How Rice is Processed

Rice in its basic form is known as "rough rice" and is still covered by a non-edible hull or husk. At the mill, rough rice is processed through sorting machines that clean the kernels and remove foreign matter.

The hull is then removed leaving brown rice with the bran layers still surrounding the rice kernel. Grains of brown rice may be milled by removing the bran layers, revealing white rice. Because the most nutritious layers of the rice grain have been removed in the milling process, the white rice is enriched to restore the original levels of thiamin, niacin and iron.

Some of the rice is separated to go through an extra initial processing step that will turn it into parboiled rice. Parboiled rice is subjected to steaming or parboiling while still a brown rice, causing nutrients from the outer husk to move into the grain itself.