Brown Millet Research Articles

Effects of hot air-assisted radio frequency stabilization of brown millet and millet bran: Enzyme inactivation, microstructure, nutritional quality, and storage stability

Brown millet (BM) and millet bran (MB) are rich sources of nutrients, but their storage is affected by rapid rancidity deterioration, which primarily due to the activity of lipase (LA) and peroxidase (POD). High moisture content and water activity also have adverse effects on rancidity. In order to inactivate enzyme activities and extend storage stability of BM and MB, hot air-assisted radio frequency (HA-RF) heating was applied in this study. BM was treated at 95 °C and 105 °C while MB was heated to 105 °C and 115 °C with various holding times. The effects on enzyme inactivation, microstructure, nutritional quality, and storage stability of the samples were investigated. The results showed that HA-RF treatment effectively reduced LA and POD activities in both BM (<13%) and MB (<10%); Low-temperature (95 °C for BM and 105 °C for MB) HA-RF treatment caused less damage to the structure of the samples and maintained the structural integrity of most starch and proteins, although the treatment significantly (p < 0.05) reduced free phenolic and flavonoid contents of the samples; Low-temperature HA-RF treatment had less impacts on main nutrients of BM and MB when compared to the high-temperature treatment (105 °C for BM and 115 °C for MB). HA-RF stabilization effectively improved the storage stability, and slowed down the increase in fatty acid value (FAV) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content during storage.

Searching for What You Can’t See - Evaluation of Pesticide Residues in Grain Sold at Selected Markets of Southwest Nigeria

Studies on the use of pesticides in southwest Nigeria have revealed a substantial rise in a variety of pesticide-related illnesses, including mental impairment and reproductive problems. Those who work in agriculture and are regularly exposed to pesticides are the most impacted. The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts that three million severe pesticide poisoning episodes occur globally each year, with at least 300.000 deaths and 99% of cases occurring in low- and middle-income nations. The effects of longer-term exposure to pesticides on health are not yet precisely estimated. Objectives: To this end, the objective of this study is to assess the knowledge of pesticide residues and common pesticides in grain-based food (brown and white beans, yellow and white maize, brown millet and rice) about pesticide use in selected markets of Southwest Nigeria. Methods: A total of 240 respondents were selected from four states (Ado-Ekiti, Ibadan, Osun and Ondo) with the aid of structured questionnaire and interview guide using purposive sampling technique. The markets were Oja-titun (market) Ile-Ife, Osun; Alesinloye Market Ibadan, Oyo; Oja Oba, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti; and Oja Oba, Akure Ondo State. The identification and quantification of pesticide residues was done using a Varian 3800/4000 gas chromatograph mass spectrometer while 60 structured questionnaires were administered to respondents including food merchants, buyers/consumers as well as food vendors. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: The experiment was conducted from November 2020 to November 2021. Up to 50.4% never read instructions on pesticide application while a shared 24.8% read them always and occasionally. The number of respondents who never read the instructions were particularly high in Ekiti and Ondo, up to 52.5% of the respondents in Ekiti do not know whether or not they are exposed to pesticides during application. Also, majority of the respondents never attended any professional training on pesticide application, this amounted to 79.3%. Most people were not aware that unsafe pesticide application is harmful to human health. Similarly, a wide variety of symptoms were reported by respondents following pesticide application or consumption of grains, these included headaches and dizziness, itching and redness of the eyes, skin allergy, diarrhea, and stomach disorder, vomiting and loss of appetite, weakness of the body, asthma, permanent skin patches, shortness of breath, excessive sweating. Millet recorded the highest number of OCP residues while maize had the lowest. On the contrary, maize had the highest number of OPP and carbamate residues while millet had the lowest number of OPP residues. Meanwhile, maize, rice and beans had only one carbamate pesticide residue. Conclusions: According to the study's conclusions, farmers who can only get information from agricultural extension officials should receive urgent and immediate attention for raising awareness. Additionally, extensive IPM training programs must be created with the intention of disseminating precautions for protecting human health and a healthy agro-ecosystem. In order to find more effective pest management methods that utilize less pesticides, it is crucial to reevaluate the pesticide residues and common pesticides found in grains in the targeted markets. To reduce farmers' exposure to pesticides, it is also required to establish personal protective measures, special educational initiatives, and legislation promoting the use of safer pesticides. Significance and novelty: This study gives policymakers a comprehensive understanding of the ways that may be utilized to close the significant knowledge gap on pesticide residues in grains and provides an insight into the knowledge of pesticide residues and common pesticides in grains.

REPLACEMENT VALUE OF MAIZE WITH OTHER CEREALS ON PERFORMANCE AND COST BENEFIT OF BROILER CHICKENS

The study investigated the effect of replacing maize with alternatives (white sorghum, red sorghum, grey millet and brown millet) on the growth performance and cost benefit of broiler chicken. A total of one hundred and fifty (150) day-old Aboica strain broiler chicks were purchased for this study and were randomly allotted to five dietary treatments. The five is caloric and is nitrogenous diets for both the starter and finisher phases were formulated with the test ingredients (yellow maize, white sorghum, red sorghum, grey millet and brown millet) as the main source of energy and were designated as T1, T2, T3, T4 and T5. Each treatment was further divided into three replicates with ten (10) birds per replicate. The parameters investigated were growth performance and economics of production. This study revealed no significant (p&gt;0.05) differences in weight gain among all the treatment. Furthermore, it showed a significantly (p&gt;0.05) lower cost of producing the four alternatives as compared to the control (maize) and higher gross profit. It was concluded that white sorghum, red sorghum, grey millet and brown millet can replace yellow maize without any adverse effect on the health status and general performance of broiler chickens.

A comparative study of gluten-free sprouts in the gluten-free bread-making process

The addition of sprouted grains and seeds to cereal products has been identified as one of the upcoming trends in recent market reports. In this study, seven types of sprouts (amaranth, brown millet, corn, lentil, lupin, pea, quinoa) were milled and characterised with respect to their compositional (starch, protein, fat, ash, fibre, moisture) and functional properties (water hydration properties). These sprouted flours were included in a gluten-free bread formulation at a level of 5% and the impact on dough (temperature-dependent rising behaviour, pasting and rheological properties) and bread quality parameters (volume, crumb structure and texture) was evaluated. Factors such as the method of germination and the botanical origin influenced the chemical composition of the applied raw material. The functional properties of the different malts and sprouts are affected by the chemical composition of the individual grains. The differences in functional properties were, in turn, found to affect the dough properties and the quality parameters of the baked gluten-free breads. However, statistical analysis showed no correlation between the various factors. Based on this, effects on dough and bread properties were hypothesised to be caused by a combination of multiple factors. All bread formulations containing sprouted flour had significantly improved bread quality parameters in comparison to the control (without sprouted flour). The addition of amaranth sprouted flour, however, resulted in the highest loaf volume and the softest breadcrumb, suggesting its potential for further investigations in further studies.

Effect of the treatment by slightly acidic electrolyzed water on the accumulation of γ-aminobutyric acid in germinated brown millet

The accumulation of γ-aminobutyric acid and the microbial decontamination are concerned increasingly in the production of sprouts. In this work, the effect of the treatment by slightly acidic electrolyzed water on the accumulation of γ-aminobutyric acid in the germinated brown millet was evaluated by high performance liquid chromatography during germination. The results showed that slightly acidic electrolyzed water with appropriate available chlorine (15 or 30mg/L) could promote the accumulation of γ-aminobutyric acid by up to 21% (P<0.05). However, the treatment with slightly acidic electrolyzed water could not enhance the sprouts growth of the germinated brown millet. The catalase and peroxidase activities of the germinated brown millet during germination were in agreement with the sprouts growth. Our results suggested that the accumulation of γ-aminobutyric acid was independent of the length of sprouts in germinated grains. Moreover, the treatment with slightly acidic electrolyzed water significantly reduced the microbial counts in the germinated millet (P<0.05) and the treatment with high available chlorine concentration (15 and 30mg/L) showed stronger anti-infection potential in the germinated brown millet than that of lower available chlorine concentration (5mg/L). In conclusion, the treatment with slightly acidic electrolyzed water is an available approach to improve the accumulation of γ-aminobutyric acid and anti-infection potential in the germinated brown millet, and it can avoid too long millet sprouts.

Determination of the Volatile Composition in Brown Millet, Milled Millet and Millet Bran by Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry

The volatile compounds from brown millet (BM), milled millet (MM) and millet bran (MB) were extracted using simultaneous distillation/extraction with a Likens-Nickerson apparatus. The extracts were analysed using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS). A total of 65 volatile compounds were identified in all of the samples. Among these compounds, 51, 51 and 49 belonged to BM, MM and MB, respectively. Aldehydes and benzene derivatives were the most numerous among all of the compounds. Three compounds (hexanal, hexadecanoic acid and 2-methylnaphthalene) were dominant in the BM and MM materials. Eight compounds (hexanal, nonanal, (E)-2-nonenal, naphthalene, 2-methylnaphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, hexadecanoic acid and 2-pentylfuran) were dominant in the MB materials. Apart from the aromatic molecules, which were present in all fractions, compounds present only in BM, MM or MB were also identified.