Rice Quality Training Manual
6.0 Measuring physical properties of paddy
Moisture content
Two methods can be used to measure moisture content:
· The primary or direct method ( Air oven method)
· The secondary method (Electronic moisture tester)
Air oven method
· Set the oven at 130oC.
· Weigh three 100 g paddy samples and place the samples inside the oven.
· Measure the final weight of the samples after the 16 hours.
· Compute for the moisture content wet basis (MCWB) using the equation:
· Compute the average MC.
Moisture Tester
· Read the operators instruction
· Turn on the moisture meter and ensure that the machine is set for paddy or rough rice.
· Fill the tray/bowl of the moisture tester with paddy samples.
· Turn/press the knob until the moisture reading is displayed.
· Test at least three samples.
Crack Detector
Using the Paddy Crack Detector, count the number of cracked grains in a 100 grain sample then compute the % cracked grains using the equation:
Grain Dimensions
Using the Vernier caliper or photographic enlarger, collect 20 paddy samples at random from each replicate and measure the dimensions to obtain the average length and width of the paddy grains. To obtain the paddy shape, the following equation will be used.
Paddy will be classified based on International Organization for Standardization (ISO) for paddy.
Immature Grains
· Select a 25 gm grain sample
· Select, segregate and weigh the immature grains in sample. Calculate the percentage immature grains in the sample using the formula:
Dockage
Remove light foreign matter, stones, weed and seeds from a 100gm sample. Obtain the total weight then compute the dockage percentage as follows:
1000 seed weight
Count and weigh 1,000 grains (paddy).
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