Evaluation of Proximate and Heavy Metals Composition of Four Locally Available Rice Cultivars in Bauchi Town, North-Eastern Region of Nigeria

Food security is essential for survival, and it is ensured not only by how much crop is cultivated but also by how nutritionally qualitative the crop is. Therefore, the aim of this research was to evaluate four cultivars of rice (Faro, Fadama II, Jamila and Jipdan) locally available in Bauchi town, Northeastern Nigeria for their heavy metals and nutrients content. The evaluation was done using standard methods. The results revealed that all the four cultivars contain Ni, Cd, Hg and Pb within safety limits. They also contain Cu and Fe within beneficial range for human consumption. All the four cultivars have high carbohydrate content of not less than 70 %. Faro has the highest protein (7.125 %), Fadama II has the highest fiber (4.210 %), Jamila has the highest lipid (1.550 %) and Jipdan has the highest ash (10.650 %) content. These results suggest that in addition to the carbohydrate they all contain, Faro should be the preferred cultivar in respect to protein, and Jipdan should be the preferred cultivar in re