Contribute to the competitiveness of the agro-industrial rice chain

---

The competitiveness of the agro-industrial rice-chain involves various aspects including: agronomic aspects, industrial aspects and grain quality aspects. In the case of Uruguayan rice, quality aspects are of the utmost importance, given that 95% of what is produced is exported to very demanding markets. At Latitud - Fundación LATU, our research is focused on postharvest matters, therefore, industrialization and grain quality aspects are the center of our research. In accordance with the foregoing, the development of research focused on the optimization of industrial processes in order to improve industrial profitability and the generation of tools and activities focused on knowing in depth the quality aspects valued by buyer markets is extremely relevant, in order to add value to the products offered, which benefits the entire sector Therefore, the lines of research that are being worked on are: 1. Development of research focused on the optimization of industrial rice processes, such as drying, storage and milling, with the aim of maximizing industrial yields, without affecting the quality of the final product. 2. Development of tools and research in order to direct the genetic improvement programs and the productive sector as a whole, in order to incorporate the quality requirements of the markets into the selection of cultivars to be incorporated into the productive system. 3. Research development that allows evaluating grain safety, in order to, minimize yield losses and ensure product safety.