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Arsenic Rice: This Cooking Method Eliminates the Toxin

The terrible news just went through the media: whole grain and long grain rice are said to cause cancer. Rice contains arsenic, a carcinogenic substance that does not completely disappear even during cooking. Professor Andy Meharg has now tested which cooking method is most effective in eliminating arsenic from rice.

Rice contaminated with arsenic

Rice is one of the most common side dishes and is considered healthy. Unfortunately, the healthy grain also contains pollutants such as arsenic. “Öko-Test” just reported the shocking results: long-grain and whole-grain rice are so heavily contaminated with pollutants and carcinogenic substances that the consumption of these types of rice is even completely discouraged.

The rice plants absorb these substances through contaminated groundwater. Especially with whole grain and parboiled rice, the load of toxins is higher, since the outer shell of the rice grain is still attached, or the harmful substances from it have passed into the interior of the grain.

“Oko-Test” and Professor Andy Meharg therefore always recommend basmati rice: This is the least contaminated.

Cook rice properly

Queens University Belfast professor Andy Meharg has researched the best way to cook rice. He examined various cooking and preparation methods and to what extent these changed the arsenic content in food.

In the first variant, the scientist boiled the rice in about twice the amount of water. This is one of the most popular ways to cook rice. But the arsenic content was only reduced by 16 percent.

The second attempt: cook rice with five times the amount of water. Here, the arsenic content has already been reduced by 50 percent – although this value is still alarmingly high.

The third method was actually the most successful: Mehard was able to reduce the proportion of the toxin to just 16 percent. To do this, the rice must be soaked in water overnight and then washed in a sieve under running water until the water runs clear before preparation. Five times the amount of water is then added to the pot to boil.

The three rules for cooking rice:

  1. Soak rice.
  2. Always wash rice!
  3. Boil rice in five times the amount of water.
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Arsenic in Rice: You Should Pay Attention to This When Feeding Your Children

In fact, everyone knows that arsenic is poisonous. But did you know that the toxin is also found in rice? In this article you will find out what dangers the substance poses to children.

How does arsenic get into rice?

Arsenic is a metalloid that occurs naturally in the ground – more or less often depending on geological conditions. Types of grain, including rice plants, absorb arsenic compounds through their roots. These get into the fruit via the metabolism.

Rice is grown in flooded fields because it thrives best in wet, humid conditions. More arsenic ends up in the rice plants via the water than in other cereals that are cultivated dry.

How much arsenic ends up on the consumer’s plate depends not only on the regional soil conditions, but also on the processing of the rice grains. Because the arsenic settles in particular on the edge of the grains.

How much arsenic does rice contain?

Consumers cannot see how much arsenic the purchased rice contains. According to the BfR, the amount of rice that an adult can eat without causing health problems has not yet been researched.

According to the Federal Institute, the average amounts of arsenic in white rice are between 0.1 and 0.2 milligrams per kilogram. Brown, so-called natural rice, contains more inorganic arsenic because the outer layers are largely removed from white rice. Higher amounts than in white rice were also measured in rice cakes and rice flakes.

Is that why children are not allowed to eat rice?

The BfR assessment, according to which it is not very likely that the consumption of rice leads to health risks, applies to all age groups: adults, the elderly as well as children and infants.

Nevertheless, the BfR recommends parents not to feed their infants and small children exclusively with rice-based drinks or complementary foods such as rice porridge. According to the experts, products such as rice cakes should also vary with snacks without rice.

In addition, the BfR points out that rice-based baby food does not meet the needs of infants anyway due to the unsuitable nutrient composition.

Does washing rice help?

It is difficult to wash out the arsenic compounds from finished products such as rice porridge or rice snacks.

For rice itself, the BfR recommends washing it in plenty of water and boiling it immediately before consumption. In the case of rice with small amounts of arsenic, some of this can migrate into the water.
The cooking water should be poured off immediately after cooking.

Arsenic-free rice coming soon?

In a study published in spring, a Chinese research team, including scientists from the University of Heidelberg, succeeded in finding a travel plant that defies dangerous arsenic.

The researchers exposed over 4,000 rice varieties to arsenic-containing water and observed their growth. Only one of the examined plants with the name “astol1” proved to be tolerant to the toxic metalloid.

The plant develops the amino acid cysteine, which is an important element for the plant’s own development of phytochelatins. These substances have a detoxifying effect and are formed by plants in response to pollutants. The neutralized arsenic is stored in the roots of the plant before it reaches the rice grains and can become dangerous to humans. Scientists consider this plant particularly suitable for agricultural use.

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