A. KHATAK, CHARUL CHAUDHARY* AND R. B. GREWAL
Centre of Food Science and Technology, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar-125 004 (Haryana), India
*(e-mail : charulgoyal12@gmail.com)
(Received : February 23, 2018; Accepted : April 22, 2018)
ABSTRACT
Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum L.), also known as bajra, is a cereal crop grown in tropical semi-arid regions of the world primarily in Africa and Asia. Pearl millet is one of the most popular crops in India. It is nutritionally comparable and even superior to major cereals with respect to protein, fat, energy, vitamins & minerals. The present investigation was carried out to analyze the physico-chemical and functional and nutritional properties of white grain variety (ICMV-221), hybrid varieties (HHB-226, HHB-223 and HHB-197) and HC-20 variety of pearl millet. The 1000-kernel weight, bulk density, hydration capacity, hydration index, swelling capacity and swelling index of five varieties of pearl millet ranged from 7.86 to 13.47 g, 1.11 to 1.30 g/ml, 3 to 4 mg/seed, 0.37 to 0.44, 5 to 6 μl/seed and 0.28 to 0.53, respectively. The protein content in different varieties of pearl millet varied from 10.59 to 11.55%. The maximum fat content was found in HC-20 pearl millet variety i. e. 5.52%. The considerable variations in crude fibre (1.53-2.05%) and ash content (2.27-3.11%) were determined. The functional properties (water absorption and oil absorption, gelation capacity, gel consistency, emulsification capacity, flour solubility, swelling power and cooking time) were evaluated. Water absorption capacity of HHB-226, HHB-223 and HHB- 197 and HC-20 was 1.70, 1.67, 1.60 and 1.53 g/g, respectively. The oil absorption was found maximum in HHB-226 (1.45 g/g) and minimum in HHB-223 (1.15 g/g). Wide variation in gelation capacity was observed ranging from 8 to 12.5%. The values of flour solubility and gel consistency in different pearl millet varieties varied from 10.9-14.53% and 54.56-66.23 mm, respectively. The time required to cook the pearl millet grains of ICMV-221, HC-20, HHB-197, HHB-226 and HHB- 223 was 28.56, 26.34, 22.58, 26.23 and 22.52 min, respectively.
Key words : Pearl millet, physical characteristics, chemical characteristics, functional properties