Primera™ Red Rice - Healthy and Tasty Rice

We Malaysian love to eat rice, we eat rice in the morning, noon and night. In fact, rice is a staple food product that is synonymous with Malaysian culture. To date, the most commonly consumed rice in Malaysia and globally is white rice. According to a report by Khazanah Research Institute (KRI),[1] Malaysians had consumed an average of 80 kg of rice, per person, in 2016. Although carbohydrates are essential for the body as they provide us with energy, excess consumption of white rice, which is the major source of carbohydrates may lead to health issues because of its high glycaemic index (GI) value. White rice's bran and germ which store abundant nutrients are also removed during the milling hence it's not very healthy.

Fret not, rice sceptics can now have a different view of rice as Nomatech Sdn. Bhd., a Malaysia home-grown company has produced a low glycaemic index (GI) superior red rice; Primera™ which is also high in fibre and rich in antioxidant.

I was honored to be invited to the intimate launch event of Primera™ Red Rice held at De.Wan 1958 By Chef Wan, The LINC KL not long ago. Attended by multiple award-winning chef and culinary ambassador for Tourism Malaysia, Datuk (DR) Redzuawan Ismail or better known as Chef Wan who demonstrated his culinary prowess with an interesting presentation of 3 sumptuous dishes using Primera™ Rice.

We have tasted the 3 dishes prepared, they were Nasi Berlauk, Bubur Aneka and Nasi Ulam. We were amazed with the delicious and healthy dishes cooked with Primera™ Red Rice.

“It is developed through conventional breeding involving controlled cross-pollination between a Malaysian high yielding rice cultivar, MR219 and a wild rice, Oryza rufipogon,” said Prof Dr. Wickneswari Ratnam, Plant Genetics and Biotechnology expert from Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Prof Dr. Wickneswari Ratnam, Plant Genetics and Biotechnology expert from Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

“The glycaemic index (GI) figure indicates the relative ability of a carbohydrate to increase the level of glucose in the blood. In other words, GI is a ranking given to food to describe how quickly the carbohydrate in the food is broken down and absorbed into the bloodstream. Foods with a low GI value, are slowly digested, causing a slower and stable rise in blood sugar levels which reduces the risk of developing diabetic complications,” added Prof. Wickneswari Ratnam.

The glycaemic index (GI) scale ranges from 0 to 100, with the lower numbers representing a low GI food and the higher number representing a high GI food. [2] Foods have been classified by GI into low (GI ≤ 55), medium (GI 56–69), and high (GI ≥ 70).

At the GI value of 46, Primera™ Rice, also known as UKMRC9 is classified as low GI food.[3] Since Low GI food is slowly digested by the body, eating a healthy portion of it makes you will feel satiated and prevents you from getting hungry fast. Primera™ Rice, which has slightly nutty flavour and is pleasant to taste also supplies anthocyanin, a type of antioxidant that protects body cells against free radicals and lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Puan Sharifah Nur Rahimah Syed Alias, Director and Head of Business Development of Nomatech Sdn. Bhd

“A cup of Primera™ Rice that is plainly boiled in two and a half cups of water produces nutty-flavoured red rice that goes well with side dishes such as rendang, soup, curry, and stir-fried vegetables. The slightly chewy texture of the rice adds complexity to mouthfeel of your meal. The rice is not only enjoyable as plainly boiled rice, but it can also be cooked as nasi lemak, pilaf, fried rice, and salad. Recipes and educational articles on Primera™ Rice are available at www.nomatech.com.my,” said Puan Sharifah Nur Rahimah Syed Alias, Director and Head of Business Development of Nomatech Sdn. Bhd.

PHOTO 1 (L-R) – Puan Sharifah Nur Rahimah Syed Alias - Director & Head of Business Development, Nomatech Sdn. Bhd; Prof. Dr. Wickneswari Ratnam FASc, Plant Genetics and Biotechnology, Department of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia presenting a token of appreciation on behalf of
Primera to Datuk (Dr) Chef Wan

Let's support local, go for Primera™ Rice as it goes well with the usual Malaysian dishes such as rendang, soup, curry and stir-fried vegetables. The rice can be enjoyed as plain boiled rice or cooked as pilaf, fried rice and salad. Not only does it taste good, it also comes with nutrition benefits compared with white rice.

Primera™ Rice is now available at major supermarkets such as Tesco, AEON Big, MyDin, The Store, Village Grocer, Giant, and also in online platforms at Lazada, Shopee and Presto Mall.

To discover more about Primera™ Rice, please visit:
Website : www.nomatech.com.my/red-rice
Facebook : Primera Rice

References
1. Khazanah Research Institute. 2019. The Status of the Paddy and Rice Industry in Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur: Khazanah Research Institute. License: Creative Commons Attribution CC BY 3.0.
2. Vega-López, S., Venn, B. J., & Slavin, J. L. 2018. Relevance of the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load for Body Weight, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease. Nutrients, 10(10):1361. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10101361
3. Chee-Hee Se, Khun-Aik Chuah, Ankitta Mishra, Ratnam Wickneswari and Tilakavati Karupaiah. 2016. Evaluating Crossbred Red Rice Variants for Postprandial Glucometabolic Responses: A Comparison with Commercial Varieties. Nutrients 8:308. doi:10.3390/nu8050308ts.