Enhanced Millet Milk Processing Through Enzymatic Treatment: A Response Surface Methodology Approach

The growing popularity of plant‐based milk alternatives has driven research to enhance nondairy beverage production. Pearl millet is an excellent option for plant‐based milk due to its rich nutritional profile, featuring high levels of carbohydrates, proteins, minerals, and antioxidants. This makes it a nutritious and sustainable choice for consumers. However, challenges such as sedimentation, phase separation, and changes in viscosity during processing hinder its acceptability. This study utilized response surface methodology (RSM) with a central composite rotatable design to optimize the effects of enzyme solution temperature, enzyme concentration, and incubation time on the physicochemical properties of millet milk. Key parameters evaluated included viscosity, sedimentation index, separation volume, and heat stability time. Regression models with high predictive accuracy ( R 2 > 92 % ) were developed to determine the optimal conditions for millet milk processing. Under optimized conditions (66.89°C, 0.94% enzyme, 80 min), experimental values of 2.64 ± 0.02 cP viscosity, 2.56 % ± 0.03 % sedimentation, 42.00 % ± 2.00 % separation, and 30.06 ± 1.51 min heat stability time were obtained, closely matching model predictions ( R 2 > 92 % ) with a desirability of 0.689. Proximate analysis revealed significant compositional improvements: starch reduced from 2.9 to 1.3 g/100 g, reducing sugars increased from 1.0 to 2.3 g/100 g, and protein content rose from 1.2 to 1.49 g/100 g in enzyme‐treated samples. These results confirm that enzymatic hydrolysis enhances both the processability and nutritional quality of millet milk, supporting its potential in the growing plant‐based beverage market.