A comprehensive study conducted by researchers from the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science (INFS) of Dhaka University and the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has uncovered a significant loss of nutritional elements in polished rice, with modern rice millers discarding 10 to 20 percent of rice during the polishing process.
Published in the international science journal Foods in November, the study emphasizes that the highest nutritional elements are lost when rice is polished, leaving only carbohydrates behind. The researchers collected samples from various locations to evaluate the nutritional quality of five high-yield rice varieties, including BR11, BRRI dhan28, BRRI dhan29, BRRI dhan49, and BRRI dhan84.
The findings indicate that while BRRI-84 retains minerals and all types of vitamins, the nutritional elements in the remaining varieties are sacrificed during the trimming process. The overall nutrition quality decreases, with a notable decrease in protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals. Notably, nine to 18 percent of protein has decreased due to the polishing of 10 percent of rice.
Consumers, often unaware of the nutritional loss, end up compensating by taking nutritional supplements or relying on government programs that fortify food with essential elements.
Professor Nazma Shahin, the research team leader at the Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, emphasized the need to halt the trimming of nutritional elements from rice. While guidelines have been issued to rice millers, she stressed the importance of regular monitoring to ensure compliance.
The study also sheds light on the economic dynamics of rice milling, where by-products obtained from trimming rice contribute significantly to millers’ profits. According to HR Khan Pathan, the general secretary of the Bangladesh Auto Major and Husking Mill Owners Association, rice mill owners face challenges despite apparent profits, leading to a decline in the number of rice millers in the country.
BRRI director general Md Shajahan Kabir called for the swift implementation of polishing guidelines and stringent monitoring to address the alarming loss of nutrition in polished rice, emphasizing the crucial role rice plays as a primary source of nutrition for many in Bangladesh.
