Health and Nutrition
Rice and Human Nutrition
Rice provides 20 percent of the energy supply of the world. It is also a good source of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin and dietary fiber.
Parboiled rice contains more nutrients than white rice or polished shelled.
Rice is an integral part of the culinary traditions of many cultures, each of which has its own specific set of preferences relating to texture, flavor, color and viscosity of the rice they consume.
The nutritional content of rice can be improved by using selective breeding techniques and new technologies, such as modification of the genetic code of plants.
A colorful and varied food
Rice is rich in terms of genetic diversity. Throughout the world thousands of varieties are grown. Rice, in its natural state, in shell, it has many different colors including brown, red, purple and even black. These colorful varieties of rice are almost always appreciated for their beneficial properties to health. Paddy rice has a higher content of nutrients that white rice or polished shelled. For many cultures, rice is an integral part of the culinary tradition.
Different cultures have different preferences in taste, texture, color and viscosity of the rice they consume. For example, in South Asia and the Middle Eastern, dry flaky rice is consumed; in Japan, in Taiwan Province of China, Republic of Korea, Egypt and northern China, wet and sticky rice varieties are consumed; and in some parts of southern India, was consumed red rice.
Many countries have recipes based on rice are identified, such as sushi, fried rice, curry, paella, risotto, the pancit and beans with rice. There are also many sweets and candies are prepared based on rice.