“Enhancing Nutritional Profile, Functional Properties, Therapeutic Attributes of Finger Millet (<i>Eluesinecoracana</i>) by Germination: A Comprehensive Exploration”

Millets are important crops in the semiarid tropics of Asia and Africa (especially in India, Mali, Nigeria, and Niger). Finger millet ( Eleusinecoracana L.) is stands out as a Nutri-cereal, gluten free making it a versatile and nutritious choice due to good source of carbohydrate (81.5%), protein (9.8%), fat (1.59 g), dietary fiber (11.5 g), phytochemicals, and essential amino acids and its unparalleled richness of calcium (220-450 mg/100 g) and iron (3-20%) compared to other cereals (rice and wheat). Among, the different processing technique, germination is a simple and traditional technique that can also be employed at the household level, which is used to soften the kernel structure, increase the nutritional composition and to enhance nutrient absorption of finger millet grains. The profusion of phytochemicals, a health-promoting reservoir compound in germinated finger millet significantly amplifies its nutraceutical capacity. It possesses notable health-enhancing attributes, including anti-diabetic effects against type 2 diabetes mellitus, anti-diarrheal properties, antiulcer activity, anti-inflammatory characteristics, antitumor effects specifically against K562 chronic myeloid leukemia, anti-atherosclerogenic effect, as well as antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. In terms of functional characteristics, the germination process significantly improves the ability of the millet flour to absorb water and/or oil, its emulsion capacity and stability, but reduced the bulk density and swelling power. This review mainly focuses on the germinated finger millet's nutritional, functional, phytochemical, and therapeutic properties.Household food processing strategy such as germination can be used for improving the nutritional quality to promote finger millet utilization.