Rice is one of the most widely consumed foods in the world. It’s also very high in arsenic compared to most other foods, absorbing about 10 times as much toxic inorganic arsenic as other cereal crops. This is mostly due to the way rice is grown in flooded rice fields, which makes it easier for the crop to absorb the carcinogenic compounds naturally present in the soil. Contaminated groundwater is considered the greatest threat to public health in terms of arsenic exposure, in part because of its use in irrigation for rice production.
Human awareness of arsenic toxicity dates back thousands of years, but awareness of the same dangers via rice consumption is a more recent development. While some countries have regulations designed to place limits on exposure to inorganic arsenic through rice consumption, many Asian countries (where rice consumption is high) have no such rules. Even in countries like the UK and US that do have such guidelines, there could be unseen risks, particularly to young children, who are more susceptible to arsenic exposure.
Fortunately, for several years it’s been understood that the levels of inorganic arsenic in rice can be reduced in various ways, via washing or rinsing, or using different cooking methods. However, some of these can also lower the levels of nutrients in rice, which also isn’t desirable.
In a new study, Menon and his team investigated different rice-cooking methods to see which offered the best way of reducing arsenic while preserving nutrients. They examined four processes, all of which involved cooking rice via the absorption method, using either unwashed rice, washed rice, pre-soaked rice, or parboiled rice.
When they analysed the results, they found the parboiling with absorption method (PBA) reduced the most arsenic from the rice, while preserving its nutrients.
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