JP2615314B2 - Washed rice and its packaging method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to washed rice which can be cooked immediately by simply adding water without requiring rice washing, and a packaging method thereof.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Consumers wash rice by replacing water many times each time they cook rice. This is bothersome and time consuming to cook. In addition, from the viewpoint of prevention of river contamination by tomato juice, it is desirable to wash rice before reaching consumers if possible. However, a rice that has been washed once, dried and then cooked after adding water thereto has not been manufactured. The problems in drying the washed rice are putrefaction and crushing of the rice. In other words, when the rice is washed, it absorbs water during that time, and the moisture content increases, and as it is, it rots or molds, and if it is dried to avoid it, the rice cracks first, In addition, since it is crushed and granulated, even if it is cooked, it becomes lazy rice and cannot be used as rice.
Therefore, once the polished rice is immersed in water, it will be cracked whenever it is dried, and it will be crushed and granulated in it.
Washed rice known so far was not delicious even if cooked and eaten, and was not suitable for cooking rice. As the washed rice obtained by washing with water and drying, conventionally, for example, washed rice is washed with water, dried naturally or dried by heating (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 57-141257), and washed rice is washed. Dried with cold air or normal temperature air (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-11585), washed and drained with white rice, and adjusted to a water content of 15% to 16% (Japanese Patent Publication No.
No. 1-222063) and the like. Also, as rice that can be cooked without sharpening similarly to washed rice obtained by washing with water and then drying (non-washed rice), those prepared by a method other than washing with water are conventionally known. Representative examples are polished rice obtained by polishing and removing bran while adding a small amount of water to polished rice, and unwashed rice from which polished rice is washed with alcohol and dried to remove alcohol (Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. -54650 publication)
It is. In the former, rice is not immersed in water and washed, so micron-sized rice bran powder that enters into countless fine depressions that are not visible to the naked eye of rice skin generated during rice polishing,
Bran flour and the like that have entered the cavern of the small cave-shaped germ remain without being removed. The turbidity value of the washing water of the polished rice (the turbidity value of the washing water at the time of washing the rice by the measuring method of the Japan Rice Milling Industry Association. The turbidity described in this specification is the same) is 100P. P. Therefore, the polished rice does not need to be washed, because it is only about M, and therefore, when cooking rice, ordinary polished rice only needs to be rinsed 10 times and only 5 times. In addition, the latter has a problem that alcohol must be completely removed and the taste of cooked rice also deteriorates. Conventional washing rice or non-washing rice that can be cooked immediately without washing during cooking is as described above, but washing of polished rice, removal of bran to countless fine depressions and removal of water within a short time of several minutes Washed rice that does and does not crack the rice skin is not currently provided.

[0003]

Problems to be Solved by the Invention Raw rice, which does not require washing, contributes to the prevention of polluted water while at the same time eliminating the complexity of cooking, so that it can be cooked immediately by simply adding water. "Washed rice" has long been requested by consumers. Although studies have been made to obtain such washed rice, cooked rice with excellent taste has not been manufactured. The reason is that when washing polished rice for bran removal, sufficient time is required for the washing, so that water penetrates from the surface of the rice grain to the inside (deep layer), and when it is dried, it expands first by absorbing water. The surface of the dried rice grains rapidly dries and shrinks. However, it takes much time for drying to reach the inside. Therefore, even if the surface of the rice grain dries and shrinks, it does not shrink because the water content increases toward the inside. This expansion and rapid contraction cause a distortion phenomenon, and the harmony between the tissue inside the rice grain having high water content and the contracted tissue, that is, the connection relationship of cell tissues is broken, and cracks are generated on the rice grain surface. As a result, there is a problem that the rice is crushed and cooked to make delicious rice. Such a problem always occurs when the rice is washed with water in a usual manner, whether it is forcibly dried or naturally dried. Therefore, there is a big problem that rice is crushed during transportation or storage (before cooking) or crushed during cooking, and delicious rice cannot be cooked. Washed rice called conventional dry-washed rice does not have a configuration that solves the above-mentioned problems, so it becomes crushed rice and cannot obtain delicious rice. In view of the above, an object of the present invention is to obtain washed rice in which rice grains do not crack even after washing and removing water, and the taste of cooked cooked rice does not decrease.

[0004]

According to the present invention, as a result of intensive studies to obtain washed rice which is not cracked even after washing and has excellent taste of cooked cooked rice, washing of the polished rice in water, The inventors have found that if the bran removing step and the water removing step are performed within an order of magnitude shorter than in the past, rice grains will not crack and washed rice suitable for cooking rice will be obtained, thus completing the invention. In order to achieve the above object, the washed rice of the present invention is a method of washing the polished rice in water, removing the bran, and forcibly removing the water, during which the main water absorbing portion of the rice grain remains in the surface layer of the rice grain, It was performed within a few minutes from immersion to washing, bran removal, and water removal. Rice cracks did not occur on the rice skin, and most of the bran content in the fine depressions on the rice skin surface was removed. The average water content is about 13% ~
It does not exceed 16%. In the present invention, water removal refers to removing water adhering and absorbing to the surface layer of rice grains, not to drying the moisture originally contained in rice grains. And in the packaging method of the washed rice of the present invention,
Packaging in which the washed rice is placed in a packaging bag using an airtight packaging material, and the packaging bag is sealed leaving only the air necessary to maintain a state in which the apparent volume of rice grains is the smallest. Means were adopted. If washing and dewatering are performed while the water-absorbing portion of the rice grains in the respective steps of washing and dewatering is the surface layer of the rice grains, no cracks are formed after the dewatering. The average water content of such rice grains (hereinafter, simply referred to as “water content”) is 16% or less. Therefore, the moisture content in the deep part of the rice grains is the same as that of ordinary polished rice (about 13%), and the moisture content in the surface part is higher than this.
The length of time during which the water-absorbing portion is the surface layer of rice grains varies depending on the washing method, washing conditions, and the like, but must be within several minutes. Within a few minutes is a time shorter than about 3 to 4 minutes, preferably 2 to 3 minutes, and more preferably within 1 minute. Rice that has water penetrated into the rice grains at the time of washing, whether it is forced dried or air dried, has cracks that cause crushing when dried, and does not become delicious rice when cooked. The average moisture content of rice grains not exceeding 16% means that when the water content is higher than that, cracks are generated by the subsequent diffusion of moisture and the moisture content is the upper limit that prevents rot when the rice grains are stored at room temperature. . The lower limit of the water content is set to about 13% because the water content of the polished rice is usually about 13%. In the present invention, the “water content” of the washed rice refers to the “average water content” when the attached water is removed. Since the water content is an average value, it is sufficient if the water content is within the above range regardless of whether the water content of the whole rice grain is uniform. Note that the water content is measured using a normal measuring method (Food Agency method) for rice grains. The water content of the washed rice that is packaged and distributed as a commodity is naturally the same as the above average water content. The washing method for obtaining the washed rice of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it can remove rice bran and water efficiently in a short time. In washing the polished rice, a known continuous rice washing machine can be used, but some remodeling is required. That is, it is desirable to modify the rice washing tank so that it has a small diameter and the number of revolutions can be 600 rpm or more. Hereinafter, the method for producing the washed rice of the present invention will be described in more detail.

[0005] When washing with a rice washing machine, the number of revolutions and the tank diameter of the machine is determined by the relationship with the processing amount. The rice washing machine should be designed so that the water content after removal of water, that is, when the adhered water is removed, that is, the average water content of the rice granules is 16% or less even after the receiving time. is important. In the first place, rice is required to be dried so that the moisture content of brown rice is less than 15% except for a part of the area after harvesting, and if it is more than 13%, the inspection is not passed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. It is distributed in a percentage of wet brown rice. Further, even if the refining is performed, since the water escaping of about 0.5% to 1% is unavoidable during the milling process, the moisture content after finishing the milled rice is about 13%. Such normal polished rice having a water content of about 13% has no risk of spoilage or mold generation, but when such polished rice is washed with the above-described rice washing device, the polished rice passes through a washing tank. If the bath time is long, water penetrates deeply into the rice grains during that time, and even if only the water adhering to the surface is removed, the water content of the whole rice grains increases, causing rot and mold generation. If the moisture is removed by drying to prevent this, the surface of the rice grain rapidly advances and shrinks, and then proceeds from the surface layer to the deep layer. During this time, the surface of the rice grain is distorted and causes grain breakage. A crack is formed. Therefore, in order to eliminate the need to remove the internal moisture (up to the deeper part moisture), the moisture when the water adhering to the surface is removed, that is, the average moisture content of the whole rice grain is set to 1
It is necessary to control the rotation speed and the size of the tank in consideration of shortening the passage time of the rice grains in the tank in the rice washing machine. In any case, it goes without saying that, in order to produce the washed rice of the present invention, the passage time in the continuous rice washing machine must be reduced to an order of magnitude shorter than in the past. In addition, it is necessary to take into consideration the setting of the storage time depending on whether the water absorption of the polished rice is good and the temperature of the washing water. In other words, the higher the water temperature, the faster the water absorption speed, and therefore, it is necessary to shorten the tank passage time. In short,
In any case where a continuous rice washing machine is used, the in-tank time is such that almost no water penetrates into the inside of the rice grains during rice washing. Next, as for the rotation speed of the rice washing machine, if the number of times the rice grains are agitated in water is small, the necessary minimum rice washing effect cannot be obtained. If the required number of stirrings is to be performed, it is necessary to increase the rotation speed of the stirring body of the rice washing machine. In short, when washing is performed by a continuous rice washing machine, it is necessary to set a rotation speed at which the number of times of stirring required for sufficient washing of rice is performed within a passing time in the tank which is significantly shorter than before. In addition, the sufficient rice washing referred to here means that rice is not bran odor when cooked as it is, that is, it is the degree that rice is generally washed by consumers at present, and it is physically polished rice. To the extent that countless microscopic depressions on the surface that are invisible to the naked eye, micron-scale bran powder that has entered the germ traces, are almost removed, that is, if the rice is washed again, the washing water It refers to a state that hardly becomes cloudy. In this way, sufficient rice washing is performed and the rice is discharged from the rice washing machine.However, in most rice washing machines, rice grains are discharged together with a large amount of washing water. Immediately, not only the washing water but also the adhering water adhering to the rice grain surface is removed by a water removing device provided in a subsequent step of the rice washing device. The water removing device may be a known device as long as it has a function of removing the washing water and the attached water. However, it does not take much time to remove the washing water and the attached water. because,
This is because in the rice washing step, water was not absorbed into the inside of the rice grains, but in the water removal step, it took a long time to remove the washing water and the attached water, and the washing water and the attached water were absorbed inside the rice grains, and were meaningless. . However, some known water removal devices can remove most of the washing water and the attached water that cause water absorption in a short time, almost instantaneously, so that it can be selected. When the polished rice is passed through the washing step and the dewatering step in the manner described above, the polished rice is washed and dewatered in a very short time. When discharged from the water system, the average moisture content is about 13% or more and does not exceed 16%. Even if left in a room for a long period of time, no cracks are generated on the surface, and, of course, the washed rice is not crushed and granulated. Is obtained. Although it is easy to imagine that the water content of the rice grains after removal of water is higher in the surface layer than in the inner part (deep layer), it is easy to imagine that the attached water is removed, but the average water content per grain exceeds 16%. What is missing is that the high water content portion of the surface layer is very thin and therefore does not even crack. In other words, according to the conventional concept, if you say that you wash rice,
This means that water is absorbed up to the inside of the rice grain and that the whole grain becomes highly water-containing, and the only way to remove it was to dry it. However, in the present invention, even if the rice is washed, the water content is high only on the very surface, and the inside is not made high water content. It remains in a state. That is to say that the water content does not exceed 16%, and the very small amount of water on the surface layer will soon evaporate partly and partly migrate to the inside and become equilibrium. In this state, it is desirable that the rice washed from the water removal step be immediately transferred to the packaging step and packed. As described above, the washed rice of the present invention is produced by completely processing each process from washing to removing water in a very short time until absorbing about 2% of water. The washed rice of the present invention has a brittle surface compared to before washing with water and causes fine scratches when rubbed. Therefore, it is desirable to pack the rice so that the rice grains do not rub. See below for details

The function will be described in the section.

[0006]

[Function] In general, the first cause of cracks in rice dried after being washed with water is that the rice grains having the property of being weak against strain absorb and remove water, and each time the grains (particularly with the rice grain surface) This is because expansion and contraction occur in the deep part), causing distortion. Therefore, at the time of washing and removing water, a small amount of water absorption, which does not cause expansion and shrinkage which is a factor of distortion,
If the amount of water removed can be suppressed, even if the polished rice is immersed in water, washed, and dried, no cracks will occur. By the way, polished rice has a very specific property to water absorption, and it is necessary to understand it first and to respond. That is, the polished rice reaches the saturation point water content of about 30% in about 1 hour after immersion in water. However, this also varies considerably depending on water temperature and rice quality. However, in any case, the relationship between the immersion time and the rise in water does not progress at a constant rate, but progresses at extremely anti-acceleration. Therefore, immediately after immersion, the amount of water absorbed in the first one second rises at the beginning so as to be comparable to the amount of water absorbed in the last ten minutes. It goes without saying that the amount of water absorbed for the first 0.1 second is much larger than the amount of water absorbed. With respect to the water absorption characteristics of such rice, the water absorption speed decreases at an accelerated rate over time immediately after immersion in water. Therefore, even in a very short time immediately after immersion, a considerable amount of water is absorbed, so that in order to prevent distortion from occurring when water is removed, rice washing is completed within a short time that does not reach it, And immediately remove water. On the other hand, it is also necessary to consider the rice washing characteristics of the polished rice. That is, there are countless fine depressions on the surface of polished rice that are invisible to the naked eye, and to remove the starch granules and bran flour that has entered it, after all, soak the rice grains in the water. It is necessary to stir and wash rice at least 30 times or more. The reason is that the depressed portion into which bran powder etc. enters is deeper than the opening surface, and since most of it is a narrow opening surface in micron units, it is necessary to remove the bran powder etc. There is no other way than to make rice bran and the like float in water and wash away while immersed in water and stirring vigorously. Needless to say, such rice washing needs to be performed within a short time as described above. When producing the washed rice of the present invention based on such considerations, in the rice washing process, the rice is washed in a state where the polished rice is immersed in water for a very short time, and the rice bran is removed. The washing water and the surface adhering water are removed by the process. The time from immersion in water to water removal is within a few minutes, and the water content of rice when water is removed is about 13% or more 16
%. As a result, moisture does not penetrate into the inside of the rice grains at the time of washing the rice, and thus the polished rice can be obtained without cracks in the grain, let alone crushing. Also, it does not become turbid even when washed and immersed in water again. P. M or less. In addition, this 76P. P. The turbidity value of M is the lower limit of the value in the measurement method of the Rice Milling Industry Association. If the turbidity value is lower than this, that is, if the washing water is clean, it cannot be measured. Although there was no rice having a high degree of bran removal that could not be measured by this measuring method, it was possible to sufficiently measure by this measuring method, but the washed rice of the present invention had a turbidity value of It is too low and cannot be measured with this method. Therefore, in the present specification, the expression “76 PPM or less” means that the turbidity is extremely low, so that it cannot be measured by the conventional measurement method. In this specification, the term "crack" of rice grains refers to a crack that can be clearly confirmed with the naked eye. In addition, the meaning of "polished rice" refers to not only completely polished rice but also excessively polished rice and intermediate polished rice. Also "rice washing" or "water washing"
Means that the rice grains are stirred and washed in a large amount of water so that the rice grains are immersed in the water.

Next, the surface of the washed rice is more brittle than before washing, and when the rice grains rub against each other during transportation or the like, the surface of the rice grains becomes rough, that is, countless fine scratches are generated.
It causes the taste to decrease. For this reason, it is necessary to prevent the rice grains from rubbing each other in packaging.
This object can be achieved by the packaging method of the present invention. In other words, since the sealed packaging has almost no excess space between the wrapped washed rice and the packaging material, the movement of the rice grains in the packaged bag is suppressed, and the positional relationship between the grains is maintained in a state where there is almost no change. I do. Therefore, even if the packaging bag is set up or laid down when carrying, the rice grains in the bag do not rub, and no roughening occurs. Further, even if an external pressure is applied during storage or transportation, it can be prevented from being applied to the rice grains inside, so that rough skin and broken granules do not occur. originally,
Unless rice can be vacuum bagged or filled with inert gas, it is enveloped in a vented packaging material. There are various reasons, but the first is to maintain the quality of rice. In such a packaging form, the packaging bag is set up or laid down during transportation, and the apparent volume of the rice grains in the bag changes each time. That is, when the packaging bag is laid on its side, the rice grains are flattened and have the smallest apparent volume. When the packaging bags are erected, the rice grains move downward and are thick and bulky. The increase in the apparent volume is occupied by the air that has entered through the air holes provided in the bag material. On the other hand, when the standing bag is laid down, the rice grains inside are spread flat and the apparent volume is reduced, and the excess air is discharged from the air holes of the packaging material. As described above, the rice grains in the packaging bag move each time the rice packaging bag stands or lays down, and at this time, the rice grains rub against each other. Even with conventional rice, it is not possible to say that such rubbing is not harmful, but washing rice removes the rice bran powder that adhered to the rice skin by washing the rice, that is, what is called “clothing”, Although the harm caused by the rubbing between the bare rice skins is great, the packaging method of the present invention leaves the air necessary for maintaining the smallest apparent volume of the rice grain cluster in the packaging, and other excess air. Because the air bag is almost degassed and sealed, even if the direction of the packaging bag changes and the apparent volume becomes large, the air does not enter from the outside, so after all the initial apparent volume is the smallest. That is, the rice grains can be maintained as they are, so that the rice grains do not rub each other. Next, even if external pressure is applied during storage or transportation, it is possible to prevent that pressure from being applied to the rice grains inside. Normally, when storing this kind of rice, lay the packaging bag on the side and stack it However, at this time, in the packaging method of the present invention, as described above, the packaging bag is evacuated and sealed so that there is almost no excess space, so the packaging bag is laid down as described above. At times, the apparent volume is the smallest, so in other words, the surplus space between the rice grains and the packaging material is the largest. Therefore, even if the package bags stacked on the package are overloaded, the air occupying the surplus space is pressured and the rice grains are not so affected. In addition, the airtight packaging material in the present invention means not only a material having no air permeability such as an aluminum vapor-deposited plastic film or a special plastic film, but also has no air holes and the like and has no air permeability. It also means low, and includes, for example, ordinary polyethylene films and plastic-coated paper bags. In addition, the meaning of `` sealed so that there is almost no excess space '' described in the present specification means that, as in a general vacuum packaging, pressure is reduced to below atmospheric pressure and pressure is not applied. Rather, it indicates the degree of deaeration and sealing to such an extent that the rice grains do not move down and become thicker when the packaging bag is laid up, although there are some voids.

[0008]

Embodiment 1 A water washing process and a water removing process in which a stirring body of a rotary type continuous rice washing machine having a known structure is provided at 600 revolutions per minute and a water removing device is continuously provided at an outlet thereof, While pouring water at 3 ° C. into the rice washing machine, the water of 14.2% in Showa 60
Nagihono polished rice from Wakayama is continuously introduced at a rate of 1 kg per minute. The polished rice enters into the injection water running in the rice washing tank, and is agitated in the water, washed while the rice is discharged from the outlet of the rice washing machine together with the washing water, and immediately enters the water removal device in the next step. Here, the washing water and the adhering water are forcibly removed and discharged from the water removing device. During that time, that is, the time from when the polished rice per grain was immersed in the water of the rice washing tank to when it was discharged from the water removal device was 45 seconds (mostly the time in the water removal process). . The rice that has just come out of the water removal process has a moisture content of 15.9%. Even if it is left indoors for 30 days, there is no decay or mold, and 1 in 10 grains.
Cracks occur only at the rate of grains (the original milled rice was cracked at a rate of about 1 in 50 grains), and there was no crushing (excluding crushed grains from the beginning). The sized group remained. When the washed rice was washed again, the washing water became turbid at 76P. P. M or less and cooked with only water without washing, but the rice was washed well, so it was a delicious rice with no smell of bran and less freshness than normal rice. Further, the washed rice treated as described above is put in a polyethylene packaging bag, and while being laid sideways, a light pressing force is applied by a flat plate from both the upper and lower surfaces to form a flat shape, and to discharge most of the excess air in the bag. It was then sealed, lifted up by hand, rocked upright or tilted, but there was little movement of the rice grains in the bag. This was subjected to a weighting and delivery test, but no roughening of the rice grains occurred.

[0009]

Embodiment 2 The rice washing machine was rotated at 1800 revolutions per minute to constitute a water removal process in which the water removal device had a high performance.
While injecting water at a temperature of ° C., Nipponbare polished rice from Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, having a water content of 13.8%, is continuously introduced at a rate of 10 kg per minute. In this case, the time from when the polished rice is immersed in the water in the rice washing tank until it is discharged from the water removal device is about 5 hours.
Seconds. Rice fresh from the water removal process has a moisture content of 14.5.
%, Even if it is left indoors for 30 days, there is no rot and no mold, and there is no cracked rice grain (excluding cracked rice from the beginning). The original sized group (excluding the crushed granules from the beginning) was still intact. When the washed rice is washed again, the turbidity is 76P. P. It was less than M, and even if it was cooked with only water without washing, it became fresh and had a slightly better taste than usual.

[0010]

Example 3 To evaluate the taste when the washed rice of the present invention was cooked, a taste test was conducted on 24 panels of Samples 1 to 4. Made in 1988 as sample rice,
Akitakomachi polished rice was used, and all were made from the same raw material. The cooking conditions are the same. Sample 1
(Control) is rice cooked after washing by a usual method, and Sample 2 (Control) is washed rice washed with hot alcohol, dried and removed of alcohol, and cooked. Sample 3 (control product) was prepared by washing rice after washing with a usual method, and then draining and drying rice. Sample 4 (product of the present invention) was prepared by washing and removing the washed rice by the method of Example 2. It is a thing. The evaluation method used was a method in which each panelist evaluated whether or not the taste was better based on Sample 1.
The evaluation points are as follows. Sample 1 was set to evaluation point 0. 0 Same as sample 1. ... slightly more delicious than 0 0 ... + 10 slightly worse than sample 1 ... 10 slightly less delicious ... + 2 0 slightly less than ... 20-much more delicious than 20 0 ... +3 It is much worse than 0〃 ... -30−３ It is much more delicious ... + 40〃 It is so bad ...- 40−４ It is more delicious than +50 ″ It is the worst ... -5 The results of the taste test are shown in Table 1. .

[0011]

[Table 1] As is clear from the above results, the washed rice of the present invention (sample 4) was much more delicious than the control products (samples 2 and 3). Further, the washed rice of the present invention has a better taste when cooked than the rice washed in a usual manner.

[0012]

The washed rice of the present invention has the following effects (1) to (4). (1) The washed rice of the present invention can be produced at low cost, and when it is cooked, it can be cooked as it is without turbidity even if it is put into a kettle together with water. This saves the user the hassle of washing rice. In addition, since the rice skin has no cracks and most of the rice bran depressed portions have been removed, the cooked rice has no odor of rice bran, is glossy, and is delicious rice. In addition, the product of the present invention from which the bran flour has been almost removed does not lose freshness compared to conventional rice and has good storage stability. (2) Washed rice of the present invention can take more vitamins than conventional rice. This is because the product of the present invention is a short-time washing of rice, so that water-soluble vitamins are less spilled out and consumers can eat it without washing the rice. (3) Since the rice of the present invention has a good rice washing yield, it is socially beneficial. This is because conventional rice washing is done with high pressure both manually and mechanically at high pressure, so the substance that you want to remain on the rice skin is peeled off and washed away, but in the present invention the water in the rice washing tank is stirred at high speed Since the rice is washed, pressure is not applied to the rice grains, and as a result, there is little exfoliation of substances other than the residual bran that reduces the taste. (4) Since the washed rice of the present invention can be cooked only by adding water, the river is not contaminated by the sharpening juice. In addition, according to the method for packaging washed rice of the present invention, the movement of rice grains inside the packaging bag can be suppressed and external pressure can be prevented, so that the rice grains are damaged by the weight generated during storage and the like and the rice grains during transportation. There is no rubbing and no roughening or broken rice occurs. For this reason, it becomes possible to safely deliver the washed rice with poor strength by the current transportation method.

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A method in which water absorbed during washing is mainly obtained by forcibly removing water while remaining on the surface layer of rice grains.
Washed rice characterized by having no cracks in the rice skin, substantially removing the bran in the depressions on the rice skin, and having an average moisture content of about 13% or more and not more than 16%. 2. The washed rice according to claim 1 is placed in a packaging bag using an airtight packaging material, and the apparent volume of the rice grains is the smallest between the rice and the packaging bag. A method for packaging washed rice, characterized in that only the air necessary to retain the remaining air is removed and all excess air is eliminated and sealed.