Introduction
In the process of processing paddy into rice, there will be losses due to various reasons, and this will affect the output of the rice processing plant. As a rice processing plant operator, do you know how to reduce these losses to increase the output? Don’t worry, I will introduce you to some methods to increase the output of the rice processing plant in this article, keep reading!
Ways to Improve the Output of Rice Milling Plant
When paddy is processed into rice, broken rice, and rice bran will be produced. Even if the broken rice and rice bran can be used, they will reduce the overall profit of your rice processing. There are two main reasons for rice losses. One is the factors of the processed paddy itself, and the other is due to the rice processing machinery. I will remind you how to increase the output of the rice processing plant from these two aspects.
Preparation of rice grains before processing
The paddy you process has a big impact on rice production, so be careful when purchasing and handling it.
Selection of Paddy
The quality of paddy needs to be evaluated comprehensively from many aspects. If you have just entered the rice processing industry or want to invest in rice processing, and cannot use experience to judge the quality of rice, then you can make a judgment based on the following indicators.
The first is the more intuitive appearance and smell, such as the length-to-width ratio, grain length, and color of the rice. You need to select rice with relatively neat grains, a small length-to-width ratio, and no abnormal smell because the whole polished rice rate of longer grains is relatively low; the second is the brown rice rate, polished rice rate, whole rice rate and processing accuracy of the rice, which are related to rice milling quality. You can use a laboratory rice huller for testing.
Finally, pay attention to the maturity of the rice. If the paddy you buy is not fully mature, the nutritional content, taste, and nutrition of the processed rice will be lacking.
Control the Moisture content of Rice
The moisture content of paddy not only has an important impact on storage and transportation but also affects the efficiency and quality of rice processing. Before you process rice, you need to control the moisture content of rice to 13% to 15%. Too high a moisture content in rice will cause the rice to germinate and mold, while too low a moisture content will cause the rice to become hard, resulting in more broken rice during processing.
The moisture content of early rice and late rice is different, but both are above 15%, so you need to reduce the moisture content of the rice. The usual method is to dry it in the sun, but I suggest you use drying equipment for drying, which is not only efficient but also more reliable. Our ANON drying tower is equipped with a crushing moisture detector, which can accurately detect the moisture content of the dried rice for you to make timely adjustments.
Adjustment to the Rice Milling Machine
After preparing high-quality rice with appropriate moisture content, it is also necessary to adjust the rice processing equipment. I will explain the specific adjustment methods according to the type of machine.
Rice Husker
If you know the working principle of the rice husker, you will know that the rice husker uses a pair of relatively moving rubber rollers inside the machine to husk the rice. Therefore, the linear speed difference and linear speed of the rubber rollers determine the effect of rice husking. Under different linear speeds, the husking rate, roughness rate, and roughness rate of rice will be different.
Therefore, you need to set the linear speed according to the length and bulk density of the rice. For rice with a smaller bulk density, set a larger linear speed difference to increase the roughness rate; and for rice varieties with a longer length and a more slender grain shape, you need to set a smaller linear speed difference.
Paddy Separation
Successfully hulled brown rice mixes with unhulled rice. If they are not separated accurately, it will make further processing harder and increase finished product losses. This happens because brown rice may get husked again with the unhulled rice, causing more broken rice.
Before using the paddy separator to separate the brown rice from the rice, ensure the gravity screen is full and the surface is flat. This helps the rice spread evenly across the screen.
Rice Whitening
Whitening is an important step in rice processing. If not paid attention to, there may be too much-broken rice and rice bran in the finished rice.
In addition to the moisture content of the rice I mentioned earlier, excessive pressure in the rice milling chamber and excessive roller speed of the rice whitener produce more broken rice and cause the loss of nutrients in the rice.
When the pressure in the rice milling chamber is too high, the rice grains will be subject to excessive friction, resulting in rice grain breakage; when the roller speed in the rice milling machine is too high, the friction of the brown rice will increase, and the frequency of collisions between rice grains and between rice grains and the machine will also increase, thereby increasing the probability of rice grain breakage.
When the pressure in the rice milling chamber is too high, you can lower it by reducing the feed and increasing the discharge using the outlet pressure door. Adjust the roller speed based on the specific machine model.
Generally speaking, the speed of the roller with a diameter of 120 to 135 mm should be set to 700 rpm, while the roller with a diameter of 70 to 90 mm should be set to 800 rpm.
Rice Polishing
The roller in the rice polishing machine will also affect the loss of rice. During the polishing process, the linear speed of the polishing roller should not be too low or too high.
If the linear speed is too low, the rice grains won’t roll completely, leading to over-polishing in some areas, even though there will be fewer collisions and less broken rice. On the other hand, if the linear speed is too high, it will cause excessive collisions and a higher rate of broken rice.
Generally speaking, it is most appropriate to set the linear speed of the polishing roller to 6 to 7 meters per second.
Color Sorting
Rice color sorters can improve quality and greatly help you improve your brand reputation, but they can also cause rice loss due to errors in the color sorter, so it is necessary to choose a high-quality color sorter. For example, our ANON color sorter can screen the rejected rice again to reduce misjudgment caused by rice contaminated with bran.
Another one is about the color sorting threshold, which determines the sensitivity of the color sorter to color. You can observe the materials rejected by the color sorter during color sorting. If there are too many qualified products mixed in, you need to gradually increase the threshold slightly, otherwise you need to lower the threshold.
Production flow control
Regardless of the type of processing machine, you should control the flow of the feeding material. If the feeding amount is too small, the equipment won’t work properly, wasting energy. If the feeding amount is too large, the equipment will overload, reducing processing accuracy and causing more broken rice.
Therefore, when processing rice, you must pay attention to the effect of the processed rice, make timely adjustments to the feeding amount, reduce rice loss, and thus increase production.
Regular Maintenance and Upkeep of the Rice Milling Plant
Daily inspection of rice processing equipment can detect problems in time. Timely maintenance can not only extend the life of the machine but also reduce the loss in rice processing. For example, worn rollers in the rice mill and polisher will increase the broken rice rate. Therefore, inspection and maintenance of rice processing equipment is essential.
Conclusion
After reading this article, have you discovered some points that you didn’t notice before? I believe that adjusting these measures I mentioned will make your rice processing business go further. If you are thinking of investing in rice processing or want to replace equipment, welcome to contact us at ANON, we will provide you with perfect service and machines!
FAQ
What is the profit margin of a rice mill?
The profit margin for a rice mill will vary depending on many factors, including the cost of paddy rice, the price of white rice, and the efficiency of the milling process. However, a well-managed rice mill can generate a profit margin of 20% to 30%.
