ABSORPTION OF WATER IN LONG-GRAIN ROUGH RICE DURING SOAKING'

Soaking tests were conducted to determine the rate of water absorption in Newbonnet long-grain rough rice ranging from 14 to 30 % initial moisture content (dry baSIS) ar 1J, 20, 30, 40, and SOc. Four rewetting models were compared, and thefollowing model by Becker (1959) was found to best lit the experimental dara, while the rice moisture content during soaking was lower than about 40 % (dry bam): (see a list of s,ymbols at the end of the article). The absorption rate, dM/dt, increased with temperature and decreased with initial moisture content. A regression equation was obtained to relate the parameter a to temperature and initial rice moistllre content. nle initial moisture gain was not sigllljlcantiv affected by temperature alld initial rice moisture content. The average initial moisture gain over the test temperature range \\'as 0.75 percentage points