Storage Quality of Brown Rice as Affected by Packaging with and without Carbon Dioxide

Abstract

Shelled brown rice (100 g/bag) was packed in regular plastic bags in air, in laminated film (nylon-EVA) bags in air, and in laminated bags plus CO₂. Samples of each were stored in the dark at 4 C and at 24 C, and samples were removed after 1, 3, 5 and 7 months for analysis of odor changes, free fatty acids, total microbial counts, total lipolytic fungi and bacteria, lipid peroxides and gas chromatographic volatiles profiles. Brown rice in laminated bags plus CO₂ was more stable under refrigerated conditions than at ambient temperatures. However, at 24-C storage there was no consistent significant decrease in free fatty acids, lipid peroxides and volatile compounds in these bags compared to the other types of packing. Laminated bags seem to have had an adverse effect on total microbial populations at both 4 and 24 C. Selection of either type of package for brown rice would be governed by end use, storage time and conditions.