Search

Milled rice is an essential part of the regular diet for approximately half of the world's population. Its remarkable commercial value and consumer acceptance are mostly due to its promising cooking qualities, appealing sensory properties, and longer shelf life. However, the significant loss of the nutrient-rich bran layer during milling makes it less nutritious than the whole grain. Thus, enhancing the nutritive value of milled rice is vital in improving the health and wellbeing of rice consumers, particularly for those residing in the low-economic zones where rice is the primary source of calories and nutrition. This article provides a critical review on multiple frontiers of recent interventions, such as (1) infusing the genetic diversity to enrich amylose and resistant starch to reduce glycaemic index, (2) enhancing the minerals and vitamins through complementary fortification and biofortification as short and long-term interventions, and (3) developing transgenic solutions to improve the nutrient levels of milled rice. Additionally, the review highlights the benefits of functional ingredients of milled rice to human health and the potential of enhancing them in rice to address the triple burden of malnutrition. The potential merit of milled rice concerning food safety is also reviewed in this article.

Summary Reliably generating rice varieties with low glycaemic index (GI) is an important nutritional intervention given the high rates of Type II diabetes incidences in Asia where rice is staple diet. We integrated a genome‐wide association study (GWAS) with a transcriptome‐wide association study (TWAS) to determine the genetic basis of the GI in rice. GWAS utilized 305 re‐sequenced diverse indica panel comprising ~2.4 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) enriched in genic regions. A novel association signal was detected at a synonymous SNP in exon 2 of LOC_Os05g03600 for intermediate‐to‐high GI phenotypic variation. Another major hotspot region was predicted for contributing intermediate‐to‐high GI variation, involves 26 genes on chromosome 6 (GI6.1). These set of genes included GBSSI, two hydrolase genes, genes involved in signalling and chromatin modification. The TWAS and methylome sequencing data revealed cis‐acting functionally relevant genetic variants with differential methylation patterns in the hot spot GI6.1 region, narrowing the target to 13 genes. Conversely, the promoter region of GBSSI and its alternative splicing allele (G allele of Wx a) explained the intermediate‐to‐high GI variation. A SNP (C˃T) at exon‐10 was also highlighted in the preceding analyses to influence final viscosity (FV), which is independent of amylose content/GI . The low GI line with GC haplotype confirmed soft texture, while other two low GI lines with GT haplotype were characterized as hard and cohesive. The low GI lines were further confirmed through clinical in vivo studies. Gene regulatory network analysis highlighted the role of the non‐starch polysaccharide pathway in lowering GI.

This study aimed to determine the sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and climate change-related factors associated with meeting recommended energy intake (REI) among Filipino households. This paper utilized data from selected components of the 2013 National Nutrition Survey (NNS) and 2015 Updating Survey of the Department of Science and Technology – Food and Nutrition Research Institute (DOST-FNRI), typhoon/flood occurrence from online reports of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) and drought data for the first quarter (Q1) of 2015 from the Philippine Rice Information System (PRiSM) of the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI). Multiple logistic regression using the backward elimination method was done and post-estimation tests were applied to the final model. Filipino households with more than three members were food insecure and were poor were less likely to meet the REI. On the other hand, households engaged in agricultural work, having a member working abroad, residing in rural areas, and shorter time lag exposure to typhoons/floods were more likely to meet REI. Filipino households in Mindanao, meanwhile, were less likely to meet REI if they had more than three members and were food insecure and more likely to meet REI if they were engaged in agricultural work. The study provides a snapshot of a seemingly minute but significant facet of the health and nutrition situation in the Philippines, which is meeting the REI at the household level in relation to exposure to extreme weather events such as typhoons, floods, and drought brought about by climate change. The results of the study may provide vital inputs to climate change adaptation programs of the government for vulnerable population groups, particularly among farming- and fishing-dependent households who will likely absorb the long-term impact of the extreme weather events to their livelihoods.

Paddy rice cropping systems are largely intensive with widespread use of modern high yielding varieties, fertilizers, and agrochemicals, mostly characterized by rice monocropping, particularly when irrigated. Food provisioning is the most obvious ecosystem service derived from rice farming, but rice farming is also a way of life, particularly in Asia where 90% of rice is produced. Rice farming has been in existence for a long time and is an integral part of cultural traditions globally and is celebrated through different sociocultural festivities and forms part of societal cultural identities. Being semiaquatic, rice fields provide a habitat for a diverse assemblage of fauna and flora. The unique characteristics of paddy soils enable them to sustain intensive rice production and regulate the biogeochemical nutrient cycling. Paddy soils contribute about 11% of the greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture, largely through methane, but also sequester significant amounts of carbon, contributing to mitigation of the emissions. Nonetheless, paddy rice systems offer a range of ecosystem services that vary with growth stages and management practices.

The Philippines is one of the major rice-producing and rice-consuming countries of Asia. A large portion of its population depends on rice for their daily caloric intake and nutritional needs. The lack of dietary diversity among poor communities has led to nutritional consequences, particularly micronutrient deficiencies. Iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) and zinc deficiency (ZnD) are two serious nutritional problems that affect the health and economic sector of the country. Since rice dominates the Filipino diet by default, biofortification of rice will help improve the micronutrient status. The Philippine government has proactively initiated various programs and policies to address micronutrient deficiencies, particularly through fortification of basic food commodities. Biofortification, the fortification of rice with micronutrients through breeding, is considered the most sustainable and cost-effective strategy that can benefit large vulnerable populations. However, developing promising genotypes with micronutrient-enriched grains should be coupled with improving micronutrient bioavailability in the soil in order to optimize biofortification. This review documents the prevailing soil Zn-deficiency problems in the major rice production areas in the Philippines that may influence the Zn nutritional status of the population. The article also reports on the biofortification efforts that have resulted in the development of two biofortified varieties approved for commercial release in the Philippines. As nutritional security is increasingly recognized as a priority area, greater efforts are required to develop biofortified rice varieties that suit both farmers' and consumers' preferences, and that can address these critical needs for human health in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.

Iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) deficiency constitute a major micronutrient deficiency around the globe, affecting rural populations residing in developing countries with minimum purchasing power and/or access to a diverse diet. Biofortification, the enrichment of staple food/crops with bioavailable micronutrients or vitamins in their edible parts, provides a potential sustainable solution towards such issues, in combination with other existing efforts. Utilisation of rice as a platform for the delivery of products biofortified with Fe and Zn could impact greatly the livelihood of people dependent on rice-based agri-food systems globally. The HarvestPlus and its partners have successfully supported the production, deployment and release of conventionally bred Zn-biofortified lines of rice and wheat in several countries; and also support potential innovative approaches such as genetic engineering and genome editing with higher Fe and Zn content in the grain. A large number of reviews on iron biofortification in rice has been published, in this review we summarise the Fe biofortification by transgenic approaches, but the major focus of this review is on the conventional and transgenic breeding efforts to generate Zn-biofortified lines in rice and discuss their potential to contribute in eradicating Zn deficiency, by examining bioavailability aspects, as well as the retention of Zn content in rice grains after cooking. We additionally examine the importance of a clear pathway for the successful delivery and large-scale adoption of high-Zn rice to achieve maximum impact.

Background Poor maternal nutrition as indicated by chronic energy deficiency (CED) has been linked to a higher risk of dying due to pregnancy-related complications and is associated with negative birth outcome including intrauterine growth retardation that could lead to the intergenerational cycle of malnutrition. Objectives Objective. This study aimed to identify the determinants of maternal under nutrition using data of the “2011 Updating Survey” conducted by FNRI-DOST. Methods The 11,531 mothers with children 0–5 years old were included as participants and were classified into pregnant mothers, lactating mothers and non-pregnant/non-lactating mothers (NP/NL). The anthropometric measurements were assessed using the appropriate anthropometric indices for each physiologic group. Bivariate analysis using chi-square and binary logistic regression were applied to identify the potential determinants of maternal undernutrition. Result The likelihood of undernutrition as indicated by CED among NPNL mothers increased with lower socioeconomic status (OR: 1.47; CI: 1.18–1.83), urban place of residence (OR: 1.25; CI: 1.04–1.49), younger age at first pregnancy (OR: 2.23; CI: 1.76–2.82), late timing of first prenatal visit (OR: 1.26; CI: 1.06–1.50), non-participation in prenatal services (OR: 1.31; CI: 1.09–1.56) and poor kitchen cleanliness (OR: 2.16; CI: 1.44–2.35). On the other hand, undernutrition among pregnant mothers is directly associated with 2 factors, the wealth status (OR: 2.19; CI: 1.27–3.79) and consumption of variety of fruits (OR: 0.26; CI: 0.08–0.82) while age was borderline odds. (OR: 0.45; CI: 0.18–1.07, p=0.07). Among lactating mothers, the likelihood of undernutrition increased with longer duration of breastfeeding (OR: 1.86; CI: 1.40–2.47) while wealth status (OR: 1.28; CI: 0.99–1.67, p=0.06), non- participation in postnatal services (OR: 1.27; CI: 0.98–1.66, p=0.07), non-consumption of calcium-rich foods (OR: 0.70; CI: 0.48–1.03, p=0.07) and non-usage of food cover (OR: 1.94; CI: 0.99–3.81, p=0.05) showed borderline odds. Conclusion Maternal undernutrition is determined by socio-economic, demographic, reproductive, health and dietary practices. Strategies aimed at improving maternal nutrition should prioritize (1) female adolescents, (2) schools and out-of-school youth programs, (3) gatekeepers in nutrition and health as part of support group team to ensure access to prenatal delivery and post-natal services.

Summary Although maternal and child mortality are on the decline in southeast Asia, there are still major disparities, and greater equity is key to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. We used comparable cross-national data sources to document mortality trends from 1990 to 2008 and to assess major causes of maternal and child deaths. We present inequalities in intervention coverage by two common measures of wealth quintiles and rural or urban status. Case studies of reduction in mortality in Thailand and Indonesia indicate the varying extents of success and point to some factors that accelerate progress. We developed a Lives Saved Tool analysis for the region and for country subgroups to estimate deaths averted by cause and intervention. We identified three major patterns of maternal and child mortality reduction: early, rapid downward trends (Brunei, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand); initially high declines (sustained by Vietnam but faltering in the Philippines and Indonesia); and high initial rates with a downward trend (Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar). Economic development seems to provide an important context that should be coupled with broader health-system interventions. Increasing coverage and consideration of the health-system context is needed, and regional support from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations can provide increased policy support to achieve maternal, neonatal, and child health goals.