Sansaket Farm rice is pure, unblended rice directly from our rice field, without enhancements or chemicals.
One of the advantages of rice is that it can be stored quite a long time. Still, as farmers we know that the newer the rice, the better the aroma, the texture and the taste. Having new crop rice from a fresh harvest is always a special occasion.
Shelf Life of Uncooked Rice
The shelf life of raw, uncooked rice generally depends on storage temperature, air humidity and safety. Consequently, longer shelf life means cool temperature, dry air, and a location secured away from ants, bugs, rodents and whatever muggers. Then, it depends on the stage to which the raw rice has been milled or processed, and for some types of rice, the packaging:
Paddy rice is sun dried, unprocessed rice with its husk. Basically it is the farmer's rice after it is harvested. Its shelf life is more than ten years, when it is properly stored.
White rice is dried, dehusked, whitened, polished, rice. It is fully milled raw rice with its characteristic white rice seeds. Its shelf life is almost indefinite when stored in a cool, dry kitchen cabinet. Still, we set our "Best used before" date for white rice at 5 years after dehusking and vacuum packaging. We expect our vacuum packed white rice to last well beyond this period.
Brown rice is dried, dehusked, unpolished rice with a largely intact bran layer. It can also be referred to as whole grain rice. It has a largely intact bran layer with a high content of nutrients and oils. These become biologically active at some time. Raw, uncooked brown rice shelf life is shorter than white rice, with a shelf life of approximately three to six months. When vacuum packed this increases to 1 to 2 years. To be on the safe side, and for good taste, we set our "Best used before" date for brown rice at 1 year after dehusking and vacuum packaging. You can further extend its shelf life, possibly doubling it, by storing the package in a refrigerator.
Germinated rice also known as germinated brown rice or GABA rice is dehusked, unpolished, brown, sprouted rice with a largely intact bran layer. You may be able to see the sprout emerging from the seed. The shelf life or raw, uncooked germinated rice is shorter than standard brown rice due to its additional active enzymes. Germinated rice shelf life is approximately two weeks, only. When vacuum packed this increases to about 6 months. You can extend this period by storing the package in a refrigerator. After opening the vacuum pack, germinated rice must be refrigerated and used within a few days.
Vacuum packaging and refrigeration greatly extend the normal shelf life of uncooked brown rice and germinated rice. It has lesser effect on the already long shelf life of white rice, while vacuum packaging may possibly contribute to the longevity of white rice's aroma and taste.
For storage limits of cooked rice please see here.
Note: The above shelf life advice is based on careful research of rice shelf life figures given by official sources, published specialists, and experienced professionals (including ourselves). Not all of these sources provide the same estimates. Actual safe storage times vary according to environmental conditions. Consult with your friendly health professional for a final, authoritative opinion.
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