Value-added processing of rice and rice by-products

World competition has encouraged United States rice farmers and rice mills to be efficient in farming and production practices. Efforts to augment economic competitiveness include development of new varieties, improvements in milling practices, and identification of uses for rice products and by-products. The research detailed in this dissertation adds to the body of knowledge in milling practices and identification of uses for rice bran. To improve the prediction of milled rice quality at industrial scale, correlations for milling quality among laboratory, pilot, and industrial scale mills were identified for Clearfield 161. Final industrial product whiteness was ten points higher than for polished rice at medium and high pilot scale settings. Jazzman, the first US-bred jasmine-type rice variety, was released by the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station in 2009 to compete for a share of the aromatic rice market. Pilot scale evaluation of Jazzman’s milling quality supported lab scale evaluation and provided additional data for milling optimization. With milling yields from 86 to 93%, Jazzman presented as a high-yield, good-milling aromatic long grain rice variety. A purple rice variety (line number MCR02-1576) was assessed for milling quality, and its bran for oil and anthocyanin concentration. Results showed a low milling recovery (\u3c50%); low whiteness (\u3c15%) values indicated pigment remained in the kernel. Anthocyanin concentration increased linearly across the entire bran layer. Oil concentration increased linearly across the inner bran layer with a mean of 22 percent. Processing the inner bran layer would maximize anthocyanin and oil recovery. As rice bran oil is a potential renewable energy source, the oil concentration across the bran layer of Jazzman, Clearfield 161, and Cocodrie were determined with hexane extraction and near infrared technology (NIT). Clearfield 161 had total oil concentration 1.83 times that of Jazzman and 2.11 times that of Cocodrie. Predictions of oil content across the bran layer were made from NIT measurements and compared to hexane extraction results. Collectively this research indicates that value-added processing of rice and rice bran which optimizes milling yields and recovery of high-value components from the bran layer would favorably impact economic competitiveness

Rice processing: milling and value-added effects

The ultimate goal of this research is to characterize data from the laboratory, pilot, and industrial scale rice mills. Pilot and laboratory scale data are presented in this research. Two long grain rice cultivars were milled with two different scale mills. Cheniere and Cypress were milled with a McGill No. 2 mill and a pilot scale mill (Satake). Both material streams, rice kernels and bran, were collected and weighed. Measurements of Degree of milling, transparency, and whiteness were made with a milling meter (Satake). Yield and bran fraction were calculated. Samples of the bran were heat stabilized and prepared for high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). HPLC analysis determined the concentration of vitamin E and oryzanol. Parameter values were reported as laboratory, pilot, or category assignment of low, medium, and high. Yield values for both rice varieties and both mill scales were highest at the low category. Degree of milling measurements increased with increasing process time setting for the laboratory scale mill and with increasing operational mill setting for the pilot scale mill. DOM data divided by category showed an increase for both varieties and both mill scales from the low to high categories. Transparency and whiteness values increased from low to high category. At the laboratory scale mill, for Cheniere, the highest levels of vitamin E and oryzanol occurred at the 10 second mill setting. For Cypress, the highest level of vitamin E occurred at the 10 second mill setting, and the highest level of oryzanol resulted at the 5 second time setting. Category and pilot scale values for both vitamin E and oryzanol were highest at the low category or the lowest mill setting

SLE in the three-state Potts model - a numerical study

The scaling limit of the spin cluster boundaries of the Ising model with domain wall boundary conditions is SLE with kappa=3. We hypothesise that the three-state Potts model with appropriate boundary conditions has spin cluster boundaries which are also SLE in the scaling limit, but with kappa=10/3. To test this, we generate samples using the Wolff algorithm and test them against predictions of SLE: we examine the statistics of the Loewner driving function, estimate the fractal dimension and test against Schramm's formula. The results are in support of our hypothesis.Comment: 32 pages, 41 figure

Critical curves in conformally invariant statistical systems

We consider critical curves -- conformally invariant curves that appear at critical points of two-dimensional statistical mechanical systems. We show how to describe these curves in terms of the Coulomb gas formalism of conformal field theory (CFT). We also provide links between this description and the stochastic (Schramm-) Loewner evolution (SLE). The connection appears in the long-time limit of stochastic evolution of various SLE observables related to CFT primary fields. We show how the multifractal spectrum of harmonic measure and other fractal characteristics of critical curves can be obtained.Comment: Published versio

Evaluation of the performance and feasability of the fluorescein diacetate (FTA) vital staining method for follow up of Tuberculosis (TB) treatment

IUATLD Conference, Paris, 200

Rotating Neutron Stars in a Chiral SU(3) Model

We study the properties of rotating neutron stars within a generalized chiral SU(3)-flavor model. The influence of the rotation on the inner structure and the hyperon matter content of the star is discussed. We calculate the Kepler frequency and moments of inertia of the neutron star sequences. An estimate for the braking index of the associated pulsars is given.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

The Chemical Composition of an Extrasolar Minor Planet

We report the relative abundances of 17 elements in the atmosphere of the white dwarf star GD 362, material that, very probably, was contained previously in a large asteroid or asteroids with composition similar to the Earth/Moon system. The asteroid may have once been part of a larger parent body not unlike one of the terrestrial planets of our solar system.Comment: ApJ, in pres