Life Sciences Commons^™

Investigating The Utilization Of Silica Gel Packets In Drying Research-Scale Rough Rice Samples, Ashley Wiedower, George Ondier, Terry Siebenmorgen

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Rice moisture content (MC) must be reduced to approximately 12.5% MC to prevent spoilage during storage. Desiccants may provide an improved method for drying research-scale rice samples. This study investigated the effects of 1) rice mass to be dried, 2) placement method of silica gel packets in rice samples, 3) regeneration and re-use of the packets, 4) drying temperature, and 5) initial MC on the effectiveness of silica gel packets to dry rough rice samples to the desired 12.5% MC. Multiple masses (200, 500, and 1000 g) of long-grain rice samples were dried using three desiccant placement treatments: 1) intimate …