Microorganisms and micronutrients in Panta

The study was conducted on 13 members of a Bengali family living in Middlesbrough, UK. White basmati rice was used in it. The rice was soaked in water overnight and left for about 12 hours at two different temperatures - 20 and 30 degrees Celsius. The amount of bacteria and micronutrients in these two types of rice were measured. The participants were given food and their blood sugar levels were measured after eating.

The way Panta is made is called fermentation. Microorganisms are usually born in food during the fermentation process. In this new study, probiotic-rich bacteria have been found in Panta, which can increase our immunity.

Professor Mosharraf Hossain Sarkar said, "We have done a comparative test of normal rice and Panta rice and found that a large number of beneficial microorganisms are found in Panta. We found that 10 times or more beneficial microorganisms were produced in Panta than in regular rice.’

The second major aspect of this study is the discovery of multiple micronutrients in Panta. These include iron, zinc, copper, calcium, manganese, magnesium, boron and potassium, which were much higher than in regular rice.

Whereas every two and a half grams of regular rice contains 0.5 micrograms of iron, the same amount is found in Panta with about 1 microgram. While the level of calcium is found in regular rice at 0.10 micrograms, it was found to be more than 0.40 micrograms in Panta.

Professor Mihir Lal Saha of the Department of Botany, Dhaka University, said, ‘The fiber present in rice is not released in regular cooked rice. But when the fermentation process occurs due to keeping it in water, these fibers are quickly released by microorganisms and as a result, a large accumulation of micronutrient particles can occur. The new study has given us such new information. This is very significant. 

New properties of panta discovered, can reduce blood sugar levels

 

‘Pantabhaater Jal, Tin Purushon Bal’—This is one of the popular rhymes about the properties of Panta. The ancient agricultural civilization of Bangladesh, the economic wisdom of the people and the social customs are associated with Panta.

Panta has found a new place in the culture of the urban middle class around the celebration of the Bengali New Year, Baishakh. This time too, there are ‘Panta Khawar’ programs at many events on the first day of Baishakh, which for many is just a part of celebrating the joy of a day; although Panta is the daily food of a large part of the common working people. New properties of this food of the poor have been discovered. And a group of researchers from the UK have discovered it.

Various beneficial elements for the body have been found in this new study on Panta. It has been found that Pantabha contains many beneficial microorganisms. Again, some new micronutrients have also been found here. The most important point of the study is that eating Panta increases blood sugar levels at a lower rate than normal.The results of this new study on pantabhata were published in the UK-based scientific journal Food and Humanity in December last year. The research team was led by Professor Mosharraf Hossain Sarkar of the School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences at Liverpool John Moores University in the UK. Eight teachers and students from several universities in the UK were involved in the study.

Professor Mosharraf Hossain Sarkar told Prothom Alo that the purpose of this study was to find out how useful this food is in the fight against malnutrition. The study examined the microbial components, nutritional components and its usefulness as a low-sugar food. To find these multiple nutritional components, the genetic secrets of the microorganisms present in pantabhata were revealed (genome sequencing).

Pantabhata can be easily prepared. Several studies have been conducted on the nutritional value of this low-cost food before.

Professor Khaleda Islam of the Faculty of Nutrition and Food Science at Dhaka University told Prothom Alo, "This study is innovative. If this is done on a wider scale, the world will be able to know about the qualities of Bengali Panta. In that case, not only Bengalis, but also people of other ethnic groups should be included in the research.