The key factors in controlling the material change due to
changes in chemical and physical properties of the rice grain during parboiling process are:
Diffusion of water and other compounds into and out of the
rice grain during hydration (rice soaking), dehydration
(drying) and re-hydration (cooking prior to consumption).
Starch gelatinisation and protein denaturation during heating as affected by moisture content, temperature and time.
Starch retrogradation after heat treatment process.
Here, a review of the phenomena encountered, and the opportunities that exist to tailor the final quality of parboiled rice to consumer demand will be presented.