While the quality and safety of rice, which is Cambodia's staple food, are recently attracting attention, the actual situation in Cambodia has not been researched or surveyed. In this work, 72 samples comprising 4 rice varieties, Neang Minh, Phka Khnei, Somali and Phka Rumduol, were collected from 3 shops in each of 6 local open markets of Phnom Penh and were analyzed. As physical measurements, grain moisture, grain weight and grain dimension were measured, and a grain scanner was used to measure: (1) whole and broken grains; (2) chalky, red and damaged grains; (3) level of accepted/defected grains; (4) level of mature grains; (5) glutinous grains; and (6) water-soaked cracked grains. In terms of biological measurements, the number of insects and the number and identification of bacteria and fungi were analyzed. The results showed that by variety, Somali and Phka Rumduol were generally higher in quality than Neang Minh and Phka Khnei. With respect to markets, some lacked good storage and selling conditions for some rice varieties. This market survey in Cambodia revealed that serious technical problems and challenges regarding quality and safety remain.
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