I have quite a bit of white rice and random types of beans available in my cupboard. Can I use those items instead of clay balls or perlite as my growing media in a deep water cultivation system? I'd prob have a wick drop from the basket down to the water level.

I know coastal restaurants will sometimes put some rice in their salt shakers to prevent their salt from absorbing too much of the coastal moisture.

Any risk of diseases or bacteria growing if I use the rice or beans as growing media?