Abstract:Soaking and steaming are important operations in the processing of rice products such as Chinese rice wine. Soaking is not only time-consuming but also affects the steaming process of rice, resulting in half-cooked or over-cooked rice, which affects the subsequent saccharification and fermentation. In order to increase the water absorption rate of rice and improve the gelatinization of steamed rice, the rice was soaked by simultaneous vacuum and ultrasonic treatment, vacuum followed by ultrasonic treatment, and ultrasonic followed by vacuum treatment, respectively. Their effects on water absorption and steaming characteristics of rice were discussed. It was found that vacuum followed by ultrasonic treatment could accelerate the penetration and diffusion of water, reduce the hardness of rice, significantly shorten the steaming time and inhibit the retrogradation of steamed rice. This study provides the possibility of the application of vacuum followed by ultrasonic treatment in the production of Chinese rice wine.
