Prediction of Rice Milling Yield and Quality Attributes during Storage Using Regression Analyses

Abstract. Regression analyses were performed to determine the storage conditions that exhibited the best outcomes for long-grain, hybrid milled rice yield and quality. This study evaluated mold population on rough rice, milled rice discoloration, and head rice yield (HRY) after storage of rough rice in airtight conditions at moisture contents (MCs) of 12.5%, 16%, 19%, and 21% wet basis and temperatures of 10°C, 15°C, 20°C, 27°C, and 40°C at two-week intervals for 12 weeks. The experiment used a popular long-grain hybrid rice cultivar (XL745). Rice lots were procured from fields with and without conventional treatment of the field with fungicide for plant disease management. Field treatment and no field treatment were considered as a block, and a Mann-Whitney test was conducted to determine effect. The response surface method, an extension of second-order polynomial regression, was used to examine optimal treatment conditions. Mold population and milled rice discoloration from a combination of storage conditions were predicted using regression models. The first-order and second-order terms of temperature indicated a nonlinear relationship between temperature and ln(discoloration). The MC was positively associated with ln(discoloration), but the degree of impact may change with temperature because the interaction term was significant. From the model evaluation (R 2 and lack-of-fit test), the discoloration level is expected to be 57% (49% to 66% confidence interval) under conditions of 20% MC, 40°C, and nine weeks of storage for samples procured from fungicide-treated rice fields. This discoloration change is substantial compared to the initial discoloration of 9%. At high temperature (40°C) and MC (21%), discoloration started immediately after two weeks of storage. Anaerobic storage conditions impeded mold growth, especially at high storage temperature (40°C). Low mold populations were observed in rice stored at low MC (16%). According to the regression model, the critical storage temperature that may lead to discoloration is between 27°C and 40°C. Pre-harvest fungicide treatment of rice in the field for disease control significantly improved the HRY but had no significant influence on mold population or discoloration. This study suggests a range of storage conditions to prevent losses in milling yield and quality of rice. In addition, the studied storage conditions mimicked the typical conditions for on-farm, in-bin drying and storage in the U.S. Mid-South, especially for the top layers of rice inside the bin, and therefore provide an important reference for growers and rice processors using in-bin structures to manage the quality of long-grain hybrid rice. Keywords: Discoloration, Head rice yield, Mold population, Regression analysis, Rice quality, Rice storage.