Nutrimillets as a Potential Source of Health Supplements: A Review

Minor millets, often called “orphan crops” or “lost crops,” are small-seeded grains that come from plants in the Poaceae family. Nutricereals are the food products of commercial importance prepared from these small-seeded millets. These nutricereals have a great potential to replace the staple food crops since they are an excellent source of starch, protein, energy, essential fatty acids, minerals, i.e., potassium, calcium, zinc, iron, magnesium and especially sulfur containing amino acids like methionine and cystine, B group vitamins, linoleic acid, tocopherols, phytochemicals and dietary fibers. Small-seeded millet-based fermented food shows high water absorption capacity, dispersibility, flowability and wettability, indicating good reconstitution properties. Nutraceuticals prepared from small-seeded millets have antioxidant properties, preventing health problems such as blood pressure, constipation, cholera, fever, cardiovascular and risk of heart diseases, thyroid, cancer and tumors.