The Potential of Millet Grains: A Comprehensive Review of Nutritional Value, Processing Technologies, and Future Prospects for Food Security and Health Promotion

Millets, are classified as major and minor/small millets, and considered extremely nutritious when compared to staples such as wheat and rice. Nutri-Cereals, Shree Anna, miracle grains, and superfoods are all names for them. Millets thrive in arid and semi-arid tropics dry land agro-ecologies. They are high in carbohydrates, proteins, dietary fiber, healthy fats, minerals (calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc), and B vitamins. Bioactive phytochemicals found in millets include feraxans, lignans, -glucan, inulin, resistant starch, sterols, and phenolic compounds. It is critical to rekindle interest in millets as nutritious foods in order to improve food and nutritional security and reduce malnutrition. Major millet crops include Jowar or Sorghum, bajra or pearl millet, mandua/ragi or finger millet, and many small millets as kangni or foxtail millet, kutki or sama or little millet, kodo millet, jhangora or sawan or barnyard millet, cheena or proso millet, and korale or brown top millet. These millets have historically played an significantly role in the diet of the people across the world. India has the largest area under millet cultivation, followed by Niger. Millets are cultivated on 312.44 lakh hectares globally, with India leading in production, followed by Niger. Uzbekistan has the highest millet yield per hectare, followed by Switzerland. The flexibility of millets to adapt to shorter growing seasons, a wide range of temperatures, moisture regimes, and input conditions makes them valuable. Since they increase the conversion of carbon dioxide into oxygen, they are advantageous as C4 crops. Millets have the ability to support food and nutritional security by offering food and feed to smallholder farmers in drylands. The research scope outlined in the review paper provides valuable recommendations for advancing millet-based agriculture, expanding the range of food options, and achieving comprehensive food and nutritional security in a society devoid of hunger.