Micronutrient deficiency is increasingly recognized as a major challenge for food and nutrition security, particularly in developing countries. There is a growing global consensus on the need for food-based approaches to improve micronutrient intake. The extensive genetic diversity conserved in plant genetic resources offers important opportunities to identify micronutrient-rich genotypes that can be used directly for consumption or incorporated into breeding programs. Zinc concentration in unpolished brown rice typically ranges from 14.5 to 35.3 mg/kg (Maganti et al., 2020).

In this study, the authors assessed the nutritional composition of 926 accessions from the Oryza glaberrima and Oryza sativa minicore collections using X-ray fluorescence (XRF). They identified 143 zinc-rich accessions, including 73 from O. glaberrima and 70 from O. sativa. Zinc concentration in unpolished grains ranged from 30 to 39.5 mg/kg, with five O. glaberrima accessions showing particularly elevated levels (35–39.5 mg/kg). Compared to the previous collection, this updated dataset includes 68 additional accessions, increasing the overall representation of genetic diversity.