Anthocyanin Content in Some Black Rice Cultivars

Abstract Rice is one source of staple foods that have high health benefits, especially black rice, because of the presence of anthocyanin, carbohydrates, fats, proteins, fibre, and minerals. At present, people are starting to pay attention to nutritious foods with the contents and benefits that support health for their diet pattern. This greatly provides a great opportunity for the development of black rice as one of the cultivars which has high anthocyanin content. Anthocyanin is one of the phenolic compounds that enter flavonoid compounds and function as an antioxidant that has a role for the plant itself and for humans as black rice consumers. Anthocyanin in black rice is the black pigment found in pericaps and tegmen (skin layers) of rice. Some are also found in all layers of rice. This research aimed to determine the anthocyanin content in some black rice cultivars. The analysis used to determine the anthocyanin content is the pH difference method. The results of the experiment showed that from 10 cultivars tested, the highest anthocyanin content was found in Toraja black rice cultivars of 21.12 mb/g, followed by Banjarnegara of 19.3 mg/g and melik black rice of 19.06 mg/g. The results of this research are essential for a breeder for the initial selection of the development of superior black rice varieties to choose the rice plant parent with high anthocyanin content..