2.2. Determination of the Proximate Composition of the
Rice Cultivars
Proximate composition of rice grain was determined using
the AOAC methods[10] as follows:
2.2.1. Determination of Moisture Content
Moisture was determined by Standard Official Methods of
Analysis of the AOAC[10](method 14:004). This involved
drying to a constant weight at 100 0C and calculating
moisture as the loss in weight of the dried rice samples. The
crucible was thoroughly washed and dried in an oven at 100
0
C for 30 min and allowed to cool inside desiccators. After
cooling, they were weighed using weighing balance and their
various weights recorded as (W1). Then, 2.0 g of the finely
ground rice samples were put into the crucibles and weighed
to get W2. Thereafter, the sample plus crucible were placed
inside the oven and dried at 100 0
C for 4 hours, cooled and
weighed at the same temperature for 30 min until constant
weights were obtained to get W3. Then, the moisture content
of the rice sample was calculated from the equation:
% moisture = (W2 – W3) / (W2 – W1) x 100
where, W1 = Initial weight of empty crucible , W2 =
Weight of crucible + sample before drying and W3 = Final
weight of crucible + sample after drying.
2.2.2. Determination of Ash Content
Total ash of the rice sample was determined by Furnace 
Incineration described by AOAC[10] (method 14:006) based
on the vaporization of water and volatiles with burning
organic substances in the presence of oxygen in the air to
CO2 at a temperature of 600 0
C (dry ashing). About 1.0 g of
finely ground dried sample was weighed into a 277 tared
porcelain crucible and incinerated at 600 0
C for 6 hr in an
ashing muffle furnace (Model 1184A Fisher Scientific,
Houston, TX) until ash was obtained. The ash was cooled in
a dessicator and reweighed. The % ash content in the rice
sample was calculated as:
% Ash = Weight of Ash x 100
Weight of original sample