Dockage Determination and Thickness Grading I.

INTRODUCTION

Materials other than paddy are called dockage. These are the impurities that can be separated through sieves and other form of cleaning equipment. The impurity includes soil, stones, weed seeds, fragments of rice stalk, dust, husks, weevilled webs, and dead insects (Araullo, 1976). This may also include underdeveloped and shrivelled kernels that are hard to remove even with recleaning and/or rescreening.

The purposes of dockage determination are to protect the processing equipment, to separate the unripe and underdeveloped grains, to be able to adjust the hullers more precisely for minimum grain breakage in milling, and to be able to mill grain lots separately.

The differences in the thickness or length of different varieties are made use in grading paddy. According to Araullo (1976), rotating graders are used for paddy grains having the same length but different thickness. Trieurs are used for separation of grains with the same thickness but different lengths. Rotating graders and trieurs are also used in combination if the mixture consists of grains having different thicknesses and lengths. Paddy grading is impossible if the paddy consists of a mixture of varieties with about the same length and thickness. For Philippine varieties, a 1.75 mm sieve is used for this purpose.

In this exercise, we determined the dockage or impurities of the working sample and graded the paddy according to thickness using the laboratory methods. This was done for the determination of the relationship of impurities with respect to the operation and maintenance of drying and milling equipment.

II.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The materials and equipment/instruments used in this exercise were the following: Bates laboratory aspirator, assorted sieves (4/64 to 6/64 and 12/64), slotted sieve (1.75 mm), digital weighing scale, Boerner sample divider and working sample of 1500 grams of unclean paddy.

As for the methodology, the following steps were executed: A composite sample of paddy was obtained to be tested. This was done by taking random samples from a pan. The working

sample was divided into 500-gram samples. This was done using a Boerner sample divider and digital weighing scale. From one sample, the large impurities were separated with the use of a 12/64 sieve. This was done for three times. The small impurities were separated with the use of a 4/64 to 6/64 sieve. After this, the light impurities were separated using the Bates aspirator. The air control was adjusted to 70 to avoid the separation of immature grains. Then the immature grains were separated. The samples were weighed, and then the results were recorded. The percent purity and impurities were calculated as well as the percent mature and immature grains.

III.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Table 1 and Table 2 show the average data for dockage determination as well as for thickness grading. It can be seen that the sample used has a high level of purity and high percentage of mature grains.

Table 1. Average data for dockage determination.

Palay Average

Large Impurities Straws, etc. Grams % 2.34 0.467

Small Impurities Seed, Chaffs, etc. Grams % 2.33 0.466

Light Materials Husks, Dust, Empty Kernels Grams % 38.21 7.64

Total Grams 22.84 % 1.5 2

% Purity 98.48

Table 2. Average data for thickness grading. Immature Grains Grams % 8.42 0.570 Mature Grains Grams 445.65 % 30.169

Palay Average

According to the Philippine Standards Council, as cited by Araullo (1976), the following table is the summarized grading of palay:

Table 3. Standard grade requirements for rough rice.

Weed and Foreign Purity other matter Grade (max crop (max 100%) seed 100%) (max 100%) 1 2 3 4 5 98 96 94 92 90 2 4 6 7.75 9.5 None None Trace 0.25 0.5

Cracke d kernels (max 100%) 3 4 5 6 7

Immature kernels (max 100%)

Damage d kernels (max 100%)

Other varieties (max 100%)

Fermente d kernels (max 100%)

Red Moisture rice content (max (max 100%) 100%)

None 2 4 7 10

2 3 4 6 8

3 5 8 12 17

None 0.5 1 2 3

Trace 1 2 3 4

14 14 14 15 15

NOTE: Paddy + Foreign matter + Seeds = 100%

If we will compare Tables 1 and 2 with Table 3, we will see that the sample can be graded as 1 based from the presence of dockage and maturity of grains. This means that the grains had gone good postharvest practices thus, the farmer can sell the paddy at a reasonable price.

IV.

CONCLUSION

The presence of impurity greatly affects the quality of paddy. If there is high percentage of dockage, then the paddy is of low quality.

The thickness of grains is also important because it determines the maturity of the paddy; the higher the level of maturity of grains, the higher its quality.

Good postharvest practices are important so that a farmer can have a good quality of paddy so that he can sell it price-wise.

V.

REFERENCES

ARAULLO, E.V. et al. 1976. Rice Postharvest Technology.

ABE 2 Lecture and Laboratory Discussions

APPENDIX

Data Sheet on Dockage Determination and Thickness Grading Data: Dockage Determination Sample Large Impurities Straws, etc. Small Impurities Seed, Chaffs, etc. Light Materials Husks, Dust, Empty Total % Purity

1 2 3 Average

Grams 2.03 2.47 2.51 2.34

% 0.406 0.494 0.502 0.467

Grams 2.14 2.12 2.73 2.33

% 0.428 0.424 0.546 0.466

Kernels Grams % 34.30 6.86 37.70 7.54 42.62 8.52 38.21 7.64

Grams 38.47 14.10 15.95 22.84

% 2.56 0.94 1.06 1.52

97.44 99.06 98.94 98.48

Formula used: % Large Impurities = Example: % Large Impuritiessample1 =

2.03 g * 100% = 0.406% 500 g
Wt. of l arg e impurities * 100% Total weight of sample

% Small Impurities = Example:

Wt. of small impurities *100% Total weight of sample

% Small Impuritiessample1 =

2.14 g * 100% = 0.428% 500 g

% Light Impurities = Example:

Wt . of light impurities * 100% Total weight of sample

% Light Impuritiessample1 =

34.30 g * 100% = 6.86% 500 g

Wt. of clean grains = (Total weight of sample Wt. of impurities ) = (1500g-22.84g) = 1477.16g

% Purity =

Wt. of clean grains * 100% = (1477.16g/1500g) *100%= 98.48% Total weight of sample

= (100% % impurity )

% Impurity =

Wt. of impurity * 100% = (100%-98.48%) = 1.52% Total weight of sample

= (100% % Purity )

Data: Thickness Grading Sample 1 2 3 Average Immature Grains Grams % 8.26 0.559 8.23 0.557 8.76 0.593 8.42 0.570 Mature Grains Grams 450.95 444.29 441.72 445.65 % 30.528 30.077 29.903 30.169

Wt. of mature grains = (Wt. of clean grains Wt. of immature grains ) Weight of clean grains = 1477.16g

% Mature Grains =

Wt. of mature grains * 100% = (450.95g/1477.16g)*100% = 30.528 Wt. of clean grains Wt. of immature grains *100% = (8.26g/1477.16g)*100% = 0.559% Wt. of clean grains

% Immature Grains =

= (100% % Mature Grains )