Comprehensive nutritional evaluation of popular rice varieties of Assam, Northeast India

High-yielding varieties (HYVs) of rice have benefited farmers and the public by increasing yields and reducing the cost to consumers. Yet the nutritive value, a pivotal trait of HYVs remains grossly under-investigated. In this work, efforts have been specifically focused on nutrients profiling of 20 popular HYVs from Assam as brown rice and its milled counterparts. The study has revealed several varieties that are a reasonably good source of either protein, or fat, or zinc, or calcium. Substantial nutrient variability was observed in the 20 HYVs brown rice with the largest variation observed in pyridoxine (49%cv), followed by pantothenic acid (36%cv), iron (24%cv), protein (14%cv), and fat (13%cv). At 5 % milling substantial reduction of all nutrients occurred (40-58%) which was further exacerbated at 10 % milling. Compared to 10 % milled rice, brown rice has a far better nutrient profile and even limiting to 5 % milling can marginally increase rice nutrient content. A change in consumption pattern from white rice to brown rice or even 5% milled rice will be nutritionally beneficial. The rice nutrient data can also help in improving nutrient intakes through the use of nutritious cultivars and in conventional plant breeding to develop superior nutrient varieties.