Fortified Rice Facts
Fortified Rice Kernels
Rice is one of the majorly consumed staples in the world, especially in South East Asia. Rice is consumed by approximately 70% of the Indian population, according to a report released by the international NGO – Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
“Fortified Rice Kernels (FRKs) are normally added to normal rice in a ratio of 1:99 to make fortified rice that adds to the nutritional value of rice.”
Fortification of rice can be done by the following methods, according to GAIN:
Rice is one of the majorly consumed staples in the world, especially in South East Asia. Rice is consumed by approximately 70% of the Indian population, according to a report released by the international NGO – Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN).
- Hot Extrusion: The rice can be fortified by the extrusion process, which involves combining the rice flour, micronutrient premixes and water and then the product is extruded in the form of rice kernels. The process involves subjecting the product to heat i.e. 70°C -110°C, hence the product is precooked
- Cold Extrusion: This process is like hot extrusion, but there is no heat processing and rice flour is replaced by rice dough, which is combined with the micronutrient premix. The mixture is then extruded in the form of rice like kernels. This type of fortified rice is not precooked
- Coating: In this technique, the micronutrient premixes are combined with ingredients like gum and waxes, which is later sprayed on the rice.
- Dusting: This method involves dusting of the rice grains with the micronutrient premixes, which binds with the rice grains due to electrostatic force.
- Although other techniques like Coating and Dusting exist, Hot Air Extrusion is the most preferred method of fortification.
Millets – The Miracle Grains
Millets help in reducing the nutritional gap among 14% of our population. As hardy crops, millets not only help meet nutritional needs but could also be scaled up to larger populations. India had earlier declared 2018 the National Year of Millets to promote the production of nutrient-rich cereal.
Millets are widely consumed by the lower economic population and are less explored as vehicles for fortification. Finger millet, sorghum, and pearl millet, which are widely grown and consumed as the staple in several parts of India were examined for their feasibility as vehicles for fortification with iron and zinc providing significant amounts of bio-accessible minerals. Fortification of millet flours with minerals, therefore, seems to be a feasible strategy to combat micronutrient deficiency.
Millet’s Nutritional Facts
Millets are regarded as the superfood of the future due to their health benefits, easy production, and low cost also referred to as nutricereals, which have been found to be highly nutritious compared to cereals. It contains 65% carbohydrate, 9% protein, 3% fat, and 2-7% crude fiber and is also rich in vitamins (A, B, C) and minerals (magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and iron. Compared to maize and barley, millets have 60% higher protein, 40% lysine and methionine, and 30% threonine.