Uso de absorvedores de O2 no armazenamento de arroz em casca em condições de contêiner e de arroz beneficiado integral

Abstract

Qualitative and quantitative losses during rice storage are a real problem, which can be mitigated. The different temperatures and their variations, along with moisture condensation, favors the deterioration of the grains, altering the direct indicators of rice quality due to the heat generated from the respiration/metabolism of the grains and associated organisms. Oxygen absorbers are active packages containing organic or inorganic powder or nanosized materials widely used to extend the shelf life of various foods and in this case arise as an alternative to obtain a modified atmosphere at low cost. In this work the use of absorbers was divided into two studies. In the first, which deals with the effects of the use of oxygen absorbers in the storage of natural rice in shelf under container conditions, the grains were stored for 45 days in temperature controlled chambers programmed to constant 25 °C and vary in cycles ranging from 10 to 60 °C, with and without oxygen absorbers with the purpose of simulating intercontinental transport in containers. The results of this study showed that the oxygen absorbers have good capacity to maintain the quality of the technological and bioactive factors of the rice grains. In the second study, dealing with the effects of the use of oxygen absorbers on the brown rice storage, whole-grain natural rice grains were stored for 8 months at temperatures of 5, 20 and 35 °C with and without oxygen absorbers. The results indicated that the use of oxygen absorbers proved to be efficient in preserving the bioactive compounds and to reduce the rancification of the lipid fraction of the whole grain natural rice grains stored hermetically for the period of 8 months.