Abstract: In order to study the effects of preservation and quality during the storage of rice cakes,the rice cakes were treated by water bath sterilization process,vacuum packaging,periodic detection of total number of microorganisms,moisture content,whiteness value and hardness value,and comprehensive sensory evaluation indicators to select the optimal sterilization process.The results showed that with the increase of water bath temperature and the prolongation of water bath time,the growth and reproduction of microorganisms in the rice cake system during storage could be better suppressed.The water bath temperature of 85℃could not effectively kill or inhibit the growth and reproduction of microorganisms in the rice cake system.Although the water bath temperature of 100℃ had a good bactericidal effect,it had a great influence on the quality of the rice cake during storage,the whiteness value was seriously reduced,and the rice cake was hardened.The water bath temperature of 90℃ and 95℃ had a good bactericidal effect,and little effect on the quality of the rice cake during storage.When the water bath time was 20 min,the heat transfer effect inside the rice cake and the bactericidal effect was poor.When the bath time was 50 min,there was a good bactericidal effect,but the quality of the rice cake during storage was more serious,the water loss was more serious,and the color and taste were worse.When the water bath time was 30 and 40 min,the heat transfer inside the rice cake was better,and the bactericidal effect was better.The microbial index,quality index and sensory evaluation during the storage of rice cakes were selected as the ideal method for sterilizing rice cakes with water bath temperature of 95℃and water bath time of 40 min.The shelf life of rice cake was increased from 2 days at 37℃ to 20 days,and the quality of rice cake was improved.