Cinética da secagem de grãos de arroz Moti gome em diferentes temperaturas

Abstract

Rice is one of the agricultural products that stands out in Brazil among the main crops, given its importance as one of the primary sources of energy, accounting for about two-thirds of the worlf’s population. There are several types of rice, including glutinous rice called Moti gome, which originated in Japan and is widely used in Japanese cuisine for preparing Moti (rice cake). Due to not being the main type consumed in the country, its production is low, and post-harvest techniques are poorly studied. Thus, the objetive of this study was to evaluate the drying kinetics of rice at different temperatures and fit mathematical models to the experimental data, selecting the one that best describes this process for this product. The rice was produced in na agricultural area located in the Northern region of Mato Grosso, in the municipality of Porto dos Gaúchos. Sample preparation and pre-processing were carried out at the Post-Harvest Laboratory of the Federal University of Mato Grosso. The rice grains were subjected to drying in a forced air circulation oven at temperatures of 35, 45 and 55 °C. The drying curves were fitted to different mathematical models commonly used to describe cereal drying. The results indicate that the drying time for Moti rice at 35 °C is 43,5% longer than at 45°C, and at this temperature, it takes 119,0% more time than at 55°C. Between the minimum and maximum evaluated temperatures, the drying time increases by 214,3%. The Midilli model provides the best fit (RMSE and SE) to the experimental data.