Essential amino-acids of some tropical cereal millets

Abstract

The millets are among the important minor cereals of tropical and subtropical regions, especially of India, Ceylon, Malaysia and Africa; a knowledge of their composition and nutritive value is therefore desirable. The determination of the essential amino-acids of sorghum (Andropogon sorghum) and finger millet (ragi, Eleusine coracana) has been described in a previous paper (Baptist, 1954). We report here the values obtained for the eight amino-acids indispensable for man (Rose, 1949) in the foxtail (Italian) millet or tanahal (Setaria italica Beauv.), the Indian (common) millet or maha meneri (Panicum miliaceum Linn.), the little millet or heen meneri (Panicum miliare Lamk.) and an indigenous millet, not previously described as growing in Ceylon, which has been identified as Brachiaria ramosa L. Stapf. EXPERIMENTAL Identification of the indigenous millet. This grain was originally sent to us as little millet (Panicum miliare Lamk.); however, we found it to have an unusually high nitrogen content which led us to suspect that we were dealing with a different species. Examination under high magnification confirmed this. Whereas the grains of the panicum species were brown in colour and showed a characteristic ovoid shape with alternating light and dark longitudinal bands, this grain had a distinctly different appearance (see PI. I, I) ; the glumes were very characteristic being firmly adherent, unlike in the panicum species, in which they could be easily removed by lightly rubbing between the fingers. T h e husk was of a light straw shade and the cleaned grain, which had a prominent pigmented embryo, showed marked transverse rugosity and was intermediate in size between Panicum miliaceum and P. miliare (see P1. I, 2). The grain was therefore referred to the Systematic Botanist of the Department of Agriculture who identified it as Brachiaria ramosa, formerly known as Panicum ramosum Koenig (Ferguson, 1879). In view of its characteristic glumes and the fact that it is regarded as a meneri (panicum) species by the rural population, the name 'pothu meneri' is suggested for this millet. Preparation of material for analysis. Representative samples of each of the millets were lightly pounded in a mortar and winnowed. The process was repeated several times, the cleaned grain being removed from time to time till no unhusked grain remained. The cleaned samples were then ground to a fine powder and sifted through a go-mesh Monel sieve. Fat extraction of the powders was omitted, as previous