Molecular breeding of biofortified rice and its bioaccessibility on cooked rice.

Rice is one of the main carbohydrate sources and is a suitable target for biofortification with an inexpensive and sustainable treatment to reduce iron (Fe) deficiency in the community. Fe-Biofortified rice also has strategic value in increasing marginal land productivity. This study aims to analyze the genotype profile using specific Fe regulatory marker genes (OsIRT1.1 and OsFer2) and to determine the total content and bioaccessibility of Fe minerals in cooked rice, as the final product. The test lines are the result of molecular-assisted breeding, using foreground and background markers, for the development of swamp-adaptive varieties. The results of the study showed that the average total Fe mineral content in 100 g of dry polished grain from the seven selected rice lines ranged from 30.10 to 62.21 ppm. However, the percentage of Fe mineral bioaccessibility in the artificial digest model was revealed to vary, from 18.95% to 50.25% of the total Fe content in polished rice. Rice line 10R-C presented the highest total Fe content in rice grains, but the lowest in bioaccessibility, in contrast to 5R-B. It should be noted that the high amount and solubility of Fe in the human gut (bioaccessibility) determines the actual nutritional value of a food. The potential rice lines (10R-C and 5R-B) developed in this study can be used as a dietary source of the essential Fe micronutrient through rice consumption, after ethical clearance approval. The results of this study became the basis for plant breeding for the high-Fe product in seasonal commodities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]