Phytic Acid and Micronutrient Profiling of a Few Ethnic Rice Products of Assam, India

Abstract

Background: Different ethnic rice products are obtained from specialty rice varieties of Assam, India. A unique characteristic of these rice products is that the products can be used instantly. Considering lack of study relating to biochemical changes during processing, the present study was conducted. Methods: The specialty rice products (bhaja bora, hurum, sandahguri, Korai, flaked rice and komal chaul including two intermediate forms in preparation of bhaja bora and hurum) prepared through traditional method and their respective raw forms were collected in Jorhat, Assam. The phytic acid, total phenols and a few minerals were estimated with standard methods. Result: Among the products, the phytic acid phosphorus and total phenol content ranged between 92.74-272.65 mg/100 g and 61.67-69.59 mg catechol equivalent/100 g, respectively. The total ash (%) and the minerals (mg/100 g) like sodium, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and iron ranged between 0.84-1.34, 37.33-56.67, 11.32-20.67, 64.32-134.33, 250.26-333.45, 3.24-4.08 and 2.47- 6.91, respectively. The higher concentration of total ash, iron and zinc were observed in the products than their respective raw forms. However, the observation of decrease in phytic acid content in all these products reveals that the processing may improve availability of certain minerals.