The starch in the floury zone is more amenable to enzyme digestion. In pearl and finger millets, the starch granules of the floury endosperm are spherical and big. The proportions of corneous and floury endosperm determine the texture of the millet kernel. In soft-textured kernels there is more floury than corneous endosperm. In hard-textured kernels, on the other hand, there is more densely packed corneous endosperm than floury endosperm.
Foxtail millet contains very little floury endosperm and is of a hard, corneous texture.
Finger and prove millet kernels, with the endosperm evenly divided between the corneous and floury zones, are of intermediate texture. In pearl millet and sorghum the kernel texture varies widely, from all floury, very soft endosperm to all corneous, very hard or vitreous endosperm. In dry milling, the flour yield is higher in corneous than in soft floury types. On the other hand, in wet milling the starch yield is higher in soft-endosperm genotypes. In the preparation of thick porridge, varieties with a higher proportion of vitreous endosperm are preferred.