02/04/14: Evaluate Samples of Fortified Rice at FFI Booth

Rice Diversity. Part of the image collection of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Samples of fortified rice made via three fortification methods will be available to touch and observe at the FFI booth in the Micronutrient Forum’s exhibit area. Fortified rice will not be sold there; the uncooked rice will simply be available to evaluate for differences between it and unfortified rice.

In addition, Judith Smit, Rice Fortification Manager for the World Food Programme (WFP) Regional Bureau for Asia, will be at the FFI booth Tuesday, 3 June, to discuss WFP's experiences with rice fortification. She will be there from 13:00 to 14:00 and during the afternoon break at 15:30. Staff from PATH will also be available at the FFI booth to discuss rice fortification options.

In many cultures, rice preparation includes picking out kernels that do not conform in color, shape, or texture. Consequently, for fortified rice to be effective, it needs to meet the consumers’ expectations for how rice should look, taste, and smell.

Three primary technologies are used to fortify rice with vitamins and minerals: extrusion, coating, and dusting. Extrusion involves making a dough from rice flour and nutrients then putting the dough through an extruder to make rice-shaped kernels. This can be done at various temperatures. Coating requires spraying rice with a mix of vitamins and minerals plus ingredients such as waxes and gums that help the nutrients adhere to the rice. Both coating and extrusion methods require blending fortified kernels with unfortified rice, usually at ratios between 1:50 and 1:200. Rice is sometimes fortified by dusting it with a powdery mix of vitamins and minerals. Dusting is not appropriate in cultures where rice is rinsed or cooked in water that is discarded as these steps will wash off the added nutrients.

Rice is the second most commonly consumed cereal grain in the world, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Yet rice is not commonly fortified.

Rice fortification is considered economically feasible if the population consumes at least 100 grams per capita per day. The 25 countries with the highest amounts of rice available for human consumption, according to FAO, are listed below. These countries have a combined population of 3.4 billion, yet of these, only the Philippines has mandatory rice fortification.

More information about each type of rice fortification will be available at the FFI booth. Also, see answers to frequently asked questions about rice fortification on the FFI website.

Country	Grain Available (grams per person per day)	Population (in thousands)
Bangladesh	475	147,030
Lao People's Democratic Republic	454	6,112
Cambodia	439	13,978
Viet Nam	387	86,901
Myanmar	386	47,601
Thailand	365	68,706
Indonesia	349	237,414
Philippines	338	91,703
Guinea	290	9,761
Madagascar	289	20,124
Sri Lanka	284	20,669
Guinea-Bissau	271	1,484
Liberia	263	3,836
Sierra Leone	253	5,739
Guyana	224	753
Korea, Republic of	223	47,964
Nepal	218	29,433
Brunei Darussalam	211	392
Korea, Democratic People's Republic	209	24,238
China	209	1,342,428
Malaysia	203	27,949
Senegal	196	12,107
Comoros	188	716
India	187	1,207,740
Suriname	186	520
Total population (in thousands)		3,455,298
Population figures from United Nations Population Division Grain data from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The Global Miller
This blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine GFMT which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.