Comparative Evaluation of Nutritional Compositions of Different Sri Lankan Rice Varieties on Glycemic Regulation

Abstract

The main nutrition of rice (Oryza sativa) is carbohydrates in starches, sugars and fibre. The amount and type of carbohydrates can be detrimental to health as they increase blood glucose levels, leading to the risk of diabetes. As intrinsic and extrinsic factors affect the glycaemic response of foods, understanding the influence of proximate composition and mineral content of rice on Glycaemic Index (GI) is useful. The nutritional composition and glycaemic potential of twelve rice varieties grown in Sri Lanka; Bg94-1, At405, Bw367, H.H.Z.36, Ld368, At362, Bg300, Bg352, Bg406, Madathawalu, Suduheenati and Pachchaperumal were studied. The GI was calculated using fourteen healthy subjects consisting of seven males and seven females fed with cooked rice containing 50 g carbohydrate and a reference food. The nutritional composition of the rice was compared with the GI of each variety. The GI of 12 rice varieties varied from 40-69. The proximate and mineral compositions were significantly different except for the moisture level. This study suggested a significant negative correlation between GI and calcium content. Among the studied rice varieties, "Sudu heenati" showed a high level of calcium, chromium, protein and fibre values with low GI, which would claims health benefits.