Published on July 2019 | Food Science

MILLETS-REVIEW ON NUTRITIONAL PROFILES AND HEALTH BENEFITS

Millets have a significant role in the traditional diets of many regions throughout the country. Millets have various advantageous properties like drought resistant, good yielding in areas where water is limited and they possess good nutritive values. Millet are rich with phytochemicals, however, the types and amount present vary greatly between and within different species. The processing techniques used for the grains, like dehulling and decortication, malting, fermentation and thermal processing, etc, have affect on the quantity of phenolics present, mostly helps in reducing them. Therefore the phytochemical levels in millet foods and beverages are considerably lower than in the other cereal grains. There are evidences showing, millet foods and beverages have functional and health‐promoting effects, specifically anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, cardiovascular disease, due to the actions of these phytochemicals and play a role in body immune system. However, direct evidence of health‐enhancing effects are lacking as most studies have been carried out on the grains and their extracts and not particularly on food and beverage products , and mostly the research work has been conducted in vitro or ex vivo and not in vivo. The current review is to collect the available information from existing literature either online or offline related to the nutritional importance and health benefiting properties of millet and trying to present the collected data in an easily-documented pattern. With the given Nutritional profile and phytochemical contribution of millets, the Nutritionist/ Dieticians must make an effort to encourage the public to consume more millets in general and particular.