In this section we move to the economic losses due to poor quality of milled rice produced. Production of good quality milled rice starts at the farm with good quality seeds, and crop care for uniform growth and grain size. The other factors that damage quality such as mixing of varieties, heat discoloration, contamination, insect damage in storage, fissuring during drying, breakage in milling, are controlled in the post-production operations. The same attention, which minimizes physical losses, applies to the production of well milled and uniformly polished rice. The lack of appropriate technology, technical and management skill causes both poor quality milled rice and economic losses.
Dr Rusty Bautista (IRRI consultant) states that although the Japanese rice industry is exceptional, there are many things to learn from them. The Japanese scientists maintain that taste, not nutrient content, is the most important property of rice. The presence of fissures in milled rice can significantly reduce the quality of cooked rice due to the degradation of starch through rapid water adsorption. The properties of the rice grain such as shape, hull thickness, amylose, protein content, and temperature at which rice becomes gelatinous, influence the drying behaviour of any rice type. Bold grains must be dried slower than long or slender grains, otherwise fissures are developed.
