DEVELOPMENT AND ANALYSIS OF MULTI-MILLET CRACKERS

Abstract: Millets are a group of cereal grains that belong to the Poaceae family, commonly known as the grass family. Value-added products based on millets may be the distance between customer acceptance and need. Hence this study was taken up with the objective to develop multi-millet crackers, which are thin crackers, incorporating different millets namely pearl millet (Pennisetum typhoides) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) finger millet (Eleusine coracana), foxtail millet (Setaria italica), Kodo millet( Paspalum scrobiculatum), Proso millet (Panicum miliaceum), Brown top millet( Urochloa ramose), Barnyard millet (Echinochloa esculenta) , Little millet( Panicum sumatrense) as variants in wholegrain composite flour. The nutritional composition and shelf stability was analyzed by using standard protocols. The results revealed that products were high in protein content (11.04-17.54%),. Sensory evaluation showed that the finger millet incorporated product had low acceptability compared to the rest of the millets used. In conclusion, a shelf-stable traditional ready-to-eat snack can be developed using different millets which can be used as a functional food.