New Rice Variety

[Anchor Lead]

Korean scientists have developed a new rice variety rich in amino acids, claiming that it is effective in reducing weight and preventing various adulthood diseases. Let’s find out more.

[Pkg]

This man, who joined a clinical test after being diagnosed with excessive weight and high blood pressure, consumed a powdered drink made with functional rice for breakfast for three months.

[Soundbite] Kim Hyeon-seong(Hwaseong Resident/44 years old) : "I lost 5 kilos since I started this three months ago. It tasteslike grain powder without sugar. It doesn't taste that good."

The main ingredient of this powder is Nunkenheugchal rice, a black rice variety cultivated to have an embryo bud three times larger than that of ordinary rice.

[Soundbite] Han Sang-ik(Researcher, Rural Development Administration) : "It contains anthocyan, tocopherol, and lutein. It alsohas more than twice the amino acids than ordinary rice."

In animal testing the mice that were fed Nunkeunheugchal rice showed a 9.4% decrease in body fat and a 7.2% reduction in abdominal obesity as well as improved fatty liver condition. In particular, the new rice contains 8 times more GABA amino acid than ordinary rice. Clinical tests have proven that GABA is effective in controlling blood pressure. The researchers plan to increase the cultivation area of the Nunkeunheugchal variety by signing farming contracts with food companies. They also expect the new rice variety to ease the over-supply of ordinary rice.