Professor Andrew Meharg, of the Instituite of Global Food Security based in Queen’s University Belfast, highlights his research into the high levels of inorganic arsenic in rice sold commercially
Researching how nutrients and other chemicals transfer from environmental media into agronomic, human and wildlife food chains is an intergral part of the work that the Institute of Global Food Security undertakes. The Institute is based at Queen’s University Belfast within the School of Biological Sciences. It houses a suite of state-of-the-art laboratories, where researchers from around the world conduct cutting-edge research into various topics ranging from nutrition through to food security.
As Prof. Andrew Meharg explains: “We operate on an international scale and collaborate with people across the world. We think about food from the soil all the way to human health and everything in between.”
Most of Andrew’s research is focused on rice and the levels of inorganic arsenic in rice. Arsenic contamination of rice is due to absorption via soil and water. Arsenic is naturally present in the environment or can result from human activities such as heavy industry. EU Commission Regulation 1006 of 2015 establishes maximum levels of inorganic arsenic in rice-based foodstuffs. These levels range from 0.2 to 0.3 mg/kg; however for ‘rice destined for the production of food for infants and young children’, the maximum level is 0.1 mg/kg. “We discovered that rice can be highly elevated in inorganic arsenic, so much of my work involves looking at why the levels can be so elevated, how much of that rice is getting into our food chain, and the consequences of ingesting such high levels of inorganic arsenic.”
Andrew points out that this EU legislation presents very real challenges for the industry. “However, a lot can be done to remove inorganic arsenic from rice. One solution is to source rice from parts of the world that have naturally lower levels of arsenic; and there are certain ways of cooking rice which can help to remove any arsenic present.” Andrew is involved in ongoing work on a global level in this area and points to a couple of projects which are currently in train. “We are currently in the early stages of a large project funded by the Natural Environment Research Council in the UK, which is focused on China and investigating how to improve urban farming and address issues of sustainability. I have just returned from China to visit field sites.” Andrew also travelled to Bangladesh recently as part of a project with the Bangladesh Agricultural University and in collaboration with the Nestle Foundation. “We were looking at commercial large scale par boiling rice plants and small scale rice plants, including a local par-boiling plant which we have made specific alterations to in an effort to reduce the levels of inorganic arsenic in the rice. It is all investigative work, and we will be educated by our findings.”
For more information visit
www.food.gov.uk/science/arsenic-in-rice
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