The nutritional use of millet grain for food and feed: a review

Abstract

Worldwide, millets are regarded as a significant grain, however, they are the least exploited. Millet grain is abundant in nutrients and health-beneficial phenolic compounds, making it suitable as food and feed. The diverse content of nutrients and phenolic compounds present in finger and pearl millet are good indicators that the variety of millet available is important when selecting it for use as food or feed. The phenolic properties found in millets compromise phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins, which are beneficial to human health. Moreover, finger millet has an exceptionally unique, more abundant, and diverse phenolic profile compared to pearl millet. Research has shown that millet phenolic properties have high antioxidant activity. The presence of phytochemicals in millet grains has positive effect on human health by lowering the cholesterol and phytates in the body. The frantic demands on maize and its uses in multiple industries have merited the search for alternative grains, to ease the pressure. Substitution of maize with pearl and finger millets in the diets of different animals resulted in positive impact on the performance. Including these grains in the diet may improve health and decrease the risks of diseases. Pearl millet of 50% or more can be used in broiler diets without adversely affecting broiler performance or egg production. Of late, millet grain has been incorporated in other foods and used to make traditional beverages. Thus, the core aim of this review is to provide insight and comprehension about the nutritional and phenolic status of millets and their impact on human and livestock.

Nutritional Significance and Antioxidant-Mediated Antiaging Effects of Finger Millet: Molecular Insights and Prospects

“…Millet includes the grains from the diverse group of forage grasses of the family Poaceae. They are considered "coarse cereals" similar to sorghum mostly due to their grain texture, which makes their processing as well as cooking inconvenient when compared with rice and wheat (Rao et al, 2017;Hassan et al, 2021). They are mainly grown in Asia and Africa and are in cultivation in East Asia for the last 10,000 years (Bhat et al, 2018).…”

“…The nutritional content of food is an important aspect for the overall health and well-being of humans especially for better health and development to maximize the human genetic potential. Millets as food are a rich source of micronutrients and phytochemicals (Hassan et al, 2021). In comparison with main cereals like wheat, rice, sorghum, and maize, millets possess a high nutritional value (Parameswaran and Sadasivam, 1994).…”

Improving Food and Nutrition Security in Kenya’s Arid Lands-A Mini Review

“…However, the commonly grown crops can withstand dry spells for extended periods of time. Millet and sorghum contain higher protein content than maize [18] and yet the production of these high value, traditional crops for food has stagnated in the arid counties, similar to other parts of the country [19]. Millet and sorghum also require less water than maize to grow and are suited to dry climates.…”

Production Trend, Constraints, and Strategies for Millet Cultivation in Nepal: A Study from Review Perspective

“…The crop contains an incredibly nutrient-rich composition. Enriched with the goodness of nature, millet is a rich source of nutrients such as fiber, minerals like magnesium, phosphorous, iron, calcium, zinc, potassium, phenolic compounds, and phytochemicals that aids in the health-promoting property of millet (Hassan, Sebola and Mabelebele, 2021). Millet is not only used by humans for food but also used as fodder for animals.…”