Context

• Recently, the Centre has said it will stop the purchase of excess parboiled rice, of which Telangana is a major producer.

About parboiled rice

• The dictionary meaning of ‘parboil’ is ‘partly cooked by boiling’.
• Thus, the expression parboiled rice refers to rice that has been partially boiled at the paddy stage, before milling.
• Parboiling of rice is not a new practice, and has been followed in India since ancient times.

  

• However, there is no specific definition of parboiled rice of the Food Corporation of India or the Food Ministry.
• Today, there are several processes for parboiling rice.
• For example, the Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru, uses a method in which the paddy is soaked in hot water for three hours, in contrast to the more common method in which paddy is soaked for 8 hours.
  • The water is then drained and the paddy steamed for 20 minutes.
  • Also, the paddy is dried in the shade in the method used by the CFTRI, but is sun-dried in the common method.
• The Paddy Processing Research Centre (PPRC), Thanjavur follows a method known as the chromate soaking process.
  • It uses chromate, a family of salt in which the anion contains both chromium and oxygen, which removes the odour from the wet rice.

Are all rice varieties suitable for parboiling?

• Generally, all varieties can be processed into parboiled rice, but it is ideal to use long slender varieties to prevent breakage during milling.
• However, aromatic varieties should not be parboiled because the process can make it can lose its aroma.

What are the benefits?

• There are several benefits. For example, parboiling makes rice tougher.
  • This reduces the chances of the rice kernel breaking during milling.
  • Parboiling also increases the nutrient value of the rice.
  • Third, parboiled rice has a higher resistance to insects and fungi.
• However, parboiling comes with some disadvantages too.
  • The rice becomes darker and may smell unpleasant due to prolonged soaking.
  • Besides, setting up a parboiling rice milling unit requires a higher investment than a raw rice milling unit.

Reference:

https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/what-is-parboiled-rice-and-why-centre-wants-to-stop-purchasing-it-7873759/

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