School of Environmental Studies, Jadavpur University, Kolkata 700032, India.
Centre of Advanced Study, Department of Botany, University of Calcutta, Kolkata 700019, India.
Food Res Int. 2022 Apr;154:111042. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111042. Epub 2022 Feb 19.
Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is considered as the staple food for 50% of the world's population. Humans are exposed to arsenic (As) through rice consumption, which is a global health issue that requires attention. The present review reflects the scenario of rice grown in As endemic regions of Asia that has a significant portion of inorganic As (iAs) compared to other rice grown areas around the world. Post-harvesting, pre-cooking, and cooking procedures in South and South-East Asian countries employ As-contaminated groundwater. Polishing of brown rice and parboiling, washing and cooking with As-safe water can reduce As concentration and nutrient level in cooked rice. However, in rural parts of South-east Asia, rice is usually cooked using As-contaminated groundwater and consumption of this As enriched rice and water may cause a significant health exposure in humans. Bioaccessibility and bioavailability of As can be determined using in-vitro and in-vivo techniques that can be utilized as a tool to assess As exposure in humans. Arsenic in cooked rice may be reduced by using newly developed cooking procedures such as Kateh cooking, steam percolating, and the parboiled and absorbed (PBA) method. For individuals living in rural regions, using rainwater or treated surface water for drinking and cooking is also an alternative. Although this study examined the processes involved in the post-harvesting, pre-cooking, and cooking stages, there are still significant research gaps in this area that must be addressed in near future.
水稻（Oryza sativa L.）被认为是全球 50%人口的主食。人类通过食用大米接触到砷（As），这是一个需要关注的全球健康问题。本综述反映了亚洲砷流行地区种植的水稻情况，与世界其他地区种植的水稻相比，这些地区的水稻含有大量无机砷（iAs）。在南亚和东南亚国家，收获后、烹饪前和烹饪过程中使用的是受砷污染的地下水。糙米抛光、半熟加工、用安全的水淘米和煮饭可以降低米饭中砷的浓度和营养水平。然而，在东南亚农村地区，米饭通常用受砷污染的地下水煮，食用这种富含砷的米饭和水可能会对人类健康造成严重影响。可以使用体外和体内技术来确定砷的生物可及性和生物利用度，这些技术可以作为评估人类砷暴露的工具。通过使用新开发的烹饪方法，如凯特烹饪法、蒸汽渗透法和半熟吸收法，可以降低米饭中的砷含量。对于生活在农村地区的人来说，使用雨水或处理后的地表水来饮用和烹饪也是一种选择。尽管本研究考察了收获后、烹饪前和烹饪阶段涉及的过程，但在这一领域仍存在重大的研究空白，需要在不久的将来加以解决。
