Functionality and Extrusion Processing of Millets - A Review

Abstract

Millets, historically staple foods in Asia and Africa, saw reduced cultivation and consumption with the rise of wheat, maize, and rice in the mid-20th century. Recognizing their potential, the United Nations declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets (IYOM) to promote their reintroduction into global food systems. Millets offer benefits like climate resilience, balanced nutrition, and gluten-free properties. Consumption can help combat obesity, diabetes, and cholesterol, offering a solution to malnutrition amidst rising populations. Extrusion processing can mass-produce millet-based food products to meet societal needs to provide nutrient-rich, affordable, and shelf-stable products. Leveraging extrusion technology, millet-based products can be efficiently mass-produced to meet nutritional needs, enhancing food security worldwide. Moreover, extrusion causes biochemical changes, such as protein denaturation, starch gelatinization, inactivation of microorganisms, enzymes, anti-nutritional factors, and solubilizes fiber. This review aims to explore millet functionality and extrudability, unlocking possibilities for diverse, nutrient-rich food products.