Combination of deoxidized water and sterilized packaging to improve the quality of cooked rice stored at room temperature.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to extend the shelf life of cooked rice stored at room temperature using the combination of deoxidized water and sterilized packaging. The color, firmness, microbial load, peroxide value, TBA value, and sensory quality of treated cooked rice stored at 25°C and 38°C were monitored up to 2 months. The pure nitrogen gassing out method could significantly reduce the oxygen saturation of tap water from 96.3 g/100 g to 0.2 g/100 g in 12 min. Although ascorbic acid could also be used to remove oxygen from tap water, it promoted unwanted yellowness in cooked rice. The rice in sterilized package treated with deoxidized water had significantly better color, firmness, and sensory properties than the rice treated with tap water, indicating that the combination of deoxidized tap water and sterilized packaging was a promising approach to maintain the quality of cooked rice products.