Reduce overall grain yield by cracking as one of the main problems directly reduced income and the availability of staple food to the farmers in the Mekong Delta. Cracking or fissuring of a grain of wheat that may occur in the rice fields by not harvested on time / practice, improper harvest and drying conditions milling operation is inappropriate. This project aims to improve the quality and value of Rice, through an integrated approach that includes farmers, millers, service providers and extension workers and educational institutions | Ministry of Agriculture Rural Development Australian Government AusAID Project Progress Report MS8 MS9 THIRD FOURTH SIX-MONTHLY REPORTS July 2008 026 05VIE Investigation of rice kernel cracking and its control in the field and during post-harvest processes in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam NONG LAM UNIVERSITY 5 The University Of Queensland Table of Contents 1. Institute Information 2 2. Project Abstract 3 3. Executive Summary 3 4. Introduction Background 4 Project objectives 4 Expected project outputs 4 Approach and Methodology 5 Implementation methodologies 6 5. Progress to Date 11 Implementation Highlights 11 Influence of harvesting time on rice cracking 11 Drying of paddy using flat bed dryer 12 Changes in physico-chemical properties of rice due to high temperature fluidised bed drying and tempering 14 Optimisation of high temperature fluidised bed drying performance by Response Surface Method 14 Changes in cracking behaviour and milling quality due to post-drying annealing and subsequent storage 15 Sensory evaluation of cooked rice 15 Extension service 16 Smallholder Benefits 16 Capacity Building 16 Publicity 16 Project Management 17 6. Report on Cross-Cutting Issues 18 Environment 18 Gender and Social Issues 18 7. Implementation Sustainability Issues 18 Issues and Constraints 18 Options 18 Sustainability 18 8. Next Critical Steps 19 9. Conclusion 19 10. Statutory Declaration Error Bookmark not defined. 11. Project Progress Against Proposed Objectives Outputs Activities And Inputs Error Bookmark not defined. 12. APPENDICES 20 1 1. Institute Information Project Name Investigation of rice kernel cracking and its control in the field and during post-harvest processes in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam Vietnamese Institution Nong Lam University HCMC Vietnamese Project Team Leader Dr Vinh Truong Australian Organisation The University of Queensland Australian Personnel .
