Impact of Feedstock,Parboiling Condition,and Nutrient Concentration on Simultaneous Fortification of Two U.S. Long‐Grain Rice Cultivars with Iron and Zinc

This work investigated the effect of parboiling on simultaneous fortification of rice with iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) using rough rice and brown rice as feedstocks. Three fortificant concentrations (0, 100, and 200 mg/L for both Fe and Zn) were tested, and two long‐grain rice cultivars (CLXL745 and RoyJ) were used as test samples. Cultivar had little impact on the retention of Fe and Zn; steaming combined with soaking significantly increased the migration of Fe and Zn into the endosperm compared with soaking only. The Fe and Zn contents of the resultant parboiled head rice were related to the initial concentrations in the soaking water and were 7.2–17.6 and 21.8–31.9 mg/kg, respectively, when rough rice was used as a feedstock, and they significantly increased to 32.4–84.9 mg/kg for Fe and 45.8–78.4 mg/kg for Zn when brown rice was used as a feedstock. Mineral retention after simulated washing was 87.5–95.1% for Fe and 81.1–84.3% for Zn. Dilute‐HCl extractability as an indicator of mineral bioavailability was 66.2–72.4% for Fe and 83.4–92.0% for Zn. The results indicate that brown rice is a better feedstock than rough rice for mineral fortification via parboiling.