Arroz que não necessita de ser cozinhado

E parece que não se trata de um OGM.

Experts develop non-cooking rice

It sounds too good to be true. But, if Indian scientists are correct, hundreds of millions of people across the subcontinent could benefit from a specially-developed strain of rice that "cooks" simply by being soaked in water.

Experts at the Central Rice Research Institute in Orissa who have developed the grain were inspired by so-called soft rice, or komal saul, that grows in the Indian state of Assam.

Until now, these low-yielding grains have not grown outside the north-east, but the scientists at the institute have managed to develop a hybrid of a traditional soft rice with a high-yielding variety of regular rice. The result has been called Aghunibora.

The institute's director, Dr TP Adhya, says field trials of the new hybrid are already positive, suggesting that it could be grown in different climates across India.

The aim, he says, is to produce a grain that will allow people to prepare the rice "simply by putting it in water".

In a country where malnutrition remains rampant, the grains could prove a crucial weapon against hunger.

in The Mercury