Former Associate Scientist, International Rice Research Institute and Deputy Director, Agriculture Extension, Bangladesh

Food Policy to add nutrient to Rice for public health in Bangladesh

House # 25, Shamakdom Avenue, Sector 12, Uttara, Dhaka 1230, Bangladesh, Email: nazim.mondal@gmail.com. Mob: 8801715309568

Md. Nazim Uddin Mondal

National Food Policy 2006, Ministry of Food and Disaster Management Government of Bangladesh

Article-15(a) of the constitution of Bangladesh, it shall be a fundamental responsibility of the State to secure its citizens to the provision of basic necessities of food

Bangladesh is firmly committed to achieve food security for all, defined at the 1996 World Food Summit as: access by all people at all times to the food needed for an active and healthy life.

MDG -2015 : Goal-1, Eradication of Extreme Poverty and Hunger includes crop diversification nutritious crop program

Goal- 2, reduction of child mortality combating under nutrition.

Goal and Objectives of the National Food Policy

Objective-1: to ensure adequate and stable supply of safe and nutritious food;

Objective-2: to enhance purchasing power of the people for increased food accessibility

Objective-3: to ensure adequate nutrition for all (especially women and children).

Objective – 3: Adequate nutrition for all individuals, specially for women and children

Strategy 3.1: Long-term national plan for ensuring balanced food in building a healthy nation 3.1.1 Setting long-term targets for physical growth in building a healthy nation 3.1.2 Setting a standard food intake in accordance with physical, mental and cognitive needs3.1.3 Taking steps to ensure balanced food to meet nutritional requirements

Objective – 3: ( Cont) Adequate nutrition for all individuals, specially for women and children

3.1.4 Taking steps to ensure balanced nutrition at minimal cost Strategy - 3.2: Supply of sufficient nutritious food for vulnerable group feeding program.Strategy - 3.3 Balanced diet containing adequate micronutrients essentials for human health.3.3.1 Nutrition éducation programmes to educate the people about health and nutrition for beter living.

3.3.2 Dietary diversification

3.3.3 Effective food supplementation and fortification

Nutritional problems in Bangladesh are severe:Cause of Childhood death: Malnutrition or under nutrition is estimated to be an ‘underlying cause’ of about 60% of childhood deaths in Bangladesh (Faruque et al., 2008).

Growth: According to the Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey (BDHS) in 2007, 43% of under-five children in Bangladesh were stunted and 41% were underweight

Body Weight: Nearly one-third of women undernourished with body mass index of <18.5 kg/m2 (Journal of Health Population and Nutrition, 2012)

Cause :The cause of malnutrition is insufficient micronutrients, vitamin A, iron, iodine, and zinc deficiencies.

Worse affected: Malnutrition primarily affects poor children and women, especially in rural areas.

Importance of Rice in dietary and socio-economic system of Bangladesh

♦ Rice is the staple food of about 156 ( March 2013) million people of Bangladesh.♦ It provides about two-third of total calorie supply and about one-half of the total protein intake of an average person in the country. ♦ About 75% of the total cropped area and over 80% of the total irrigated area is planted to rice. ♦ The country is producing about 34.2 million tons of rice against the consumption demand ( food, feed, seeds use together) of 35 million tons. (Global Agriculture

Information Network, Report no BG 2001, 2012)

The Ways and means to improving nutritional status of Rice in Bangladesh Bio-fortification of rice varieties by adding essential

nutrient through genetic engineering or conventional breeding technologies.

Artificial fortification of rice grain with essential nutrient for public health through processing or milling.

Development of milling of rice to preserve nutritive value and production of byproducts to add nutrition.

Utilizing the rice byproduct to add value to produce bran oil or fortified bran oil for human consumption.

Use of rice straw as better nutritional purpose for production of nutritious mushroom.

Incorporation of nutrient in rice production with bio-fortified varietiesZinc Bio-fortified rice Varieties : Bangladesh Rice Research Institute released Brridhan-62, a zinc-enriched paddy contains around 19 to 20 parts per million (ppm) of zinc against 14 to 16 ppm in other high-yielding rice varieties. Average yield of Brridhan-62, meant for rain-fed Aman season, is 4.2 ton/ha. The newly released paddy variety has started gaining popularity among both farmers and consumers level. (BSS , Nov 11, 2014 ), another ready-for-release rice breed Brridhan-64 contains zinc as high as 25 ppm with yield potential of 6 ton/ha. Scientist already identified Zinc rich rice for conventional breeding of high Zn rice variety.

Brridhan-62

Brridhan-63

Golden Rice: This rice has been engineered to contain the genes necessary to make up the biochemical pathway for pro-vitamin A production to face the Vitamin A Deficiency VAD. Breeding and field trailing work is being carried out by the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines which could lead to initial releases to farmers in 2014. In Bangladesh, one in every five of pre-school aged children are estimated to have VAD.

Golden Rice Panicles

Golden rice grain

High-Iron Rice: Zurich researchers have developed a variety of rice containing up to six times more iron than normal white rice grains by adding in two extra genes. The team at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich hope that their rice will help combat iron deficiency – a major global health problem – in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, iron deficiency anaemia is one of the most important contributing factors to the global burden of disease. Pregnant women and children are

particularly vulnerable. The team at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich hope that their rice will help combat iron deficiency – a major global health problem – in developing countries. ( Isobel Leybold-Johnson in Zurich, swissinfo.ch) Another variety developed by the University of Melbourne and IRRI that contains 14 ppm iron projected for release about 2022 in Bangladesh

High-Iron Rice

What vitamins and minerals are in cereal grains naturally?Wheat, maize, and rice are natural sources of the following minerals: calcium, phosphorus, zinc, iron, and copper.They are also natural sources of the following B vitamins: folate (B9), thiamin (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pyridoxine (B6), and biotin (B7). Source: Bauernfeind and DeRitter, Nutrient Additions to Food

Why are vitamins and minerals added to cereal grains during fortification?Nutrients in cereal grains are mainly in the outer layers, and these are discarded as the grain is milled. Fortifying returns the lost nutrients, but simply restoring the nutrients may not be enough to make a health impact in populations where deficiencies have been identified. Appropriately fortifying grains with additional amounts of vitamins and minerals can improve public health.

Artificial rice fortification with essential nutrient

What nutrients are added to rice in fortification?This is different in every country. Global guidelines are available for wheat fortification, but each country is encouraged to consider its unique nutritional needs to establish fortification standards. Another consideration in setting standards is whether other staple foods are fortified. For example, if Bangladesh fortifies cooking oil with vitamin A, it might not include vitamin A in fortified rice. Rice is commonly fortified with iron and most of the B vitamins. Riboflavin (vitamin B2) is usually not added to rice because its orange color changes the appearance of rice. In Bangladesh for rice fortification with Iron and Zinc are most essential to overcome public health problems.

Types of Rice Fortification Technology:1.Hot extrusion passes dough made of rice flour, a fortificant mix, and water through a single or twin screw extruder and cuts it into grain-like structures that resemble rice kernels. This process involves relatively high temperatures (70-110oC) obtained by preconditioning and/or heat transfer through steam heated barrel jackets. It results in fully or partially pre-cooked simulated rice kernels that have similar appearance as regular rice kernels.2.Cold extrusion, a process similar to one used for manufacturing pastas, also produces rice-shaped simulated kernels by passing a dough made of rice four, a fortificant mix, and water through a simple pasta press. This technology needs primarily a low temperature (below 70oC), forming process resulting in grains that are uncooked, opaque, and easier to differentiate from regular rice kernels.3.Coating combines the fortificant mix with ingredients such as waxes and gums. The mixture is sprayed to the rice on the surface of grain kernels in several layers to form the rice-premix and then is blended with polished rice.4.Dusting, observed only in the U.S., involves dusting the polished rice grains with the powder form of the micronutrient premix. The fortificants stick to the grain surface because of electrostatic forces applies the micronutrient-premix directly to rice.

Function: The raw material is extruded into rice shape by the twin-screw extruder, and dried in a rotary dryer to needed moisture content. The extruding technique makes it possible to strengthen and solidify the micronutrient in the rice. This artificial rice can be mixed with natural rice prior to cooking as usual. When cooking is finished, its grains are not broken and there is no difference between the artificial rice and the natural one in viscosity, elasticity and taste.

Machine for artificial rice fortification

Rice fortification machine

Fortified grain

Extraction of nutrient material during milling

Rice bran oil is extracted from the germ and inner husk of rice. It has a mild taste and is popular in Asian cuisine because of its suitability for high-temperature cooking methods such as deep-frying and stir-frying. A study from the University of Rochester in New York showed that isolated vitamin fractions in rice bran oil may be useful for cholesterol control. It possible for artificial fortification with essential nutrients.

Rice Bran Oil Plant

Rice Bran Oil Plant

Production Rice Bran Oil for Human Consumption

Rice straw has long been used for production of mushrooms for value addition because it is easy to get in most regions and rich in lignin and cellulose and bio-efficient. To make a substrate ( production bed), straw is cut into one-two inch-long pieces , soaked in water for 1-2 hours, then rinsed 2 or 3 times in clean water and left for 3 or 4 hours to drain excess water off and sterilized to grow mushrooms using various techniques.

Nutritious mushroom production on rice straw

Oyster Mushrooms on rice straw

Oyster Mushrooms

Recommendations to improving nutritional status in Bangladesh

To achieve goal to ensure adequate nutrition for all in the food policy the government of Bangladesh should prepare an action plan.

Research and extension of bio-fortified rice should be strengthen for extension of cultivation to increase production and consumption.

The international research organizations (CGIAR,IRRI etc.) and donors should come forward to develop bio-fortified or conventional breed rice varieties enrich with essential nutrients.

Artificial fortification of rice should be encouraged involving private sector intervention to establish factories. This regards special incentives to investors should be provided to establish factories and other establishment.

Foreign investor should come forward for joint venture project to harvest the opportunity of quick growing food market in Bangladesh.

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Recommendations to improving nutritional status in Bangladesh (Cont)

Fortified rice should be included in Public Food Distribution System to supply food grains to various food-based safety nets.

Organizations working on food aid programme, or feeding program should include fortified rice in their activities.

To establish new factories for milling of rice the issue to preserve nutritive value and production of byproducts to add nutrition should be considered. The traditional rice husking machine with the iron husker should be discouraged.

More factories should be established to utilizing the rice byproduct to add value to produce bran oil or fortified bran oil for human consumption.

Facilities for extension of mushroom should be provided to use the rice straw as better nutritional purpose for production of nutritious mushroom.

Thank You