According to new study, cooking rice in a certain method eliminates 74% of
the naturally occurring arsenic in white rice and more than 50% of it in
brown rice.
A recent study published in Science of the Total Environment demonstrates
that a certain method of cooking rice eliminates more than 50% of the
naturally occurring arsenic in brown rice and 74% of it in white rice.
Crucially, the rice's nutritional content is unaffected by this new
technique.
In response to earlier study from the University of Sheffield that revealed
half of the rice consumed in the UK had levels of arsenic in it that were
higher than those recommended by the European Commission for rice intended
for ingestion by newborns or young children.
In an attempt to lower the amount of arsenic in rice, a recent study by the
Institute for Sustainable Food tested various cooking methods. They
discovered that the "parboiling with absorption method" (PBA), a convenient
and at-home method, eliminated the majority of arsenic while retaining most
of the nutrients in the cooked rice.
Using the PBA technique, the rice is first parboiled in water that has
already been boiled for five minutes. It is then drained and refilled, then
cooked at a lower temperature to absorb all of the water.
Due to its water solubility, arsenic—which the International Agency for
Research on Cancer has categorized as a Group 1 carcinogen—accumulates in
rice, which is cultivated more frequently in flooded areas than other
cereals. Exposure to arsenic can result in skin lesions, cancer, diabetes,
and lung disorders, affecting nearly every organ in the body.
Approximately 10 times as much arsenic is known to accumulate in rice as in
other grains. Arsenic is mostly found in the outer bran layer of rice
grains, which encircles the endosperm. Accordingly, brown rice—that is,
unpolished, unmilled rice that still has its bran—contains a higher arsenic
content than white rice. While white rice loses 75–90% of its nutrients
during the milling process, arsenic is eliminated.
"This is great news for consumers of rice," says Dr. Manoj Menon. Due to
arsenic, there are legitimate worries among the populace regarding rice
consumption. Prior research has demonstrated that boiling rice in too much
water can eliminate arsenic, but it also eliminates nutrients. Our goal was
to eliminate arsenic from rice as much as possible while retaining as much
of its nutrients. Everyone may utilize our recently created approach, PBA,
because it is simple and straightforward to apply at home. Although our
research indicates that brown rice is more arsenic-containing than white
rice, we are unsure of the exact quantity of arsenic in each package of rice
we purchase. By using our novel approach, we can minimize the loss of
essential nutrients and drastically lower the exposure to arsenic. Since
babies and young children are particularly susceptible to the hazards of
arsenic poisoning, we strongly advise using this approach when making rice
for them."
Provided by
University of Sheffield
