Nutritional and Antioxidant Comparison of Finger Millet, Foxtail Millet, and Refined Wheat Flour

Aim: The present study was conducted to evaluate the proximate analysis, mineral composition, antioxidant activity and resistant starch of finger millet flour and foxtail millet flour and their comparison with refined wheat flour.

Introduction: Finger millet grain and foxtail millet grain were procured from district Champawat, Uttarakhand, India. Recent studies indicated that minor millets such as foxtail and finger millet are nutritionally superior to conventional food grains and exhibit hypoglycemic effects due to the presence of a higher proportion of complex carbohydrates, resistant starch and slow-rising sugars.

Method: Proximate analysis of finger millet flour, foxtail millet flour and refined wheat flour was done by standard method. All the samples were analysed in three replicates. Resistant starch yield was determined by using the glucose oxidase assay. The antioxidant activity of finger millet flour, foxtail millet flour and refined wheat flour method with some modifications.

Results: The results of the proximate analysis showed a significantly higher amount of total ash (2.51 %), crude protein (12.23 %), crude fat (3.49 %), crude fiber (4.79%), and energy (353 kcal) in foxtail millet flour as compared to finger millet flour and refined wheat flour. The insoluble dietary fiber content was significantly higher for foxtail millet flour (11.01%). However, finger millet flour contained significantly higher amounts of soluble dietary fiber (7.00%) and total dietary fiber (17.06%) than foxtail millet flour and controlled refined wheat flour. Foxtail millet flour contained a higher amount of resistant starch (15.10 %) than finger millet flour (14.85%) and refined wheat flour (1.01 %).

Conclusion: Total antioxidant activity was also found highest in finger millet flour (71.07 %) as compared to foxtail millet flour (65.85%) and refined wheat flour (20.62%). Finger millet flour contained significantly higher amount of soluble dietary fibre than foxtail millet flour and refined wheat flour. However, soluble dietary fibre content of foxtail millet flour was significantly higher than refined wheat flour.