SIMULTANEOUS PARBOILING AND DRYING OF PADDY USING INFRARED ENERGY

This monograph deals with use of Infrared (IR) energy for parboiling of paddy, a process which has long been established as an excellent means of improving the milling quality of paddy. IR heating has appeared as one of the potential addition to the traditional parboiling method because of its several advantages: simplicity of the equipment, fast transient response and significant energy saving etc. It is attractive only for surface heating application; with increased bed depth, vibration provides a means of utilizing high intensities of infrared energy without any visible damage to the product. Vibration aided IR heating of high moisture paddy has been investigated to develop a faster and more efficient drying-cum- parboiling system for the grain industry. This monograph delineates the design and development of equipment capable of modulating frequency and amplitude of vibration, detailed analysis of drying behavior and quality evaluation of IR irradiated paddy followed by optimization. This Monograph will be useful for industry practitioners and academicians engaged in conducting research in the area of drying of food grains using infrared energy.