Comprehensive Evaluation of Paddy Quality by Different Drying Methods, Based on Gray Relational Analysis

Abstract

If paddy is not dried in time after harvesting, it very easily becomes moldy, which causes substantial losses. Inappropriate drying methods also affect the quality and safety of paddy when it enters the drying process. In order to select the optimal drying method, paddy with different moisture content was treated with sun drying, mechanical drying, and late harvesting, and the quality indexes of paddy were tested for safe moisture content. The effects of different drying methods on the quality of paddy were analyzed in terms of burst rate, taste value, appearance quality, and pasting characteristics. A paddy quality index system was constructed, and gray relational analysis (GRA) was used to evaluate comprehensively the paddy quality. The results showed that when the moisture content of paddy was 24.4%, the best quality of paddy was obtained after mechanical drying, when the gray relational degree was 0.996. Timely harvesting and mechanical drying can not only reduce the loss of paddy, but can also ensure the quality and safety of paddy.