Arsenic, only in its inorganic form, is a carcinogen and the consumption of food is the primary source of arsenic exposure for the general public. Rice is known to accumulate high concentrations of arsenic (As) and its consumption can be a vector of exposure to inorganic arsenic.

Although there are regulations and thresholds to be complied (see (EU) 1881/2005), it may be worthwhile to adopt additional measures in order to reduce the residual content.

A method for cooking rice which is able to remove nearly 70% of the inorganic arsenic load in white rice and nearly 54% in brown rice has been developed. This method combines parboiling and absorption: boiling the rice at first for 5 minutes in a first volume of water, then cooking by absorption in a second volume of water.

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