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Description
Rice is the staple food in Malaysia, serving as the primary source of carbohydrates. It also contains important micronutrients, including Zn. Though only required in small amounts, Zn deficiency pose a significant health issues among a billion people. This study evaluates rice varieties according to its macro- and micronutrients attributes, especially for zinc content. Rice varieties TR7, TR8, TR10, TQR-2, IR42, IR54, IR72, Bagu Batang, Lumayan, and Ohundus were collected from the Agriculture Research Center Tuaran, Sabah. The analysis of Zn, Fe, Mg, Ca, Cu, Na, Mn, Mo, B, and Ni were conducted using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES) and expressed as mg/kg. Rice varieties showed a significant difference (p<0.05) in regards of all the nutrient contents except for Ni. IR54 had the highest Zn (20.8 mg/kg), B (2.9 mg/kg), Mg (833 mg/kg), Mn (22.7 mg/kg), Mo (2.3 mg/kg) and Na (40.4 mg/kg) content. TR8 also offers a significant range of Zn with 20.5 mg/kg and had the highest Fe (8.8 mg/kg) content. Bagu Batang had the highest Cu of 1.9 mg/kg. While Ohundus had the highest Ca of 319 mg/kg. Future efforts should focus on innovative agricultural practices, such as biofortification and sustainable farming methods to enhance nutrient content in rice.
