About rice
Rice is the oldest kind of cereal known to man . Archaeologist
have found grains of rice at ancient village sites excavated in
Asia, where many researchers also believe that the cultivation
of rice originated. According to legend. The Hindu Lord Vishnu
caused rice to be born from the soil. In Asia. The are special
places where rice is honored in religious ceremonies. The cultivation
of rice as a staple food has been vital for the survival of mankind.
Rice remains the most important nutritive in large parts of the
world.
Key features of the milling
system
Blending, Colour Sorting,
Aspiration
Packing, Palletising, Safety
Rice grains flow gently through the many processing machines
involved in production of high quality milled white rice for it
to be suitable for the kitchens and consumers of Europe. The best
cooking rice are those grains that have passed through the process
system without damage or breakage, but are also well milled to
remove all bran and thereby provide a translucent, white, glossy
grains of rice. Milled rice needs to be glossy indicating it has
been well polished and free of any dust or flour material adhering
to the individual grains. This is achieved by a combination of
abrasive whitening and water mist polishing whereby the higher
humidity within the milling chamber assists in the removal of
all dust or flour material from each grain. A super effective
and efficient air cleansing system removes the dust and flour
material and deposits it in the filter dust collectors.
 CLEANING:
All brown rice received from around the world is thoroughly cleaned
in a composite screening and air-wash process that removes particles
that are larger or smaller than a grain of rice, any straw or
other organic material, and rice dust and rice brand generated
during the handling and shipment of the grains to Sweden. Dust
laden air is conveyed to the dust collection system where the
rice brand and dust is separated from the air and bagged. This
is a thorough process done on machinery designed for this purpose.
DESTONING: Foreign materials introduced into the
rice during harvest or handling that is basically the same size
as a rice grain is removed from the grain flow in a gravity separator
known as a destoning machine. As the stone or other more dense
particle is heavier than the rice grains, the forced air flow
through the machine causes the rice grains to float on a cushion
of air just above the screen. This then allows the reciprocating
screen to convey the more dense stones up the screens to a discharge
chutes, thereby ensuring all stones are removed from the rice
grains. Dust laden air is exhausted through to the central dust
collection system further cleaning the rice grains before processing.
WHITENING:Approximately 12 to 15% of the brown
rice by weight is incorporated in the outer layer of rice bran
including the rice germ. If is necessary to gently remove this
bran layer and achieve a high degree of whiteness before the drains
can be polished. Swedish Rice have the latest version of the Japanese
vertical rice whitener that is able to remove the bran and germ
layers without stressing or breaking the rice grains. This is
achieved using vitrified carborundum stones rotating inside a
slotted steel screen with large quantities of exhaust air to remove
the loose bran and any heat generated in the whitening process.
Historically rice mills have used abrasive methods that grind
away at the grain removing bran and endosperm until such time
as all bran was removed. However the gentle action of the Swedish
Rice machinery cuts and rubs the bran from the grain ensuring
a smooth, non-stressed grain surface highly suited to polishing
and grading.
POLISHING:The latest trend in rice polishing is
to use multi-pass, water mist polishing machines to ensure the
surface of each grain is very smooth and free of all loose bran
and "white" rice flour. Under the older methods of dry friction
polishers there was always some residual bran or rice flour on
the grain which prevented it from achieving a highly polished
appearance. Rice washed in cold water that has residual bran or
flour will cause the water to quickly become milky, whereas water
polished rice from Swedish Rice will cause virtually no discolourisation
in water. Polishing is achieved efficiently and effortlessly by
introducing a high pressure, fine water mist at the start of the
polishing process. The rice is gently worked between the rotor
and screens with the water mist acting as a lubricant and shining
agent before the mist is exhaust with the ventilation air. The
whole rice polishing process is carried out under vacuum with
the exhaust air and rice bran being conveyed to the dust collection
filter which separates the bran from air-stream.
SIEVING: The objective of the whitening and polishing
operations was to achieve a high degree of whiteness and polish
with minimum grain stress thereby ensuring the consumer is going
to receive mainly whole grains in each packet of rice. However
some grains that have been previously sun stressed during the
growing season may crack or break during the milling process.
As Swedish Rice want to produce and pack only the finest quality
rice with a large percentage of whole grains, it is necessary
to pass the rice stream through a high efficiency rotary sifter
to remove any small brokens or chips of rice. This is quality
assurance approach whereby all rice is subjected to this process,
even if the quantity of small broken pieces is minimal, thereby
total removal is very important.
GRADING: A further size grading operation is continuously
undertaken by Swedish Rice. In order to control and remove excess
shorter or partial broken grains, the rice stream after sieving
is passed through a series of length grading machines. The cylinders
in these machines have thousand of precisely formed pockets that
are used to differentiate grains of varying lengths and to lift-out
those grains not suited to the particular product that is to be
packed. It also provides a backup for the sieving function as
any small piece of grain remaining will also be removed. The end
result for Swedish Rice is a product sample of whole grain and
head rice that is perfect for the customer.
BLENDING: Rice around the world varies in its physical
size, shape, taste, texture and other characteristics. Also throughout
the world consumer tastes vary from country to country. Some people
enjoy a soft cooking japonica type rice, such as the Japanese.
Others prefer the better expansion and harder cooking varieties
such as the Thai Peoples. Others prefer a fragrant type rice such
as Basmati or Jasmine types out of Asia. European people due to
the vast cultural base within their societies have developed a
taste for all types of rices.
Blending, Colour
Sorting, Aspiration
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