Relationship of Kernel Moisture Content Gradients and Glass Transition Temperatures to Head Rice Yield

The relationship of glass transition temperature Tg and moisture content (MC) gradient of rice kernels to head rice yield (HRY) variation was investigated. Mathematical models describing heat and moisture transfer inside rice kernels during drying were developed and solved using the finite element method. Moisture distributions inside a kernel were simulated and verified using thin-layer drying experiments, and the intra-kernel MC gradients during drying were accordingly determined and analysed. Results showed that in the glassy region, rice did not incur measurable HRY reduction after drying. However, when rice was dried in the rubbery region and then cooled down immediately without being tempered following drying, HRY decreased markedly after MC gradients exceeded certain levels. It was found in this study that the time when the percentage point of moisture removal reached a maximally allowable level before HRY decreased dramatically coincided with the time at which the curve of kernel MC gradients versus drying duration reached its peak. Such a relation was verified with the HRY data of two varieties (Cypress and M202) as measured in this study and cited from literature. The HRY trends for these two varieties were well explained through the behaviour of glass transition and MC gradients of rice.