Dec 12, 2020
FSSAI classifies Zinc fortification in rice as a ‘curative’ measure that is being addressed by other national health policies
Parboiled rice is generally believed to be more nutritious due to higher levels of Vitamin B, and some variants have been shown to be lower in GI levels. However, the researchers in this study revealed that the concentrations of zinc tend to be lower in parboiled rice as compared to non-parboiled.
The TR – true retention, a measurement of percentage remaining in the grain – of between 63.8 to 89.6% zinc was seen in non-parboiled compared to just 49.8 to72.2% for parboiled rice. In addition, the average zinc concentration in bio-fortified rice was 18.0 µg.g, higher than non-bio-fortified at 12.3 µg.g.
So the rice containing higher zinc levels should be considered for populations that consume mostly parboiled or highly polished rice, despite some known nutritional benefits of parboiled rice, for populations with high zinc deficiency it is prudent to promote the consumption of non-parboiled over parboiled rice.
Zinc deficiency is known to cause growth retardation, impaired immune function, hair loss, diarrhea for the open market which will first be for oil and milk with rice to follow at a later date.
All rice, salt, and wheat provided via the nation’s public distribution system is already being fortified as well. Rice in particular is being fortified with iron, folic acid, and Vitamin B12. The question is why is zinc has not been included as a necessary nutrient for rice fortification, whether via developing high-zinc rice variants or later addition/processing, FSSAI Director (Social and Behavioral Change) Inoshi Sharma who is in charge of the country’s upcoming mandatory fortification regulations said that this is because ‘fortification is considered a preventive intervention and not a curative one’. “Zinc supplementation is usually recommended for the management of diarrhea.
That said, FSSAI’s regulation for dosages for wheat flour and rice do include zinc as an optional micronutrient [so] the provision already exists,” she added. As of date zinc is also administered via national programmes like the National Programme for Management for Diarrhea as an adjunct to Oral Rehydration Salts in children older than 3 months.
As for parboiling in general, she concurred that the consumption of parboiled rice in India ‘is high’ and recommended that millers in the open market fortify rice according to FSSAI-recommended dosages as there are not yet any regulations mandating this. The mandatory fortification of all edible oil and milk in India is expected within the next few months, and Sharma expects regulations for the rice to follow in three to four years.