CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF SELECTED FINGER MILLET CULTIVARS (ELEUSINE COROCANA L) FOR DEVELOPMENT OF VALUE ADDED PRODUCTS IN THREE DIFFERENT FORMS OF FRESH, COOKED AND MALTED CONDITION
Authors: P. HEMASANKARI  , RAO B. DAYAKAR , A. SRINIVAS  , K.N. GANAPATHI  , SATHYAVATHI C. TARA 
Published: July 2024

Finger millets one of the major millet has rich amount of dietary fibre and protein. It is a poor man’s crop and it satisfies the hunger of the physically active people of low income. This study of estimation of minerals is done with selected 7 finger millet cultivars of freshly harvested PR-202, Dhalamandia, Bhalumandia, Suvarnamukhi, Vegavathi, KMR-204 and CFMV-2 from ICAR-IIMR field. The selected finger millet cultivars were tested for its protein, fat, ash, crude fibre, carbohydrates, energy value iron, zinc and calcium content in all 3 forms of raw, cooked and sprouted form. The mc, %wb ranged between 11.96 to 37.86%±3.91 in raw selected finger millet cultivars and in cooked millets, the mc ranged between 16.27 to 58.48%±5.59 and in sprouted millet, 17.74-34.26%. Raw finger millet cultivars range in protein content from 5.58% to 9.48%±1.32, in cooked it is 7.76% to 9.80%±0.82, in sprouted it is 6.34 to 9.11±1.09. Sprouted protein is less from cooked by 18.3%, cooked protein is highest among all three forms of protein being tested in the selected varieties of finger millet and is 28.09% higher than the raw millets from raw to sprouted the protein increase is 11.99%. The raw millet fat content is more than cooked by 21.43%, cooked is more in fat than sprouted by 54.55% increase in raw to sprouted is 64.29%. The fat calorific value of the selected 7 cultivars ranges between in raw, 12.6-25.2 kcal/ kg ±4.08, cooked, 9.90-18.90± 3.12 kcal/kg and sprouted 4.50-19.80± 5.02 kcal/kg. The fat calorific value is less followed by cooked and then raw. This may be due to either leaching of fat soluble or due to complex ion formations with other macro molecules. The decrease in ash content is in 2.92%, this may be due to decrease in organic matter in the cooked millet sample. The increase in ash content of raw to cooked is 53.28%, raw to sprouted is 35.04%, cooked to sprouted the decrease is 28.09%. The decrease in carbohydrate is 10.16%±6.28. Raw millet carbohydrate is 35.07-69.32%± 15.41, cooked millet ranges between 38.41-62.28%±8.75, sprouted millet ranges between 29.05-45.04 %±6.14, raw to cooked is 8.70%, raw to sprouted is 17.16%, cooked to sprouted is 24.37%. Raw to cooked millets energy values decrease is 6.4%, cooked to sprouted increase is 8.05% and raw to sprouted is 1.78%. The percentage iron leaching is least in Dhalamandia variety and more in Suvarnamukhi variety. In sprouted form, the iron content had increased by 36.40% in Dhala -mandia variety, Zinc content is increased by 13.58% in PR-202 variety. The average zinc content is highest in raw,1.48mg/g (KMR-204)±0.11 followed by sprouted 1.36 mg /g (KMR-204)±0.13 and then in cooked, 1.04 mg/g(KMR-204)± 0.10. Calcium content in raw grain ranges from 242.1 mg/g (Bhalumandia)±6.56-288.96 mg/g (Vega -vathi)±6.56, in sprouted condition ranges from 237.75 mg/g ±11.06, (KMR-204) to 320.84 mg/g, (PR-202)±11.06 and in cooked condition ranges from 207.88 mg/g±9.17, (CFMV-2) to 267.74 mg/g±9.17, (PR-202).