How to remove arsenic from rice when cooking: Experts reveal the best way to filter out the natural toxin without losing mineral nutrients
- Arsenic is a Group 1 carcinogen which can be fatal to humans in high doses
- The toxin is water soluble and soaks into the plant as it grows in paddies
- University of Sheffield researchers have come up with a method to best cook rice in order to get rid of arsenic
Rice contains naturally high levels of arsenic, a toxin which can be fatal to humans, and experts have revealed the best way to remove it from the crop during cooking.
Boiling fresh water before putting in the rice and then draining the water just five minute later gets rid of most of the arsenic.
People should then finish cooking the rice by adding fresh water, turning the heat down and putting a lid on the saucepan.
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How to cook arsenic-free rice: 1) boiling fresh water 2) put rice into saucepan 3) drain off the water just five minute later 4) finish cooking the rice by adding fresh water and turning the heat down and putting a lid on the saucepan
Rice contains naturally high levels of arsenic, a toxin which can be fatal to humans, and experts have revealed the best way to rid it from the crop during cooking.
University of Sheffield researchers discovered this parboiling method was the most effective way of slashing arsenic levels in the dish.
Their study published today in Science of the Total Environment shows that this method removes over 50 per cent of the naturally occurring arsenic in brown rice.
For white rice this figure jumps up to 74 per cent.
Arsenic is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and is water soluble. It is this property which allows the chemical to accumulate in rice grown in fields
However, while removing the harmful toxin from the rice, the method keeps hold of all the nutrients the crop possesses.
Dr Manoj Menon, co-author of the study, says: ‘For rice consumers, this is excellent news.
‘There are genuine concerns amongst the population about eating rice due to arsenic.
‘Our newly developed method, PBA, is easy and home-friendly so that everyone can use it.
‘We don’t know the amount of arsenic in each packet rice we buy; even though brown rice is nutritionally superior to white rice as our data shows, it contains more arsenic than white rice.
‘We highly recommend this method while preparing rice for infants and children as they are highly vulnerable to arsenic exposure risks.’
The toxic chemical gathers naturally in the crop and has been linked to illness, dietary-related cancers and liver disease. In serious cases, it can result in death.
Arsenic is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and gets into plants because it is water soluble.
Rice, which is often grown in rice paddies, soaks up ten times more arsenic from the soil than other cereals.
It is stored mostly in the outer casing of rice, which is what gives brown variants a higher concentration than white.
The same researchers have previously found half of the rice varieties sold in the UK have arsenic levels that exceed the safe limits for infants and children.
A total of 28 out of 55 varieties included in a study by the University of Sheffield breached the 0.1mg per kg limit laid out by the EU, to which the UK adheres.
Among the offending varieties are brown and organic rice, widely believed to be healthier than the alternatives.