> >
> >Jerry Liles
>
> Never saw any water logged hygroscopic silica gel either. Doesn't mean it
> is ineffective. Anyone who bakes knows that there is a tremendous variation
> in the moisture content of wheat flour. Grain absorbs moisture. Besides,
> Asian rice has to have the talc washed off before it can be used. Now what
> is the talc for? To keep the moisture laden rice grains from sticking
> together.
>
> Winsor Crosby
> Long Beach, California, USA
> mailto:wincros@xxxxxxxxxxx
>
Actually the talc is to give the rice a nice white color. Properly
dried and stored rice will not stick and it is not particularly
hygroscopic. Though rice will absorb some water from the air it hardly
compares to silica gel and would be more comparable to wood or a box of
starch. While it is true silica gell does not get sopping wet its
ability to remove water is many times that of rice. My contention is
that in a humid climate rice would be an ineffective dessicant. In
addition if rice did absorb so much atmospheric water that it needed
talc to keep the grains from sticking it would mold and be ruined in a
matter of days and would be useless as a grain crop.
W. J. Liles
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