How to Assess Rice Quality before Buying in Bulk
Moisture, broken grains, milling degree, and cleanliness. Four things rice buyers for hotels, caterers, and distributors should check.
Rice looks simple, but two sacks at different prices can differ greatly in quality. For B2B purchases, check a few things before approving a PO.
1. Moisture
Rice that stores well has a moisture content of around 14 percent at most. Rice that is too moist turns musty and attracts weevils and mould, especially in humid warehouses. We measure the moisture of every delivery before packing.
2. Head rice and broken grains
Head rice means whole or nearly whole grains. The higher the share of head rice and the fewer broken grains, the higher the quality. Broken grains make cooked rice softer and less appealing to serve.
3. Milling degree
The milling degree shows how thoroughly the bran layer was removed. White rice for restaurants is usually milled more. Red rice is deliberately milled lightly so its nutritious bran stays on.
4. Cleanliness
Check for unhusked grains, small stones, brokens (very small fragments), and yellow or damaged grains. All of them reduce yield and cooking quality.
White and red rice from North Sumatra
Highland paddies in North Sumatra produce local white and red rice. We mill our red rice only once so the bran layer stays intact.
Tips for buyers
- Request a 1 to 2 kg sample and cook it with your usual water ratio.
- Put written specifications (moisture, broken grain percentage) in your PO.
- For regular needs, use a supply contract to keep price and quality consistent.
Register as a business partner to see B2B prices and submit a PO.