Abstract
The influence of the drying methods by sunlight and hot air on the quality of rice was examined. A five-point palatability evaluation of the two methods was conducted by comparing the cohesiveness, taste and three factors of hardness. Cooked rice quality was better by sunlight drying than by hot-air drying from the five-point palatability evaluation. The gelatinization temperature was lower for sunlight drying than for hot-air drying due to the higher maximum viscosity. There was no clear difference in ESEM values, but there was the possibility that a difference in the shape of a starch grain due to drying method influenced the swelling characteristics. These results indicate the superior quality of rice that had been dried in sunlight because of better retention of the original taste.
