IRRI and UPLB community members learn about low-GI rice in RBI Field Tour

IRRI Headquarters, Los Baños (May 2, 2025)—This week’s RBI Field Tour highlighted IRRI's efforts in grain quality and nutrition, focusing specifically on low, ultra-low glycemic index (GI), and ultra-low GI high-protein rice varieties. Dr. Nese Sreenivasulu, Principal Scientist of Grain Quality and Nutrition, and his team developed a program that offered participants -- staff from IRRI and the University of the Philippines Los Banos -- a comprehensive “gene-to-globe” experience, showcasing the development of these essential rice varieties. The journey began in the laboratory, moved to the fields where the rice is cultivated, and concluded with a rice-tasting session. 

In the laboratory, participants received an overview of the development process for low-GI and high-protein rice varieties, including a demonstration of the machinery used to measure rice's GI. Following the lab tour, participants visited the “healthy garden,” which features rice plots dedicated to cultivating low-GI and high-protein rice. Here, they learned to identify the physical characteristics of desirable rice varieties that appeal to consumers. The team showcased variants with diverse grain sizes and shapes, maturity profiles, and agronomic traits—all within high-yielding backgrounds.

After the field tour, participants engaged in a sensory session where they tasted low-GI and high-protein rice compared to high-GI rice. This exercise demonstrated how high-GI rice, their usual choice, can spike blood sugar levels and keep them elevated when consumed consistently. The team also gathered valuable insights on consumer preferences, which can help further improve low-GI varieties to better suit consumer tastes and increase their market share. Part of the set-up was a tablescape that presented a wide range of products made from low-GI and anticancer rice lines developed under the CdGQN initiative. 

The session ended with everyone enjoying rice cakes made from low-GI rice and cookies made with rice high in antioxidants, which may have cancer-fighting properties—a promising area of scientific research for rice enthusiasts. Dr. Sreenivasulu emphasized the importance of producing healthy rice products as a strategy to combat serious diseases such as diabetes and cancer effectively. “What we need is a healthy plate, and for that, we need a healthy garden that grows crops that our diets need - including rice,” he stated in his remarks.

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