Analyzing the Effect of Germination on Nutritional Characteristics of Kodo Millet Flour and Its Role in Rusk Development

Millets, the underutilized groups of cereal grains are considered as rich source of energy, carbohydrate and protein. Due to the presence of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, phytochemicals and antioxidants that can help to eradicate several nutritional deficiency diseases, they are now termed as ‘nutri-cereals’ They contain appreciable quantities of phytochemicals such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, catechins, phytic acid and phytosterols. Owing to their important contribution in food security and potential health benefits, millet grains are now main topic of research for food scientists. This study thus aimed to develop kodo millet flour (KMF) via varying germination time (0h, 24h, 48h, and 72h) of kodo millet and preparing a bakery product (rusk) using the optimized KMF at varying concentrations of 0, 20, 30 and 50%. The germinated KMF were subjected to physiological studies, namely germination loss and germination efficiency. Optimum germination time was observed to be 48 h due to its high germination efficiency and a significantly lower germination loss as compared to 72 h of germination. Proximate analysis of KMF helped determine the increase in protein and fibre content of the germinated flour and a decreased ash, fat and moisture content. The significant changes (p ≤ 0.05) observed in all the analyses, helped determine the effect of different germination periods on various properties of dehusked kodo millet, and further optimize a particular germination time for better quality flour which would be used to form rusk. The results of this study thus suggested that germination of kodo millet could be effectively used to prepare kodo millet flour and further use it to prepare various baked products having good consumer acceptability.