Rice milling refers to the process of removing the hulls and
bran from the raw paddy grains and thus producing polished rice. Rice is a crop
that is rich in genetic diversity, having a thousand of variants grown
worldwide. It is one of the most consumed cereals worldwide. Today, this grain
is helping 2/3 of the total world population to sustain. It is life for
thousands of people and is also deeply engaged in the heritage of several
countries and societies including south Asian countries. About four-fifths of
the world's rice is produced by the small-scale farmers and is consumed locally.
Milling refers to the process in which the grains are
transformed in the suitable human consumption, and thus, it has to be done with
utmost care to prevent the breaking of kernels and improving recovery. Rice
grains also called as grains consist of brown rice and husk. Brown rice, in
turn, consists of bran comprising the outer layer and the edible portion.
The extent of the recovery during the milling process is
dependent on several factors like the degree of milling required a variety of
paddy, quality of equipment used, the operator, etc. As and when the countries
reach the self-sufficiency state of rice production, the demand of the consumer
to get a better quality of rice increases. The quality of rice is hard to
define in terms as it rests on the intended user and consumer of the grains.
The grain quality is not only proportional to the variety of
rice, but also in the environment of production of crop, harvesting, processing
as well as milling system.
The last step in the modern milling process is removing the
broken rice grains from the milled rice with the help of blender machines. The
screen separators and the sifters are used to separate the small broken rice,
also known as brewer rice from the complete and large broken. Sifting also
removes germs and brand and are present in the milled rice, even after the
process of polishing and whitening.
The large broken and whole grains are either bagged for the
customer delivery or are further processed through the length graders. From
millers catering to the high end or export market, the length graders and the
blending stations are used. The length grading process separates the broken
rice from the large broken. Further, the rice blender helps in mixing the head
rice and broken in right proportion as per the specification of the grade
standards. For example, the premium grade rice in some countries allows for 95%
head rice and 5% broken.
In usual rice-growing countries, the milled rice is marketed
in bags, and thus, bagging stations form an integral part of the modern rice
mill. The size of the bags is dependent on the requirements of the customers or
suggestions made by rice mill consultants. The larger rice mills catering to
the supermarket, milled rice are packaged in plastic packs of 2, 5, 10 and 20kg,
and packaging is fully mechanized.
Blending station:- The rice blending solutions allows the
mixing of the head and broken rice in the right proportion, as per the
specifications of the grading standards.
With extensive experience in milling and grain processing,
Nextech Solutions is a globally operating milling and plant
designing consultant helping in grain processing, milling, and
storage.
Article Source: EzineArticles
