Micronutrient deficiencies, particularly iron and zinc, are a major public health concern and remain among the most pressing challenges to food and nutrition security, especially in developing countries (Bouis & Saltzman, 2017; FAO, 2020). Sustainable, food-based strategies, such as biofortification, are increasingly recognized as effective approaches to combat hidden hunger. The extensive genetic diversity in plant genetic resources provides a valuable opportunity to identify micronutrient-rich genotypes for direct use or for incorporation into breeding programs aimed at improving the nutritional quality of staple crops.

In rice (Oryza sativa), iron concentration in unpolished grains typically ranges from 6.9 to 22.3 mg/kg (Maganti et al., 2020). Using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, we analyzed the nutritional composition of 926 accessions from the minicore collections of Oryza glaberrima and Oryza sativa.

The revised assessment identified 121 iron-rich accessions (68 O. glaberrima and 52 O. sativa) with unpolished grain iron concentrations ranging from 23 to 89 mg/kg. This updated collection differs from the previous version by the addition of 21 accessions, including 7 O. glaberrima and 14 O. sativa. These high-iron genotypes represent promising candidates for developing biofortified rice varieties adapted to African agro-ecologies.