Abstract:
Abstract: Paddy parboiling is an important step in paddy processing. It generates a significant
amount of effluent. The treatment of this highly contaminated effluent is complex. There are
limited studies available on the combination of hot water soaking and submerged aerated soaking
of paddy parboiling of long and short paddy grains in the terms of hydration. Therefore, this
study was set to explore the scientific insights of the combination of hot water soaking and
submerged aerated soaking on hydration of long and short paddy grains. The paddy grain
characteristics, moisture content and elongation percentage, were measured at two hours interval
and six hours interval for hot water soaking and submerged aerated soaking respectively. Results
indicated that the grain moisture of 29% (wb) for long grains and grain moisture of 30% (wb) for
short grains were obtained in eight hours of soaking with the combination of hot water soaking
and submerged aerated soaking concepts. However, the hydration rate was high for hot water
soaking compared to the submerged aerated soaking. The elongation ratio was also influenced by
different soaking methods. The effect of hot water soaking on the elongation percentage of long
and short paddy grains was higher value compared to submerged aerated soaking. The
combination of hot water soaking and submerged aerated soaking reduced the soaking time
significantly with quick hydration. Therefore, this novel protocol is useful for paddy processors
to use required resources sustainably.