Millet Innovations in Food Technology: The Future of Millet-Based Products

Higher demand for healthy food and the growing convenience trend has created a significant revenue growth path for millet products. Historically significant, millet consumption declined due to the convenience of refined grains.

However, this trend may be reversed with the focus on climate change and increased population requirements. The idea is to use innovative processing techniques to develop high-quality, value-added millet-based products as perceived by food technologists around the globe.  ^[1]

Such advancements focus on improving taste and texture, making it more appealing to modern consumers. These approaches also make it possible for the consumer to accept millet-based meat substitutes and other novel food products. ^{[2] [3]}

Companies like Aashirvaad are using these breakthroughs to tap into the increasing demand for more nutritious and environmentally friendly food options. Ultimately, this revives the role of millet in modern diets and also publicises its endless health benefits. It can be seen that millet prospects in food technology are very optimistic for the future.

New Processing Techniques To Enhance The Taste and Texture of Millet-Based Products

Understanding the potential of millet products is key to ensuring they taste and look great to appeal to consumers. The result requires some handling, with the processing stage coming next.

This could be one of the ways to successfully enhance nutritional bioavailability in millet-based diets using a combination of traditional and mechanical means. These methods are essential because they help increase the availability of key nutrients and decrease antinutrients such as phytates. Plus, they also increase the production of compounds that help our bodies absorb these nutrients. ^[4]

So, what are the primary and secondary processing technologies?

Dehulling millets make them suitable for primary processing for human consumption. The nutrients are more available, and the enzymes destroy fewer foodstuffs that can cause gas, heartburn, stomach pain, etc.

On the other hand, secondary processing methods, however, yield exciting food products.  For instance, while fermenting gives you the millet idli, parboiling lets you relish soft, fluffy millet rice. Puffing converts millet into crunchy snacks, while baking can yield delicious millet bread. Every one of these techniques adds nutrients, taste and texture so that millet becomes a flexible ingredient. ^[5]

Read further to learn the different primary and secondary processing techniques to retain millet in contemporary diets without losing its nutritional integrity.

Primary Processing Techniques

1. Dehulling and Decortication

• Dehulling removes the outer husks and bran of a cereal grain. In contrast, decortication removes only the thick, rigid portion around each millet grain, making the inner part more palatable for human consumption. ^[6]
• For example, dehulling was effective in pearl millet (bajra), removing up to 17.5% of the grain while providing statistically higher protein and digestibility. ^[7]
• Another example is dehulling sorghum (jowar) grains to create a ready-to-eat (RTE) snack, jowar puffs, using a puff gun machine. The dehulled sorghum grains are put in a rotating barrel of the machine as they are pre-roasted, followed by quick firing. ^[8]
• Jowar puffs’ nutritional value per 100 gm includes 11.9% protein, 3.02% fat, and  13.88 gm dietary fibre. ^[9]

While we explore these whole grain processing methods, we also gain insight into the nutritional improvements of several grains. For instance, Aashirvaad Gluten-Free Flour beautifully blends traditional grains like Jowar and Ragi in this spirit of innovation.

In addition to being easier for the body to digest, these meticulous dehulling and decortication processes preserve essential nutrients. Hence, this flour is helpful for people with gluten intolerance, allowing them to consume their favourite dishes without worry.

Just imagine making your gluten-free rotis or pancakes, which are not only gluten-free but also rich in dietary fibre, iron, and magnesium. Aashirvaad Gluten-Free Flour is synonymous with new-age nutrition and lets everyone taste the wonder grains.

2. Soaking and Germination ^[10]

• Soaking decreases anti-nutritional factors, while germination increases the availability of nutrients.
• For example, cooking after soaking foxtail millet (kangni) results in a maximum reduction of protein, iron, and zinc. This same process, however, causes a significant rise in soluble zinc and ionisable iron bioavailability and makes absorption of both nutrients easier.
• The 24-hour soaking followed by an 18-hour germination process of pearl millet (bajra) improves total protein content and its digestibility. These are effective processing treatments for developing protein-rich foods.

3. Roasting and Drying ^[11]

• These methods boost the taste and prevent spoilage by removing most or all moisture.
• One more example would be roasting finger millet (ragi), which enhances minerals like calcium from 337.31 to 341.24 mg/100 g and iron from 3.45 to about 3.91 mg/100 g.
• Most of the flour and semolina are roasted to make dishes like upma and ladoos. ^[12]

4. Milling

• Various milling techniques, including stone and hammer milling, generate fine millet flour, which is ideal for diverse culinary applications.
• Semolina is an example of ready-to-cook food. Millet grains undergo dry milling, including pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), and foxtail millet (kangni). The process begins with cleaning the grains. Subsequent milling of the cleaned grains to separate endosperm, germ and bran using hammer mills results in semolina.
• This versatile ingredient is used in making upma, khichdi, rava laddu, and much more, including idli-dosa and Kesari. ^[13]

Secondary Processing Techniques

1. Extrusion ^{[14] [15]}

• Technological interventions such as extrusion technology offer a potential solution to processing millet into various value-added products.
• This uses high temperatures and pressures to feed millet flour through a machine, which produces lighter, crispier snacks. It also includes breakfast cereals that are acceptable for consumers.
• Extrusion provides particle shaping or refining, surface texturisation, and increased digestibility of nutrients. It makes extruded products the preferred ones in modern food processing.
• Extruded Snacks are ready-to-eat products.
• Example: Extruded millet snacks made from a mix of sorghum, rice, and ragi are rich in protein (12.90%) and dietary fibre (12.88g per 100g) while being low in fat.

Extrusion technology enhances millet-based products’ texture and nutrient availability and benefits us in digestive health. We need to know what happens inside our bodies when we eat food, and that’s where tools like the Aashirvaad Digestive Quotient test can help.

Within few minutes/ within no time, you will receive a simple score between 0 and 100, which will tell you how well your gut performs. This rapid test will guide your dietary choices in the context of digestive health as a whole.

Adding nutrient-rich ingredients like extruded millet snacks and Aashirvaad’s other offerings can enhance your meals while keeping an eye on your digestive well-being.

2. Fermentation ^[16]

• Traditional fermentation is being re-explored to increase the nutritional profile of millet products. Fermentation enhances the nutritional content, increases the bioavailability of vitamin amendments, and develops taste.
• However, the process of germination and fermentation was found to slightly enhance mineral content that could still be exploited to develop value-added products. ^[17]
• Example: Sorghum (jowar) rava for idli or the instant millet dosa mix.

3. Popping and Puffing ^{[18] [19]}

• These methods increase the sensory attributes of millet products and do not adversely affect other components. They contribute to meeting the increased demand for wholesome & healthy snack alternatives.
• Due to this puffing process, the volume and texture of millet snacks are enhanced, making them more convenient foodstuffs among consumers, especially for children.
• Example: Sorghum (jowar) puffs, foxtail (kangni) puffs, and pearl (bajra) millet puffs.

4. Flaking ^[20]

• Flaking produces a line of ready-to-eat products ideal for the on-the-go consumer needs.
• Example: Flaked foxtail millet (kangni) can be used in breakfast cereals, offering a quick, nutritious meal option high in fibre and protein.
• Another example includes sorghum-based energy bars, fryums and peda using sorghum bran. These are value-added by-products created from bran and broken flakes during the flaking process of sorghum (jowar).

5. Malting

• It improves the nutritional quality of millet grain and is used to make several beverages and health foods.
• Malting pearl millet (bajra) for 24 hours increased the fibre content from 0.77% to 0.87% and decreased fat from 6.34% to 5.55%. Therefore, simple processing techniques like soaking, germination, and malting are ideal for manufacturers to produce low-fat food products from millet. ^[21]
• Comparatively, malted ragi flour provides you with a better nutritional value along with increased digestive enzymes. This makes them a perfect substrate for producing baby foods, malts, protein products, and health food or dietary supplements. ^[22]

We at Aashirvaad understand that nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all science. Thus, let our team of nutritionists provide you with the support and education you need to get healthy.

Whether you desire to enrich your diet with our ragi flour or are searching for personalised meal plans, we tailor nutritionist consultations to suit your individual case and lifestyle.

A balanced diet with millet products might be your perfect solution for a healthy gut and body. Our experts will ultimately support you by ensuring that whatever you eat in those three meals daily serves its purpose.

6. Baking ^[23]

• The baking sector processes millet into ready-to-eat products, including bread, muffins, cupcakes, and related products. A bread-making process involves mixing flour, water, fat, salt, and yeast to make a dough and then baking it into a well-baked loaf.
• Various cake products have also been developed with 100% pearl millet (bajra), finger millet (ragi), or foxtail millet (kangni) flour, with finger millet (ragi) cake the most preferred by consumers.
• Millet cake contains 9.4% protein, 25.3% fat, and 1.8 g of dietary fibre per 100 g.
• Other bakery products such as sorghum as pizza bases and gingelly (sesame)-infused pure jowar biscuits are also top products in this field.

7. Nanotechnology ^[24]

Nanotechnology is the future in line with integrated sorting systems in millet processing.

• Nutrition extraction and preservation via the usage of nanoparticles are innovative methods that can drastically raise the nutritional quality of millet-based products.
• Nanotechnology also boosts these products’ quality and shelf life, making them ideal for commercialisation.

8. Non-thermal Processing  ^[25]

Advantages of non-thermal processing are its minimal undesirable effects.

• Non-thermal procedures are safer than traditional techniques, which use standard heat and chemically sensitive food elements to achieve microbial disinfection, enzyme inactivation, and protein modification.
• These techniques are often applied for in-package disinfection of uncooked materials or finished millet products. They mainly include ready-to-eat foods like health bars and smoothies, as they mitigate recontamination.

Millet-Based Meat Substitutes and Other Innovative Food Products

The global requirement to find alternative protein sources amidst the climate emergency makes India’s agriculture a treasure for its millet varieties.

The emergence of millet-based meat analogues is one of the most exciting developments in the innovation of millet product development. There is rising consumer demand for plant-based protein alternatives, and millet performs well when realistic textures and flavours are required. ^{[26] [27]}

Thus, in this section, we will discuss millet’s nutritional and functional properties, emphasising its role as a sustainable protein source.

Nutritional Aspects of Millets ^[28]

• Optimum Amino Acids: Millets have a balanced amino acid composition required for protein synthesis.
• Digestibility: Millet proteins, particularly from finger millet (ragi), are easily digestible and can form gels similar to dairy and meat proteins. It tends to be suitable for meat analogues. Millets also contain an adequate amount of fiber which is essential for a heathy digestive system
• Low Glycemic Index: Millet is a complex carbohydrate choice due to its alkaline nature and low glycemic index, which makes it ideal for diverse dietary needs.

Micronutrient content- Millets contain essential vitamins, minerals & antioxidants that are essential for appropriate physiological functioning & maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

These attributes make millet an ideal raw material for expanding the market in meat, egg, dairy, and other plant-based proteins.

That is why knowing what you are eating can be helpful, especially when maintaining a vegan or plant-based diet. Therefore, you can test your diet by conducting the Aashirvaad ‘My Meal Plan‘ Test.

This easy test informs you precisely what your optimal diet is and offers a professionally designed plan to keep you on the right path towards its nutrition aims.

Texture and Flavor Innovation

Millets can be used to produce meat substitutes that recreate the texture of meat and have distinctive flavours. Through advanced texturisation technology, millet-based meat analogues can be made with acceptable textures for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.

Delicate processing methods remarkably improve the digestibility and nutritional availability of millet. Promising techniques include:  ^{[29] [30]}

• Extrusion Technology: Helps increase the bioavailability and texture of protein, making millet a top contender for meat substitutes.
• Malting and Fermentation: Enhance the protein profile and mineral availability.
• Advanced Texturisation: Create unique millet-based meat analogues that satisfy consumer desires without replicating meat exactly.

Moreover, recent studies have explored novel millet flour combinations to prepare meat analogues. Findings of importance are: ^{[31] [32]}

• Products formed from a mixture of barnyard milled flour, kodo millet, and soy protein isolate resulted in meat analogues closer to chicken in texture.
• Texture analysis of the end products showed reduced hardness and chewiness compared to similarly processed foods made from traditional soy blends, suggesting potential for consumer acceptance.

The increase in the number of health and climate-conscious consumers has induced a shift from traditional non-vegetarian meals to alternative plant-based meat proteins. These innovations thus illustrate millet’s potential to deliver nutritionally balanced yet texturally satisfying meat substitutes aligned with mega consumer trends.

Challenges and Opportunities in Millet Processing

Through this exploration of millet and other novel methods by researchers and food technologists, the chances of their becoming a staple diet are higher as time passes.

However, opportunities abound, as do challenges. Therefore, let’s examine how we can turn these challenges into opportunities.

Millet-based Innovative Food Products

Advancements in millet processing tech have given rise to the ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat products today. The goal is to provide all without skimping on nutrition. Here are a few of the everyday products that you can make using millet: ^{[35] [36] [37]}

Also read –

1. Millet uses in gluten-free diets
2. How Millets help in sustainable agriculture
3. Rise of Millets in Urban Farming

The Final Takeaway

Millet-based products are set to be forever changed by the advancement of processing technologies developed to upgrade their flavour, mouthfeel, and nutrition.

India possesses a rich heritage of consuming millet-based products; however, the processes used to convert them into commercial items are established technologies. Hence, newer processing methods are desperately needed to reinvigorate consumption of millet-based products.

Extrusion cooking, fermentation, milling, blending, and puffing are some of the techniques that have great potential to improve palatability and give these nutritious cereals an edge over taste. The sky’s the limit from creating millet meat analogues that mimic traditional meat products in taste and textural feel to ready-to-eat (RTE) meals and ready-to-cook (RTC) meal solutions.

With an increasing need for healthy food on one side and an ever-expanding scope of experimentation on the other, innovators could explore a humongous space to bring us the best millet options. This would help India achieve better health outcomes and sustainable agriculture practices.

At Aashirvaad, we aim to provide you with the highest quality millet products that pack unmatched nutrition and taste into every bite. We work hard to create new options for delicious, nutritious millet food solutions. We aim to make you experience the benefits of millet grains in fresh ways. Check out the range of Aashirvaad and start your journey with millets today!