Overview on Millets
2015
Karuppasamy, P.
Millets are one of the oldest foods known to humans and possibly the first cereal grain to be used for domestic purposes. Millets have been main staples of the people of semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa for centuries where other crops do not grow well. Since ancient times, millet has been widely consumed in Asia and India as well. The Indian flatbread roti is made from ground millet seeds. In spite of all these extraordinary qualities and capacities of millet farming systems, the area under millet production has been shrinking over the last five decades and rapidly after the green revolution period. The tiny “grain” is gluten-free and packed with vitamins and minerals. Millet grain is highly nutritious with good quality protein, rich in minerals, dietary fibre, phytochemicals and vitamins. The nutritional composition of the millets is compared with that of rice and wheat. The protein content of foxtail millet, proso millet and pearl millet are comparatively higher than the protein content in wheat. The fibre content of kodo, little, foxtail and barnyard millet is higher. Finger millet has a remarkable amount of calcium 344.00mg/100g. Cereal based food products are supplemented with millets and has become increasingly popular due to nutritional and economic advantages. Value added products from millet have the potential to add value to business and has a large potential for growth as consumers believe that millets and millet based foods contribute directly to their health.
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