Effect of traditional cooking on proximate, mineral and phytic acid content in three rice varieties of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

The proximate, minerals and phytic acid content of three rice varieties viz. YRL, Kashmir Basmati (K-B) and Swat-II (S-II) were studied in raw, soaked and boiled form in order to assess their role in human nutrition. It was observed that YRL, K-B and S-II in raw forms contained moisture content as 11.22, 12.4 and 12.4%, ash content; 1.73, 1.90 and 1.90% crude fat; 1.87, 1.53 and 1.53%, crude fiber; 0.89%, 0.90 and 0.90%, crude protein; 9.05, 7.92 and 7.92% and nitrogen free extract (NFE) 74.86, 75.35 and 66.35%, respectively. In soaked forms YRL, K-B and S-II varieties contained moisture content; 23.69, 27.2 and 31.47%, ash content, 1.73, 1.90 and 1.53%, crude fat; 1.90, 1.63 and 1.70% crude fiber; 0.85, 0.94 and 0.78%, crude protein; 8.91, 7.67 and 7.40% and NFE; 62.52, 60.52 and 56.75% respectively. In boiled forms of YRL, K-B and S-II the moisture contents were found to be 47.3, 40.56 and 60.34%, ash content; 1.43, 1.43 and 1.37%, crude fat; 1.70, 1.53 and 1.50%, crude fiber; 0.78, 0.72 and 0.88%, crude protein; 8.58, 8.11 and 7.01% and NFE; 38.68, 47.76 and 28.87% respectively. Average Chromium, Iron and Zinc, Manganese, Copper, Sodium, Potassium, Nickel and Phosphorous contents of YRL, K-B and S-Il were found to be 26.67, 27.83 and 28.17mg/kg, 134.17, 141.72 and 139.67mg/kg, 25.56, 25.61 and 24.39mg/kg, 21.78, 23.00 and 25.67mg/kg, 16.06, 6.39 and 29.00mg/kg, 121.67, 241.67 and 247.78mg/kg, 789.44, 772.22 and 932.22mg/kg, 18.11, 13.44 and 13.44mg/kg, 732.89, 788.11 and 782.00mg/kg, 157.22, 156.11 and 221.11mg/kg respectively. Cooking methods significantly affected all the minerals except chromium which remained the same in both the raw and cooked forms. Phytic acid content of YRL ranged form 0.32 (boiled) to 1.16% (raw). Whereas that of K-B and S-II ranged from 0.51 (boiled) to 1.01% (raw) and 0.65 (boiled) to 1.05% (raw), respectively. It was concluded that cooking improved the nutritional quality of rice varieties.