Rice is a delicious food for larvae. A little carelessness in storage can make your rice container attacked by pests. Especially during the rainy season, in damp air and environment, rice is easily damaged by pests; they lay eggs inside the rice grains.
Rice that is attacked by pests will lose its natural aroma and diminish its nutritional value.
Rice that is attacked by pests loses its nutritional value and aromatic flavor. That’s why you need to know how to store rice properly to avoid pests. (Photo: Lupon)
Many people think that rice stored for a long time will be invaded by pests, but this is not true. In fact, rice worms have already existed when we bring rice home. After a period of time, the worms hatch, emerge, and eat the rice grains, causing visible damage.
Properly stored rice will last longer without being infested by pests and can be used for more days while maintaining its aromatic flavor when cooked.
Tips for storing rice to avoid pests
With the following handy tips, you will extend the shelf life of your rice.
Store rice in a dry and airy place
A low humidity environment is the ideal condition for pests to breed. Therefore, the best way to store rice and prevent pests is to keep it in a dry and airy place, not directly on the ground, and especially avoid exposing it to sunlight. When there are unfavorable conditions for their development, pests cannot quickly damage your rice container.
However, this method only applies to a small amount of rice. Therefore, you should only buy enough rice to serve your family in a short period of time.
Choose the right container
After sieving it clean, you can pour rice into a sterilized container. There are many types of compact containers designed to hold rice, ranging from 10kg to 40kg, and they are very convenient for taking out rice for use.
Additionally, since rice is dry and does not absorb water, to store rice and prevent mold and loss of nutritional value, you should use glass jars with a tight lid or metal lids. You can use special food storage boxes designed with a rubber ring around the lid to ensure an airtight seal.
You can prevent pests by storing rice in a sealed container (Photo: LoopMe Philippines)
Store rice in the refrigerator
The temperature in the refrigerator is considered an ideal condition for storing rice as it can effectively eliminate and prevent rice pests.
When you put rice in a sealed container for storage in the refrigerator, the quality of the rice will not be altered, and the rice will not absorb other odors.
However, the size of refrigerators in many households is not large enough to store a significant amount of rice. Moreover, it will be difficult to fit a rice container inside. Therefore, you should divide the amount of rice you have into small portions and store them in ziplock bags before putting them in the refrigerator.
Use garlic
Garlic contains allicin, a natural “penicillin” that can kill bacteria and prevent mold growth. Garlic has a strong, pungent smell and has a noticeable effect in repelling insects.
You can take some garlic and put it into the rice container, then place it in a cool place. This is an effective tip for storing rice to avoid pests.
(Photo: Lowyat)
Use white alcohol above 41 degrees
Many households use specialized rice containers. They are relatively sealed, so they are not infested by insects. However, if you want to prevent rice pests from appearing, you can buy a bottle of white alcohol with a high alcohol concentration (above 41 degrees), open the lid, bury the bottle in the rice container, with the mouth of the bottle sticking out higher than the surface of the rice, then seal the container again and store it in a cool place.
Alcohol evaporates easily, has disinfectant properties, kills insects, prevents mold, and keeps pests away from the rice.
Use pepper
Pepper is a natural antifungal agent with a strong, pungent smell that rice pests “hate”. You need to prepare a thin fabric bag (or cut one end of a 2-layer face mask), put pepper inside, tie it up, and bury it in the four corners of the rice container, in a cool and well-ventilated place. The rice will not be attacked by pests.
Store rice in a sealed box
Boxes, containers, or sealed bags are items that you can use to store rice and prevent pests. Besides preventing mold and pests, this is also a very effective way to extend the shelf life of your rice.
However, if you store rice in a bag, you need to regularly check to ensure that the bag is not torn. If you store rice in a sealed container, you should not reuse paint containers like many families do, as it is entirely unhealthy. Instead, you can use dedicated rice storage containers.
To prevent mold and pests, you should place the rice about 20cm above the ground to allow for proper air circulation.
How to deal with rice infested by pests
When you discover rice infested by pests, you should not take it out to dry in the sun. Pests are afraid of light, and they will find a way to escape rather than die. Drying in the sun can also make the rice dry and brittle, and it will lose its taste when cooked.
Instead, gently sieve the rice to remove any existing pests, then place the rice in a shady and cool place, allowing the remaining pests to naturally leave. When you check and no longer see any pests, you can put the rice back into a clean, dried container, while applying one of the above methods.
If there are too many pests in the rice container, it means a significant amount of the rice has been eaten and damaged by them. At this point, the rice will no longer have the same taste as before, so it should not be used anymore.
Source: VTC
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