Development and Post Production Characterization of Valueadded Minor Millet Products

Abstract

Millets are comparable and even superior in some of the nutritional characteristics to major cereals, with respect to their energy value, protein, fat and minerals content. Millets are mostly used as whole flour for traditional food preparation and hence are confined to traditional consumers and to people of lower economic strata. Its utilization is limited due to the presence of various anti-nutrients. Studies on commercially available millet-based value-added products is lacking. In the present study, value-added processed products were developed using the realized varieties of three different millets. For pearl millet KHD 108, DHBM 93-3 for barnyard and KK 2 for kodo millet were selected. The millets were germinated and changes in nutritional composition, mineral content and antinutritional factors were recorded and compared with native millets. The processed millets were used for the development of four different value-added processed products which included as composite flour for chapatti, instant dosa mix, instant dhokla mix and vermicelli. Different percentages of the individual millets were used to develop the products and using sensory evaluation best samples were selected. The selected samples were evaluated for their nutrient content. Also, shelf life studies of the developed products were done in two different packaging materials i.e., LDPE and HDPE. The shelf-life of samples was estimated using physic-chemical (Moistue, Fat, FFA and PV) and microbiological evaluations (TPC and Yeast and mold count) for the period of 90 days. newlineFindings from the study suggested that after germination there was increase in the mineral and nutrient content of the millets while reduction was observed in the antinutritional factors. Kodo millet composite for chapatti, pearl millet instant dosa mix and barnyard millet instant dhokla mix were found to be the most acceptable products. HDPE packaging material was found to be the more suitable that LDPE. newline newline