Pearl Millet Production, Nutritional and Functional Properties, and Processing Techniques: A Global Comprehensive Review

Abstract

Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) is the most widely cultivated millet species worldwide and a staple cereal for tens of millions of people across the semi-arid tropics of Asia and Africa. Its exceptional tolerance of drought, heat and poor soils, combined with a favourable nutrient profile, has renewed international interest in the crop as a climate-resilient contributor to food and nutrition security. This review synthesises current evidence on the global production landscape, agronomic and genetic characteristics, nutritional composition, bioactive and functional properties, antinutritional constraints, and traditional and emerging processing technologies applied to pearl millet. The grain provides appreciable quantities of protein, dietary fibre, iron, zinc and phenolic compounds, and its low to moderate glycaemic index and gluten-free nature position it favourably for managing metabolic disorders and coeliac-related dietary restrictions. However, the nutritional value of pearl millet is constrained by antinutritional factors, principally phytic acid, tannins and goitrogenic C-glycosylflavones, and by a short shelf life associated with rapid lipid rancidity. Processing interventions, ranging from traditional dehulling, soaking, germination and fermentation to modern extrusion, malting and non-thermal technologies, substantially modulate nutrient bioavailability, sensory quality and storage stability, although trade-offs between nutrient retention and antinutrient reduction remain incompletely resolved. Biofortification and genomics-assisted breeding programmes have made measurable progress in raising grain iron and zinc density and in improving abiotic stress tolerance. This review identifies persistent knowledge gaps in genotype-by-environment interactions affecting nutritional quality, in vivo bioavailability data, and the scalability of novel processing technologies, and proposes priority directions for future research and value-chain development.