate for
drying samples to either 14 or 12 M. The ambient air was
heated in increments of 5 °C to dry samples to 10 M and
lower. Thus, a sample to be dried to 10 M was exposed to
ambient air for 24 h and to 29 °C air for as long as
necessary. Drying a sample to 8 M required 24 h with
unheated air, 24 h with 29 °C air and an additional
period with 34 °C air. Drying a sample to 6 M required
TRANSACTIONS of the ASAE—1984
24 h each with unheated air, 29 °C air, 34 °C air, 39 °C TABLE 1. THE EFFECT OF MIXING RICE SAMPLES AT TWO
air and an additional period with 44 °C air. Previous MOISTURE CONTENTS AND IN VARIOUS PROPORTIONS ON
THE WHOLE KERNEL MILLING YIELD OF THE MIXED
research (Webb and Calderwood, 1978) indicated that SAMPLES COMPARED WITH UNMIXED SAMPLES
whole kernel yields were not reduced by this slow method
Proportion
of drying. Moisture Moisture high
Mixing ratios were based on the dry weight of rice content content moisture
making up a mixture. In mixing 22 M rice with low high low rice to Milling yield*
moisture rice in one-to-one ratios, 600 g quantities of 22 moisture moisture low mois- whole kernel
Variety portion, % portion, % ture rice rice, %
M rice were mixed with 544 g, 532 g, 520 g, 509 g and
498 g quantities of 14, 12, 10, 8 and 6 M rice, TEST 1
respectively. In most of the tests equal amounts (dry LabeUe 22.0 — 1 to 0 64.7a
Labelle 22.0 12.0 1 to 1 64.5a
weight) of high moisture and low moisture rice were Labelle 22.0 10.0 1 to 1 60.7b
mixed, but other ratios of high moisture to low moisture LabeUe 22.0 8.0 1 to 1 58.2c
rice were also included in mixing tests. TEST 2
The two quantities of rice making up a mixture were
stirred to insure thorough mixing of high and low
moisture kernels, then placed in a sealed container for
Labelle 19.7 7.3 1 to 1 56.5b
storage during a period of approximately 30 days.
Samples averaging a combined moisture content of 16% TEST 3
or higher were stored at room temperatures of 24 °C for Labelle 17.2 — 1 to 0 65.2a
72 h, then moved into a refrigerator at a temperature of 5 Labelle 17.2 12.4 1 to 1 64.0a
Labelle 17.2 10.2 1 to 1 63.3a
°C for the remainder of the storage period to inhibit Labelle 17.2 8.5 1 to 1 56.9b
mold growth. Other samples were stored at 24 °C during
the entire storage period. TEST 4
Following the storage period, the mixed samples were Labelle 18.0 _ 1 to 0 62.5a
Labelle 18.0 12.0 3 to 1 62.9a
dried with unheated air to 12 M to prepare them for Labelle 18.0 10.0 3 to 1 62.9a
milling tests. A small amount of each sample was Labelle 18.0 8.0 3 to 1 53.0b
discarded so that the final weight of each was 1 kg.
TEST 5
Milling tests were conducted in accordance with the
standard procedure for rice graders (Smith, 1955A,
Labelle 22.0 — 1 to 0 59.0a
Labelle 22.0 8.0 5 to 1 47.9b
1955B, 1955C). Labelle 22.0 8.0 3 to 1 44.0c
Labelle 22.0 8.0 2 to 1 42.2d
Labelle 22.0 8.0 1 to 1 39.2e
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
TEST 6
The results of six mining tests are listed in Table 1.
Only the "whole kernel" part of milling yield data are Lebonnet 17.9 — 1 to 0 54.2a
Lebonnet 17.9 12.0 1 to 1 52.7a
listed because the total milled rice yield was not changed Lebonnet 17.9 9.6 1 to 1 47.8b
by the mixing treatments. Most of the tests were run Lebonnet 17.9 8.0 1 to 1 31.8c
using the long-grain variety, Labelle, because this variety * Means of two replicated samples within a test followed by the
characteristically produces a high milling yield and it was same letter are not significantly different at the 0.05 probability
readily available at the time these tests were run. Long- level as determined by Duncan's Multiple Range Test.
grain variety, Lebonnet, was used in one of the tabulated
tests (test 6). one and five-to-one (test 5). The percentage of whole
Data on mixing equal amounts of high-moisture and kernels increased with higher proportions of 22.0 M rice
low-moisture rice indicate that whole kernel yields in a mixture, but all of the mixtures produced a much
remained unchanged until the moisture content of the lower percentage of whole kernels than did the unmixed
low-moisture portion reached a critical level. The critical sample.
moisture content was between 10 to 12% for low-
moisture Labelle variety rice mixed with 22 M rice (test CONCLUSIONS
1). The critical moisture content was somewhat lower for
1. Moisture adsorption caused little or no reduction
mixtures with rice at 19.7 M or 17.2 M (tests 2 and 3).
in whole kernel yields when equal amounts of rough rice
The critical moisture level for the long-grain variety, within the range of 12 to 22% moisture content were
Lebonnet, mixed with 17.9 M rice was between 9.6 M mixed.
and 12.0 M (test 6). Thus, it appears that Lebonnet was
2. A severe reduction in whole kernel yield resulted
somewhat more sensitive to the moisture range in mixing
from mixing overdried rice at a moisture content of 8%
than was Labelle. The greater sensitivity can be or lower with rice at a moisture content of 17% and
explained, in part, by the lower whole kernel yield of higher.
unmixed Lebonnet compared with unmixed Labelle. 3. Rice variety may affect the tolerance for mixing
The results of mixing 18 M Labelle in a three-to-one such that a variety that characteristically produces a high
ratio with dry rice indicate the critical moisture content whole kernel yield can tolerate a wider range of moisture
of the dry portion was between 8.0 M and 10.0 M (test 4). contents in mixing than a variety that characteristically
This critical moisture content was nearly the same as the produces a lower whole kernel yield.
critical moisture content for mixing either 19.7M or 17.2
M rice with dry rice in a one-to-one ratio. References
Labelle rice samples at 22.0 M and 8.0 M were mixed 1. Bern, C. J., M. E. Anderson and W. F. Wilcke. 1978. Solar
in the following ratios: one-to-one, two-to-one, three-to- corn drying with a combination desiccant/low-temperature system.
(continued on page 254)

TRANSACTIONS of the ASAE—1984 249

 Milling of Rough Rice
(continued from page 249)
Solar Grain Drying Conference Proceedings, May 2-3, 1978. West in harvesting and drying of rice. TRANSACTIONS of the ASAE
Lafayette, IN, p. 57-60. 21(2):361-366.
2. Calderwood, D. L. 1977. Bin drying with stirring: Rice. Solar 8. Smith, W. D. 1955A. The use of the McGill sheller for
Grain Drying Conference Proceedings, Jan. 11-12, 1977, Urbana- removing hulls from rough rice. The Rice J. 58(10):20.
Champaign, IL. 9. Smith, W. D. 1955B. The use of the McGill miller for milling
3. Chau, N. N. and O. R. Kunze. 1982. Moisture content samples of rice.. The Rice J. 58(11):20.
variation among harvested rice grains. TRANSACTIONS of the ASAE 10. Smith, W. D. 1955C. The determinations of the estimate of
25(4):1037-1040. head rice and of total milled rice with the use of the sizing device. The
4. Henderson, S. M. 1954. The causes and characteristics of rice Rice J. 58(12):9.
checking. The Rice J. 57(5):16, 17, 18. 11. Webb, B. D. and D. L. Calderwood. 1978. Laboratory studies
5. Kunze, O. R. and C. W. Hall. 1965. Relative humidity changes on the relation of moisture content to degree of milling and milling
that cause brown rice to crack. TRANSACTIONS of the ASAE yield in rice. Proceedings of the Seventeenth Rice Technical Working
9(3):396-399, 453. Group, College Station, TX, Feb. 14-16, 1978, p. 53.
6. Kunze, O. R. and C. W. Hall. 1967. Moisture adsorption 12. U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1972 (Rev.). United States
characteristics of brown rice. TRANSACTIONS of the ASAE standards for rough rice, brown rice for processing, milled rice. USDA
10(4):448-450, 453. Consumer and Marketing Serv., Washington, DC.
7. Kunze, O. R. and S. Prasad. 1978. Grain fissuring potentials

254 TRANSACTIONS of the ASAE—1984