Evaluation of Nutrient Content in Crunchy Bar developed from Popped Pearl Millet (Pennisetum glaucum)

Abstract

The present study aimed at making the millets available to people in the ready-to-eat form with some enhanced nutritional properties. A bar was developed through popping processing using pearl millet as the main ingredient. The breakfast cereal was prepared by heating, mixing and cooling popped pearl millet, popped amaranth, puffed Bengal gram, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, raisins, and sugar. The product was found to have 10.84 % protein, 4.39% fat, 5. 43% fiber, 3.17 mg/100g zinc, 5.13 mg/100g iron, and 215.63 mg /100g phosphorus. The popped pearl millet bar developed in the present study was nutritionally superior and can be used as a novel product. Therefore, it could be concluded that pearl millet grain has a wide range of opportunity for utilization in production of ready-to-eat, nutritionally rich cereal bar products along with better sensory qualities, which on a commercial scale may open new avenues for better marketing and utilization of this important but underutilized grain. The government decides to declare the Year 2018 as “National Year of Millets” Production of Millets will definitely help in providing nutritional security & preventing malnutrition, especially to the poor: Shri Radha Mohan Singh