IMPACTS OF SPECIFIC POWER OF MICROWAVE AT 915 MHz FREQUENCY ON DRYING AND MILLING CHARACTERISTICS OF PARBOILED ROUGH RICE

The objectives of this research were to study the impacts of specific power of MW generated at 915 MHz frequency to dry high MC parboiled rough rice on moisture removal and milling characteristics of the parboiled rough rice. Long-grain rough rice of the cultivar (cv.) Mermentau at harvest MC of 31.6% dry basis (d. b.) was parboiled by soaking at 73 degrees C for 3 h and then steamed at 67 kPa for 10 minutes. Following the parboiling process the sample was subjected to the MW drying. The drying was accomplished at MW specific powers that ranged from 1.10 to 8.77 kW. [kg-DM](-1) and 0.37 to 2.92 kW. [kg-DM](-1) (power per unit dry matter mass of the grain). These treatment levels of AIW specific power were varied by heating parboiled rough rice for 2 and 6 minutes (min) at MW powers that ranged from 1 to 24 kW. The process of parboiling increased the rough rice MC to 44.3% dry basis (d.b.). During the MW drying, as the specific power increased, the general tendency was for rough rice final moisture content (FMC), milled rice yield (MRY) and head rice yield (HRY) to decrease while the drying rate increased. Parboiled rough rice samples treated with a specific power of 8.77 kW. [kg-DM](-1) while maintaining specific energy input at 0.29 kWh. [kg-DM](-1) had least-square means FMC, drying rate, MRY and HRY of 19.7% d.b. (S.D +/- 1.1%), 12.3% d.b. [min(-1)] (S.D +/- 0.8%) (2 min drying duration), 68.18% (S.D +/- 1.70%) and 67.51% (S.D +/- 0.73%) respectively. However, treatment at a lower specific power of 2.92 kW.[kg-DM](-1) while maintaining the same specific energy input of 0.29 kWh. [kg-M](-1)) resulted in least-square means FMC, drying rate, MRY and HRY of 21.2% d.b. (S.D +/- 0.5%), 3.9% d.b. [min(-1)] (S.D +/- 0.1%) (2 min drying duration), 73.22% (S.D +/- 0.84%) and 73.21% (S.D +/- 0.21%) respectively. The increased drying rates for treatments with higher specific power was associated with higher treatment powers and shorter treatment durations. Higher specific powers negatively impacted the observed MRY and HRY. The findings suggest that increased MW specific powers have a positive effect on rice MC reduction but above a certain threshold of specific power (2.92 kW.[kg-DM](-1)) may negatively affect the milling characteristics of the parboiled rice. When used to dry high MC parboiled rough rice, rice processors should know that there exists an optimum drying rate that if exceeded the milled rice quality is negatively affected thus generating an economic loss to the parboiled rice industry. The volumetric heating phenomenon provided by microwave (MW) offers a means to quickly dry high MC parboiled rough rice. This can translate to considerable economic savings for the rice processor who often experiences low drying rates because of limited drying capacity, especially at peak rice harvest times. When drying rates are optimized, rice processors can expect minimal impacts on the kernel quality which can also be translated to considerable economic savings for the rice processor.