Millets: Nutritional Value and Antioxidant Potential

Dear Colleagues,

Millets refer to several small-seeded edible grasses that belong to the family Poaceae and are cultivated in arid and semiarid regions of the world. These are nutritious and provide substantial amounts of health benefits in multigrain and gluten-free cereal products. According to several researchers, millets can be an imperative source of vital nutrients such as proteins, essential amino acids, dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, antioxidants and other phytochemicals. Millets have a favorable nutrigenomic role and have been contributing to human health through their antioxidant, hypoglycemic, anti-tumorigenic, anti-atherosclerogenic, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties. The bulk antioxidants (bioactive peptides, xylooligosaccharides, phenolic compounds) present in millets add to their nutritive value and protect from various degenerative diseases, and aid in the management of metabolic disorders such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Plentiful polyunsaturated fatty acids in millet oil are helpful in chronic heart diseases, and their gluten-free nature makes them an excellent substitution for wheat for celiac patients. Millets undergo various processing methods to enhance nutritional bioavailability and organoleptic properties, and reduce anti-nutritional factors. Among the various processing methods, fermentation improves the nutritional value and bioactive components of millets, and is used for the production of various millet-based probiotic foods and beverages. Researchers believe that the urge to route for millet and sorghum instead of maize and other major crops in recent years is derived from the fact that these grains are ecologically well-matched with semi-arid areas because of their ability to tolerate drought. They are considered tough crops in terms of growth requirements as they withstand harsh climatic factors such as unpredictable climate and nutrient-depleted soils. In addition, millet is highly resistant to pests and diseases, exhibits a rapid growth rate, can flourish in less fertile soil and generates a high yield even in adverse heat and drought settings compared to other major cereals. In this era of climatic change, millets are the most convenient crops, which fit well in the current scenario of hunger, poverty, nutritional challenges and marginal farming. Millets are naturally tolerant to most biotic and abiotic stresses and they are considered to be the sixth most important cereal in the world. Despite its value and contribution, millet does not receive the attention it deserves as a crop that has an important role to play in food security. Perhaps the disregard can be attributed to it being termed a crop for poor farmers in marginal agricultural areas affected by socio-ecological conditions. The year 2023 has been designated as the International Year of Millets or IYM2023 by the United Nations and the Food and Agriculture Organization, to educate about the significance of millets for food security, nutrition and environmental sustainability.

Given the current challenges regarding sustainable food production, climatic changes and water scarcity, coupled with overpopulation, an interest has been developed regarding millet. This has provided an opportunity for farmers, nutritionists, and food and feed manufacturers to engage in research to understand the nutritional and functional characterization of millet grains. We welcome the submission of original research and review articles addressing the above issues on millets.

Dr. Jayanta Kumar Patra
Dr. Gitishree Das
Guest Editors

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• antioxidant activity
• processing millet grains
• phenolic compounds
• functional food
• nutritional composition
• fermentation
• stress resistance
• fermentation
• sustainability
• nanobiotechnology