Nutritional Composition of Underutilized Local Food Resources for Rice Substitution and Gluten-Free Product

Rice continues to be the staple food for most Indonesians. Because Indonesians have such ingrained consumption patterns, switching to other food sources besides rice can be difficult, contributing to the country’s high rice consumption. Indonesia has plenty of local food resources that can be used as a carbohydrate source and staple food. However, a lack of understanding about the foods' potential use and nutritional content has caused many of them to grow wildly in nature, neglected, and underutilized. Most recently, there has been an increase in studies examining the potential of underutilized carbohydrate sources, including their nutritionally rich compounds, following the 2018 agriculture policy in promoting agriculture and food diversification. Taro beneng (Xanthosoma undipes K. Koch), sago (from the genus Metroxylon), sweet potato (Ipomea batatas L.), and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) are the local sources of carbohydrates and have the potential to be utilized as a healthy alternative to white rice, gluten-free product, or as an ingredient of supplementary or complementary foods. To find out if underutilized foods in Indonesia have the potential to substitute rice and gluten-free products and also to assist with food diversification initiatives, a comparison of their nutritional compositions was conducted using a literature review. Taro beneng, sago, sweet potatoes, and sorghum can be used as healthy alternatives for substituting rice and gluten-free products. This underutilized food offers diverse nutrients and many possibilities for product diversification, such as analog rice, symbiotic yogurt, gluten-free biscuits, and noodles.