A healthier version of rice could soon be coming to the market, containing more protein and having less of an impact on blood sugar levels, according to a recent study.
An international team of researchers has discovered how to genetically modify rice so it has a higher protein content and lower glycemic index (GI).
Foods with a higher GI have a more dramatic effect on blood sugar when they enter the body and are associated with conditions linked with poor blood sugar control, such as insulin resistance, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Examples of high-GI foods include cakes, cookies, white bread, donuts—anything high in sugar or carbs, and low in protein and fiber. Rice is a high-GI food because it has a high starchy carbohydrate content and a low fiber and protein content, especially when consumed in the polished or refined form, as white rice rather than as whole grains.
But scientists at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) have discovered a way to boost the protein content, and lower the GI, of rice.
The team used artificial intelligence to identify the genes responsible for protein content and GI, and found that breeding two particular types of rice led to a variety with a GI below 45 percent—which they categorized as "ultra-low"—and a protein content of almost 16 percent, up to five times the protein content of conventional white rice.
"Collectively, these findings underscore the stacked potential and benefits of low GI and high protein rice to offer a substantial source of protein and essential amino acids such as lysine for consumers, particularly in regions where rice is a dietary staple," Nese Sreenivasulu, a scientist at the IRRI, said in a statement.
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins. There are nine essential amino acids, classed as such because the body cannot produce these by itself, so we need to consume them in our diets.
Lysine is an essential amino acid and was targeted by scientists in this study to increase the protein content of rice.
In a paper, the scientists wrote that their research could help address the growing incidence of diabetes, and the need for adequate protein intake, for hundreds of millions of people across the world.
Globally, approximately 537 million adults have diabetes, they wrote, and 90 to 95 percent of those people have type 2 diabetes, linked to dietary and lifestyle habits, such as eating high-GI foods.
Asia has 60 percent of the global diabetic population and is the continent where 90 percent of white rice is produced and consumed, according to the paper.
"Considering that rice is a staple food for a substantial portion of the global population, it is crucial to deploy high-yielding rice cultivars with milled rice samples possessing high-quality protein and ultra-low glycemic index to address the triple burden of nutritional challenges among low- and middle-income communities," Gurdev S. Khush, an author of the paper, said in a statement.
In another statement, IRRI Director General Yvonne Pinto said: "With its remarkably low GI and protein content surpassing traditional rice varieties, these high-yielding nutritious rice varieties will pave the way to addressing critical food and nutritional security targets."
The research team now hopes that the genes they have identified will be incorporated into future rice breeding programs to enhance popular varieties grown across Asia and Africa.
This study was conducted by the IRRI in Los Baños, Philippines, in collaboration with the University of California, Davis, the United States of America, the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology in Germany, and the Center of Plant Systems Biology in Bulgaria.
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Reference
Badoni, S., Pasion-Uy, E. A., Kor, S., Kim, S.-R., Tiozon, R. N., Misra, G., Buenafe, R. J. Q., Labarga, L. M., Ramos-Castrosanto, A. R., Pratap, V., Slamet-Loedin, I., Steimker, J. von, Alseekh, S., Fernie, A. R., Kohli, A., Khush, G. S., & Sreenivasulu, N. (2024). Multiomics of a rice population identifies genes and genomic regions that bestow low glycemic index and high protein content. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 121(36). https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2410598121
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