Action plan strategies for a new approach to the combination of yeast and ultrasonic waves for the reduction of heavy metal residues in rice

This study was conducted to combine two physical (ultrasonic) and biological (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) methods to reduce heavy metals such as Arsenic (As), Cadmium (Cd), and Lead (Pb) in rice, which is the most widely consumed grain. The concentrations of As, Cd, and Pb were found to be significantly affected after different treatments, were on uncooked rice samples (R1-R9): As R₉ (2.05 ± 0.01) Cd R₁, R₃, R₅, R₈ (1.20 ± 0.01), Pb R₆ (3.04 ± 0.173) (µgkg^{- 1}) and in cooked rice samples were (C1-C10): As C₁₀ (0.35 ± 0.27) Cd C₉, C₁₀ (1.00 ± 0.02), Pb C₁ (3.52 ± 0.17) (µgkg^{- 1}). The results showed that using ultrasound treatment combined with yeast (C₁₀) had the greatest effect on reducing As among all treatments. In addition, C₉, and C₁₀ treatments were effective in reducing Cd concentration in cooked rice samples, and R₆ treatment was effective in reducing Pb concentration in uncooked samples. The rice's thermal qualities and specific textural traits were also affected by some or all of these treatments. The samples with modified particle sizes had the greatest sensory evaluation scores (C₉). Moreover, sensory evaluation results showed that a specific treatment combining yeast and ultrasound (C₃) maintained good sensory qualities and did not negatively affect the sensory qualities without sacrificing texture. Overall, this approach provides a promising method for the reduction of heavy metals in rice. A combination of biological and physical treatments can be used to reduce the heavy metals content (As, Cd, Pb) in rice. Stakeholders can use the aforementioned actions to optimize heavy metal content in the food chain, which requires the support of policymakers to promote public health.