The Potential of Millet Grains: A Comprehensive Review of Nutritional Value, Processing Technologies, and Future Prospects for Food Security and Health Promotion

Abstract

Millet grains have gained renewed attention as a potential contributor to sustainable food systems due to their resilience, nutritional value, and versatility. The United Nations General Assembly has declared the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets, recognizing the importance of these grains for global food security and sustainable development. This paper elaborates on the types of millets, advantages of millets, including their ability to withstand environmental stressors and their high levels of protein, fiber, and micronutrients. Millets also require less water and fewer inputs compared to other cereal crops, making them a more sustainable option. However, to fully realize the potential of millets in sustainable food systems, challenges such as increasing awareness and demand for millet products, improving accessibility and affordability for small-scale farmers, and increasing investment in research and development need to be addressed.