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.

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.

With more than 100,000 varieties of rice worldwide, it’s easy to lose track. What are the differences and where do the different varieties come from? And what about the life cycle assessment of rice?

Types of rice: This is how they are roughly differentiated

Rice is the basic food source for more than half of the world’s population. The grain with the Latin generic name “Oryza” has been cultivated in Asia for thousands of years. So it is hardly surprising that countless different varieties exist today.

Roughly two or three main groups are distinguished:
Long Grain Rice: Long, narrow grains of rice that do not stick after cooking.
Short Grain Rice: Shorter, thicker grains that result in very sticky rice.
Medium grain rice can be mentioned as a third possible subspecies. In terms of the length of the rice grains, this lies between long-grain and short-grain rice.
Rice can also be classified according to the degree of processing:

Brown rice (also brown rice or whole grain rice): Apart from removing the husk, the rice was not processed further here. It therefore contains significantly more vitamins, fiber and trace elements than conventional rice. Brown rice is the healthiest option.
White Rice: Here the silver skin has been removed and the grains polished. Although the rice has a longer shelf life, most of the important nutrients are lost.
Parboiled rice: In the parboiling process, the nutrients are pressed from the silver skin into the interior of the rice grains. Some of the vitamins are retained even after polishing; However, the rice no longer has any fiber.

Rice-growing regions: where does our rice come from?

Rice plants grow in tropical and subtropical areas. Above all Southeast Asian countries like China, India or Indonesia are important rice suppliers. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over 90 percent of the world’s rice harvest comes from the Asia-Pacific region.

But rice is also grown today in Europe, Australia and parts of North and South America. For example, the Arborio rice used for risotto comes from Italy, but there are also cultivation areas in Portugal, France and Spain.

The most important types of rice at a glance

wild rice
Strictly speaking, wild rice, with its typically dark grains, does not belong to the rice genus, but to the “water rice” genus. The grains of the sweet grasses contain many valuable nutrients and are grown in the USA.
long grain rice
Basmati rice is an aromatic long grain rice and is grown in the Himalayan region. It is mainly used in oriental cuisine.
Thanks to its intense aroma, jasmine rice is also called “fragrant rice”. The slightly sticky long grain rice comes from Thailand, but is also grown in Vietnam and Italy.
Patna is a grainy and firm long grain rice from India. The grains remain very al dente after cooking.
Medium and short grain rice
Risotto rice combines various medium-grain varieties with a high percentage of starch, which gives the dish its typical creamy consistency. Typical varieties are Arborio, Carnaroli or Vialone, all grown in Italy.
Japanese rice (or rice pudding) is a very sticky short-grain rice from Japan. There it is also used for hearty dishes. The grains are particularly soft, short and rounded.
Bomba rice is a Spanish short-grain rice with a slightly firmer and grainier consistency due to the lower starch content. It is typically used for paella.
Sushi rice is a particularly sticky rice from Japan with a high starch content. There are several varieties that are considered sushi rice.
Mochi rice is an extremely sticky rice from Japan that is mainly used to prepare desserts (e.g. rice cakes). Today, mochi rice is also grown in the United States.
Brown brown rice grows in Southeast Asia and includes different varieties. It is richer in nutrients and more resilient to cultivation than conventional rice, but also more expensive.
Black brown rice is wholegrain rice with a nutty taste. Originally from China, it is now also cultivated in Europe (Italy and France).