A Comprehensive Review of Starches From Diverse Millets: Composition, Structure, Functionality, and Strategies for Genetic Improvement.

Structural Characteristics, Nutritional Significance and Processing Techniques of Various Millets: A Comprehensive Review

Millets are a taxonomically heterogeneous group of small-grained cereals whose renewed prominence rests on claims that they are simultaneously climate-resilient and nutritionally superior to refined staple foods. The evidence underpinning the second claim is substantially weaker than the first, and much of it is derived from compositional analyses rather than from demonstrations of physiological benefit of farm produce. This review evaluates the literature connecting the structural organisation of the millet caryopsis to its nutritional value and to the outcomes of processing, and asks how far that connection has actually been established. Peer-reviewed publications retrieved from openly accessible scholarly indexes were appraised for methodological adequacy, consistency and relevance, and were synthesised thematically rather than catalogued. Three findings emerged. First, the structural features that distinguish millets from wheat and rice, namely a thin adherent pericarp, a pigmented testa in several species, a continuous protein matrix surrounding small polygonal starch granules, and heavily lignified peripheral cell walls, are the same features that constrain nutrient release, so that gains in one nutritional dimension are frequently obtained at the cost of another. Second, processing operations are routinely evaluated against compositional endpoints that have limited predictive value for absorption or glycemic index outcome, and the small number of controlled human studies has produced results considerably more modest than the in-vitro literature. Third, methodological heterogeneity in cultivar selection, processing intensity and analytical protocol is severe enough to account for many apparent contradictions between studies, and this heterogeneity is rarely acknowledged. Confidence is highest for the effects of decortication and germination on anti-nutrient content and for the post-harvest losses of pearl millet flour perhaps during processing storage, and lowest for claims of clinically meaningful metabolic benefit. Priorities include standardised processing descriptors, cultivar-resolved reporting, and adequately powered human trials that test defined processed matrices rather than millet as an undifferentiated category.

Comparative Analysis of the Structural and Digestibility Properties of Starches from Ten Common Coarse Grains

Coarse-grain starches are promising raw materials for developing diversified functional food ingredients, particularly low-glycemic products. However, the systematic structure–function relationships among multiple coarse-grain varieties remain poorly understood. This study aimed to comprehensively characterize the structural, processing, and digestive properties of ten coarse-grain starches to provide a fundamental basis for their targeted industrial utilization. Multiple analytical techniques, including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), rapid visco analysis (RVA), and in vitro simulated digestion, were employed to characterize the structural, thermal, rheological, pasting, and digestive properties of the starches. The tested starches were classified into two crystalline types, and significant differences were observed among samples in short-range molecular order, gelatinization behavior, gel rheological properties, pasting characteristics, and the distribution of three digestion fractions. Pearson correlation analysis revealed structure–function correlations, showing that crystalline ordering plays an important role in starch gelatinization behavior, whereas molecular packing is closely associated with pasting performance and in vitro digestibility. The distinct differences in starch properties, together with the identified structure–function relationships, provide a basis for targeted raw material selection in food processing and the development of functional foods with tailored digestibility characteristics.

Profiling and comparative evaluation of amino acids, in-vitro digestibility, and functional properties of moth bean, white pea, black gram, and red gram flours with structural and antioxidant assessment

Cereal arabinoxylans in nutrition and industry: extraction strategies, functional properties, and health implications-a critical review and future perspectives.

Arabinoxylans (AXs) are major non-starch polysaccharides found in cereals, attracting significant interest among cereal chemists, nutritionists, and food technologists for their technological and nutritional importance. Cereal-extracted arabinoxylans (CEAXs) exhibit a wide range of characteristics and yields, which vary based on the cereal source and the specific extraction or modification methods employed. Additionally, AXs are a family of biopolymers with useful industrial applications and functional properties like solubility, viscosity, gelling, and hydration. Notably, their complex fiber structure is associated with various health benefits, including prebiotic, antioxidant, and antidiabetic properties, making AXs particularly valuable in the medicinal and nutraceutical industries. AXs play a key role in supporting short-chain fatty acid production, regulating blood glucose, promoting beneficial microbiota, and enhancing antioxidant capacity. The current review elucidated extraction and modification strategies for obtaining arabinoxylans from cereals and by-products, and discussed the effects these strategies can have on yield, biochemical composition, molecular characteristics, and antioxidant activity. In this critical review, a significant gap in rational AXs ingredient design is addressed by synthesizing how extraction and modification strategies shape the structural features of cereal arabinoxylans and how these changes govern their functional and nutritional properties.

Recent advances in buckwheat (Fagopyrum Mill) polysaccharides: extraction and purification, structural characterization, and biological activities.

Buckwheat polysaccharides (BWPs), key bioactive constituents broadly distributed across tissues of Fagopyrum Mill, have received growing attention for their nutritional value and health-promoting functions in functional food research. This review consolidates recent progress in BWP extraction and purification strategies, structural elucidation, bioactivities, and prospective applications. Current preparation approaches include hot-water extraction, enzyme-assisted extraction, ultrasound and microwave-assisted techniques, as well as emerging green processes. BWPs are mainly complex heteropolysaccharides composed of monosaccharides, including glucose, arabinose, xylose, galactose, mannose, and galacturonic acid, with arabinoxylan and pectin-like polysaccharides as representative types. BWPs exert diverse bioactivities, notably antioxidant effects, modulation of glucose and lipid metabolism, immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory actions, anti-tumor potential, and improvements in gut microbiota composition. BWPs hold strong promise for applications in functional foods, nutritional interventions, and biomedical materials. Future studies should prioritize elucidating their mechanism of action, establishing clearer structure-activity relationships, and standardizing extraction processes to support scalable and high-value applications.

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

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.