Nutritional value and glycemic index of Bario rice varieties

D. Nicholas, K.K. Hazila, H.P. Chua and A. Rosniyana

Abstract

Many indigenous crops of Malaysia have great potential to become important in the future, which are essential for attainment of both food security and health. Among the potential crops are the Bario rice varieties which are famous for their soft texture, pleasant aroma and exquisite taste. There are four Bario rice varieties, namely Adan Halus, Bario Tuan, Bario Merah and Bario Celum. Analysis of nutritional values shows that these rice varieties can be labelled as main sources of protein (5.85 – 7.30 g/100 g), high in thiamine (0.46 – 0.63 g/100 g) and low in fat (0.5 – 1.05 g/100 g). These attributes showed that all Bario rice varieties have great potential to be promoted as ingredient for health foods. Analysis of glycemic index (GI) by human subject’s glucose tolerance test method on the rice varieties shows that Bario Celum and Bario Tuan are classified as moderate GI rice with index of 60.9 and 62.2 respectively. Foods with low and moderate GI are reported to be good for controlling human blood glucose.

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