Nutrition and Food Chemistry

Biography

Biography: Aditya Lal

Abstract

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) grown easily throughout the year in high altitudes and it can strongly resist the conditions of drought. India is known to be the leading producer of finger millet (ragi). Finger millet is ranked fourth in the world among most important millets after sorghum, pearl millet and foxtail millet. Mostly it is subject to milling, malting, fermentation, popping, and decortications. The whole grain finger millet is high in protein, minerals and excellent source of iron. The amino acids lecithin and methionine help to cut down the cholesterol levels by eliminating extra fat from liver and threonine helps to block fat deposition in liver. Regular consumption of finger millet can reduce the chance of various lives threatening disease. It is not common in our diets so the chance of incorporating it into various types of food products holds a vast scope to study and research. And moreover variety of finger millet can probably transform food products into a magical food product. Based on finger millet the development of novel food products and value addition of food products can aid to nutritional security. Finger millet proves to be cheap source of health booster. Therefore, using traditional and modern or advance techniques to process finger millet for value addition or convenient food products can be a great idea to introduce it for better consumption. Mainly using it for the value addition of traditional food product, can diversify the food territory for nutritionally sustainable food availability to the common people who cannot afford expensive food products. Additional benefit of finger millet after processing is to use husk from it in underground storage for packaging material in pillows and cushions. The straw is a good fodder and it is also used to prepare beds for animals.