Microwave Rice Treatment for Cooking Time Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for reducing rice cooking time, such as pre-cooking and microwave treatment, modify the organoleptic qualities and nutritional properties of japonica round rice, and are not practical for daily use, especially as they require multiple steps and are not effective for all rice varieties.
Innovation Solution
A method involving microwave heating of dry rice grains between 60-90°C with intermittent water spraying to reduce cooking time by 50-60% for japonica and 20-30% for indica rice varieties, without pre-steeping or pre-cooking, maintaining nutritional and organoleptic qualities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If pre-cooking and drying steps are applied to reduce cooking time, then cooking time is reduced, but organoleptic qualities deteriorate due to cracks in japonica round rice grains
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary microwave heating to dry rice grains before cooking, which modifies the internal structure and reduces cooking time without causing cracks. This preliminary action prepares the rice for faster cooking while preserving grain integrity and organoleptic qualities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical pre-cooking and drying systems with microwave heating technology. This substitution allows for uniform internal heating that modifies starch structure and reduces cooking time without the mechanical stress and moisture loss that cause cracking in conventional methods.
2Loss of time
If multiple step processes (steeping, pre-cooking, drying) are used to reduce cooking time, then cooking time is reduced, but process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple traditional steps (steeping, pre-cooking, and drying) into a single microwave heating step. This merging of operations simplifies the process while achieving the same effect of reducing cooking time, as the microwave simultaneously heats and modifies the rice structure without requiring separate steeping and drying phases.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary intermediate steps from the traditional multi-step process. By removing the steeping and separate drying steps, the invention achieves cooking time reduction through a single microwave heating operation, thereby reducing process complexity while maintaining effectiveness.
3Loss of time
If conventional pre-cooking methods are applied, then cooking time is reduced, but environmental impact worsens due to waste water with high biochemical oxygen demand
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces water-based pre-cooking methods with microwave heating technology. This substitution eliminates the generation of large volumes of waste water with high biochemical oxygen demand, as microwave heating requires no water for the pre-treatment step, thereby reducing environmental impact while still achieving cooking time reduction.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The method significantly reduces cooking time for japonica rice to 4-15 minutes while maintaining quality, preventing cracks and ensuring weevil disinfection, and is environmentally friendly by eliminating waste water from pre-cooking steps.
Implementation Method 1
heating with microwaves... heating dry rice grains in microwave equipment to a temperature between 60°C and 90°C
Implementation Method 2
wetting the surface of the dry rice grains with an aqueous solution every 2 to 6 minutes during said heating step
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a method for obtaining a dry quick cook rice that allows reducing rice cooking time, preferably of the variety Oryza sativa ssp. Japonica, wherein said method comprises a step of heating with a microwave and wetting the rice grains during said step, in the absence of a previous step of steeping or pre-cooking, which reduces significantly the cooking time, maintaining the nutritional qualities of said rice.