Millet grain as a candidate antioxidant food resource: a review

Abstract

Millet is a major drought-resistant crop that serves as a nutrient rich food staple in Africa and Asia. In addition, millet contains an abundance of bioactive compounds with antioxidant activity. The intake of antioxidants through the diet is essential for improving human health. This review aimed to evaluate the antioxidant compounds in millet, as well as the factors that influence antioxidant activity. The Millet contained several natural occurring phenolic compounds which include phenolic acids, flavonoids and tannins, in addition to xylo-oligosaccharides (XOs), insoluble fibers and peptides. Certain lipophilic antioxidants, including vitamin E and carotenoids, were extensively distributed among varieties. Furthermore, the bioactivity of the antioxidants can be affected by food processing. Germination and fermentation could enhance the antioxidant properties, due to increased antioxidants content (phenolic compounds). In summary, it is possible to use millet as a nutraceutical and antioxidant food resource to reduce disease risks and maintain health.

The nutritional use of millet grain for food and feed: a review

“…Millets contain phenolic acids that occur in a bound form (60%) as free molecules. The most common phenolics in millets are hydroxycinnamic acids and are mostly found in the insoluble-bound sections of phenolic acids [ 57 ]. The most common type of hydroxycinnamic acid is ferulic acid known as an antioxidant.…”

“…The generous content of phenolic compounds in millet has made it a potent source of antioxidants [ 61 , 72 ]. Millet grains contained several natural occurring phenolic compounds which include phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins, in addition to xylo-oligosaccharides, insoluble fibres and peptides [ 57 ]. Table 5 shows compounds and antioxidant properties of pearl and finger millets grains.…”

Geometric, physical and functional properties of selected pulses and millets for the formulation of complementary food products

“…Antioxidant activity was found to be higher for pearlmillet (30.08%) followed by that of sorghum (29%). In case of legumes, higher amount was seen in chickpea a (24.82%) as compared to that of mungbean (12.8%).The phytochemicals in millet, such as phenolics and dietary fiber, were predominantly posited in the bran layers, together with micronutrients (carotenoids and tocopherols) known to have antioxidant properties 28 . Legumes contain varied amounts of polyphenols and possess wide range of antioxidant activity.…”

Millets as potential nutri‐cereals: a review of nutrient composition, phytochemical profile and techno‐functionality

“…Several in vitro investigations revealed the positive impact of antioxidants against age-related concerns, chronic degenerative diseases and other modern lifestyle disorders including celiac disease, coronary heart diseases and diabetes as reviewed by Kaur et al (2019b) and Kaur et al (2019a). Phenolic acids in millet grains induce bioactivity due to their capacity to donate hydrogen atoms to electron-deficient radicals through hydroxyl groups present on the benzene rings and thereby forming a resonance-stabilised phenoxyl radical (Liang & Liang, 2019).…”