Development, Optimization and Evaluation of Millet-based Vegan Milk and Value-added Fermented Products

The growing demand for plant-based foods has encouraged the development of nutritious and sustainable alternatives to dairy products. Millets are gluten-free cereals rich in carbohydrates, proteins, dietary fibre, minerals and bioactive compounds, making them suitable for plant-based beverage applications. The present study aimed to develop, optimize and evaluate millet-based vegan milk and value-added fermented products using finger millet (Eleusine coracana), pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica). The grains were cleaned, soaked, wet-milled, filtered, heat-treated and homogenized to prepare beverages containing 5, 7.5 and 10% millet with selected stabilizer concentrations. The formulations were evaluated for physicochemical properties, proximate composition, mineral content, bioactive compounds, antioxidant activity and sensory acceptability. In the model dataset, pH ranged from 6.43 to 6.76 and total soluble solids from 7.10 to 10.20 °Brix, with increasing millet concentration enhancing viscosity and total solids. The 7.5% pearl millet formulation showed favourable overall characteristics and recorded an overall acceptability score of 8.1 on a nine-point hedonic scale. Pearl millet milk contained 2.68% protein, 1.76% fat and 0.82% fibre in the model analysis, whereas finger millet milk showed comparatively higher phenolic content and antioxidant activity. Fermentation progressively reduced pH and increased titratable acidity and lactic acid bacterial counts. The fermented beverage and vegan yogurt-like product exhibited satisfactory physicochemical and sensory characteristics. These findings demonstrate the potential of millet milk as a versatile base for developing diversified plant-based and fermented food products. Further validation using experimental data, shelf-life studies and consumer trials is required before commercial application.