Quick Aging of New Paddy

Abstract

Rice tops the food grains cultivated in India, with annual production of more than 90 million tonnes. Rice is the staple food for majority of Indian population. It is, however, a common experience that rice from freshly harvested paddy cooks to a pasty mass. It has also poor swelling capacity during cooking and is reported to cause digestive disorders. That is the reason the new rice is aged or cured for atleast 4 months to overcome these problems and to develop desirable cooking characteristics. The ageing becomes faster as the temperature during storage increases. With the new technology, it has become possible to age or cure the new paddy within a short duration.