Rice is a rich source of macro and micronutrients
in its unmilled form. During rice milling the fat
and micronutrient-rich bran layers are removed to
produce the commonly consumed starch-richwhite
rice.White rice is the number one staple food in the
rice countries of southeast and northeast Asia, one
of the most densely populated regions in the world.
Of the world’s rice production, 90% is grown and
consumed inAsia.On average, 30% of calories come
from rice and this can increase to more than 70%
in some low-income countries.1 In most languages
of these regions, the words for rice and food are
synonymous. It should be noted that rice is also an
important staple food in several African countries
and the Americas.
Rice is therefore a potentially excellent product
for delivering micronutrients to a very large number
of people and has the potential to significantly
alleviate micronutrient deficiencies. However, this
will only achieve the desired result as long as the
sensory characteristics of the end product are not
discernibly changed and people do not object to
incorporating fortified rice into their daily diet. In
[The copyright line for this article was changed on August
1, 2014 after original online publication.]
addition, using rice to deliver micronutrients will
work only as long as fortified rice is economically
accessible to people at the bottom of the income
pyramid. Unpolished rice is a rich source of vitamins
B1, B6, E, and niacin.2 During polishing, the
majority (75–90%) of these vitamins are removed.
Only when parboiled does more than 50% of the
water-soluble vitamin levels of brown rice remain,
and this is due to their migration from the outer
layers to the endosperm.2