The effect of parboiling treatment on the energy requirement in parboiling was studied and also on some important quality indicators of parboiled rice. The relationship between the energy requirement and quality indicators was investigated to identify the suitable indicators that can be used to estimate the energy requirement in parboiling. The energy requirement in parboiling generally depends on the steaming temperature and time, and is mainly responsible for the quality of parboiled rice. Among the quality indicators (hardness, milling yield, lightness and color values), hardness and lightness values were identified as the suitable quality indicators to estimate the energy requirement in parboiling. The generated information can improve plant efficiency and economic viability. (C) 2003 Published by Elsevier Ltd.