ABSTRACT
Parboiling, a precooking process applied to rough rice, has been practiced for centuries in parts of South Asia. Presently about 20% of the rice processed in the world is parboiled. The subject of parboiling and its uses are described extensively in the literature. Notable among these is a fascinating account of the story of rice parboiling by Bhattacharya (1) (see also Refs. 2 and 3). The process, now practiced in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas, involves soaking the rough rice until the grains absorb moisture to approximately 30% (wet basis), draining the excess water, and heat treating to gelatinize the starch in the kernels. The grain is then dried to facilitate processing or storage. Although the process, according to Garibaldi (2), was probably invented to ease the removal of the husk, economic, nutritional, and other advantages were later recognized. With the advent of mechanical processing methods, the process of parboiling not only survived over the years but also became widely practiced in many countries. In the United States, the process is fast gaining acceptance not only for export purposes but also for widespread domestic use. Of the rice exported from the United States, nearly 50% is in the parboiled form. In the domestic market, a rapidly growing use for parboiled rice is in hotel and restaurant
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chains, which have recognized its many desirable cooking and keeping qualities.
