The nutritional bioavailability of zinc from coo
ked milled, undermilled, and brown Philippine rice (varietyPSB Rc14) was evaluated in rats, comparing results based on weight gain, tibia zinc incorporation(slope ratio analyses), and zinc radiotracer retention. Milling reduced the phytic acid and mineralcontent of the rice, resulting in zinc concentrations of 16.5, 19.4, and 27.2
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g/g and phytate/zincmolar ratios of 4, 20, and 28 for milled, undermilled, and brown rice, respectively. Measured zincbioavailability was similar whether using growth, bone zinc, or radioisotope retention as criteria, atapproximately 92, 86, and 77% of zinc sulfate, for milled, undermilled, and brown rice, respectively.However, the higher percent bioavailability of the zinc after milling was insufficient to compensate forthe lower zinc content. With respect to zinc, the nutritional value was inversely related to milling,providing approximately 15, 17, and 21
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g bioavailable zinc/g rice, respectively, for milled, undermilledand brown rice of this variety.Keywords: Zinc bioavailability; absorption; retention; slope ratio; zinc-65; radioisotope tracer; brownrice; white rice; milling; phytic acid; weight gain; growth; tibia zinc