DEVELOPMENT AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A CONTINUOUS RICE COOKER

A continuous food cooker was developed and the performance evaluation of the unit was carried out. The parameters were standardized for 30 k g of rice per hour The final product was evaluated in terms of moistur e pick up, volume expansion factor with reference to the milled rice, total percentage yield, stickiness of the product using an Instron tes ter and microbial analysis for the commercial acceptance of the produc t. The percentage loss of solids in the overflowing water at the outle t of the cooker was also determined. These product characteristics wer e compared with the laboratory scale experimental results available in the literature. A preliminary cost estimate of cooking rice at pilot scab is found to be $0.17 per kg. However with necessary sealing at th e outlet of the cooker the cost can be reduced to $0.1 per kg.