Physico-chemical characterization and utilization of finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) cultivars for the preparation of biscuits

Finger millet being underutilized but highly nutritious millet was explored for nutritional characteristics. Twelve cultivars of finger millet were found to be a potential source of proteins (7.19%–12.56%), crude fibers (3.17%–5.83%), crude fat (1.07%–1.87%), and ash or mineral content (2.81%–3.61%) as well as a rich source of minerals such as Cu (0.61–1.62 mg/100 g), Mn (4.01–7.44 mg/100 g), Fe (3.97–8.04 mg/100 g), Zn (2.08–4.50 mg/100 g), and Ca (318–659 mg/100 g). Cultivars were screened out for the highest content of calcium and the cultivar GPHCPB-149 richest in calcium (659 mg/100 g) was utilized for supplementation in biscuits at different proportions, that is, 0, 25, 50, and 75%. A significant (p ≤ .05) increase in the calcium and crude fiber contents was reported with increased incorporation of finger millet in biscuits. Sensory evaluation studies concluded that finger millet flour was successfully incorporated up to 50% in wheat flour for the preparation of biscuits.

Practical applications

The study showed that finger millet is a rich source of nutrients and has great potential to be utilized for the development of functional bakery products. It can be successfully incorporated up to 50% with wheat flour for the preparation of functional bakery products. Finger millet incorporated biscuits were found to contain higher levels of crude fiber, calcium, iron, and zinc contents than control biscuits and may offer the inherent health benefits of finger millet to the consumers by alleviating the deficiency of calcium and prevention of other lifestyle diseases.