You Can Now Eat Rice Without Worry

A figure representing the relative ability of a carbohydrate food to increase the level of glucose in the blood.

Add 2.5 cups of water to every 1 cup of Primera Rice into the rice cooker.
If harder texture is preferred, use less water (e.g., 2 cups)
If soft texture is preferred, use more water (e.g., 3 cups)

White rice is milled rice that has had its husk, bran, and germ removed. This alters the flavour, texture and appearance of the rice and helps prevent spoilage, extend its storage life, and makes it easier to digest. After milling, the rice is polished, resulting in a seed with a bright, white, shiny appearance.

Brown rice are rice grains with only the outer inedible husk removed, keeping the bran layer and cereal germ intact. These two layers are rich in fibre and nutrients and give the rice its brownish colour and chewy texture. Brown rice is a good source of iron and zinc. Similar to white rice, brown rice comes in different grain size and lengths including short, medium and long, depending on preference.

Red rice has a unique reddish-brown colour due a compound called anthocyanin, which functions as antioxidants. Anthocyanins are also found in certain red-purple fruits and vegetables like blueberries. The antioxidant activity in red rice is found to be almost 10 times more than brown rice. Red rice grains also contain the outer bran and cereal germ; hence it has higher amount of nutrients compared to white rice. For example, red rice is also a source of selenium, which protects the body against infections. Commercial availability of red rice has improved over the years, and it is now relatively easy to find in many stores.

The rice is red due to the presence of a red pigment in the bran of the rice grain. The red pigment is anthocyanin, an antioxidant which has the ability to decrease inflammation of blood vessels thereby reducing the chances of atherosclerosis. It lowers the risks for cardiovascular diseases when you consume it.

It is not a GMO. Primera rice was produced through backcross breeding between Oryza rufipogon IRGC105491 (wild paddy) and Oryza sativa cv.MR219. Backcross breeding is an effective breeding method used to develop new and better varieties. It involves transfer of genes controlling a specific trait from a donor plant into an elite cultivar. The parent with the desired trait (donor parent) provides the desired trait and may not perform as well as an elite cultivar (recurrent parent). The F1 generation and the progenies in the subsequent generations are repeatedly backcrossed to the elite parent used in the cross. This cycle of crossing backcross progenies to the recurrent parent continues until a new line that is identical to the recurrent parent, but with the desired gene or trait from the donor parent is created. The backcrossing process can be accelerated using marker-assisted backcrossing for foreground and background selection.

No, the starch content is 77.4g/100 g which is similar to most rice varieties. However, It is less starchy than the whiter varieties of rice and has a low glycaemic index. Thus, red rice is an excellent choice for diabetics and weight control.

Antioxidants are defined as organic molecules that promote health by protecting the body’s cells from damage caused by free radicals and reactive oxygen species that may exert harmful metabolic effects. The natural chemical compounds with antioxidant activity contained in rice include phenolic acids, flavonoids, anthocyanins, proanthocyanins, tocopherols and phytic acid. It is clear that to maximize the intake of antioxidant compounds, rice should be preferentially consumed unpolished or as whole grain like Primera Red Rice.