A A C C   2 0 0 0   A n n u a l   M e e t i n g

Studies of the relationship between postharvest handling of rough rice and sensory quality of milled cooked rice have been limited in scope and number. As rice consumption continues to expand and markets become more competitive, there is an increasing need for quantitative data regarding the effects of post-harvest handling on sensory characteristics of cooked rice. Sensory evaluation techniques have been used to assess the effects of post-harvest handling on cooked rice quality. However, these studies only provided information on the effects of single post-harvest variables (i.e. rough rice moisture content, drying conditions, or storage duration), falling short of evaluating possible interactions between these post-harvest variables. The effects of processing variables such as delayed drying, drying temperature, storage moisture content, storage temperature and storage duration will be discussed for U.S. long and medium grain cultivars. In particular, sensory profiling (descriptive analysis) will be evaluated as a tool to quantify flavor and texture quality changes during post-harvest handling. In addition, the need for universal sensory evaluation methods will be discussed.