Since, there is a customer waiting for ICRR we can give priority to scale up the product. Presently sourced Vibratory Continuous Fluid Bed Dryer with modification may be useful for drying.
Let me evaluate the sample and will come back to you.
I anticipate two issues in the present process.
1. When rice is cooked with excess amount of water, the sticky property may be less, but the cooked grain will be too soft and drying would be difficult; there may be high level of breaking and less yield of whole cooked & dried rice.
2. Excess amount of water (if reduce the water quantity cooked grains will stick together) will remove certain amount of soluble sugars and starch and the taste will be no longer to the real cooked rice.
I shall repeat the trial to study the present process to take forward.
Meanwhile, let me suggest to take a trial as mentioned below and give your comments.
1. Weigh out 250g of red whole rice (broken rice less than 5%) or increase the sample size as per your operational conditions.
2. Rinse with 750ml of potable water and discard the water
3. Add 750 ml of fresh potable water - soak for 1 hr
4. Drain the water at the end of soaking and transfer into 2L pressure cooking inner vessel and cover with lid.
5. Pressure cook under normal / medium flame and wait for TWO whistles (pressure releases two times).
6. Once the pressure released, stop the flame and wait till the pressure drops to normal
7. Open the cooker, transfer the pressure cooked rice in to trays and dry between 80-90C with gentle stirring at the interval of 20-30min, till the moisture dropped to 8-10%.
Based on the observation on the softness of the cooked rice, increase the whistles to 4 or 6 - optimize and compare the product developed at the end of 2, 4 and 6 whistles. Also optimize the soaking time.
Measure the temperatures of the pressure cooker's side wall and released steam, when releases.