This document discusses the nutritional properties and benefits of finger millet. It begins by describing finger millet as a cereal grass grown for its grain, which is a staple food in African and South Asian countries. Finger millet is drought tolerant and can withstand stressful environments. The document then covers the health benefits of finger millet, noting that it aids in weight loss, bone health, diabetes management, lowering blood cholesterol and preventing anemia due to its calcium, amino acids, phytochemicals, and iron content. In conclusion, finger millet represents an important crop for the future given increasing global population and decreasing water supplies.

1. Finger Millet: A “Super-grain” to
Meet Nutritional Insecurity Under
Stressful Environments
Under the guidance
of
Dr. Sarika Yadav
Assistant Professor
ARJUN SINGH
M. Tech (FPOM)
Roll no. 618006

2. Contents
 Introduction: what is
Finger millet
 Vernacular names of
Finger millet
 Finger millet panicles
 Why its important?
 Why Finger millet?
 Health Benefits
Future studies
 Production trends in India
 Utilization pattern in India and the
world
 Utilization potential
 Processing technology
 Gaps in commercialization:
farm to fork constraints
 Value added products
 A new product development
using finger millet as base
ingredient
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3. Introduction: What is Finger
millet?
 Finger millet (Eleusine coracana (L.) Gaertn) is a cereal
grass grown mostly for its grain
◦ It is a robust, tufted, tillering annual grass, up to 170 cm
high (FAO, 2012; De Wet, 2006; Quattrocchi, 2006)
 A staple food in many African and South Asian countries
 It is considered as a helpful famine crop as it is easily
stored for lean years (FAO, 2012)
 Grain is readily digestible, highly nutritious and
versatile, and can be cooked like rice, ground to make
porridge or flour, or used to make cakes
 Sprouted grains are recommended for infants and
elderly people
 It is used to make liquor (arake or areki in Ethiopia) and
beer, which yields by-products used for livestock
feeding
 In India, it is sometimes used for feeding infant calves,
growing animals, as well as sick and convalescing
animals (Sampath, 1986).
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4. Vernacular names of Finger
millet
English Finger millet
Hindi Mandua
Sanskrit Nandimukhi, Madhuli
kannad Ragi
Tamil Kelvaragu
Telugu Ragulu
Malyalam Moothari
Marathi Nachni
Gujarati Nagli, Bavto
Bengali Mandua
Punjabi Mandhuka, Mandhal
Source: Sudha Devi G., Vilas, A. Tonapi, 2017,
Nutritional and Health benefits of Millets. ICAR-IIMR,
PP 112 ARJUN SINGH_M.TECH_NIFTEM_18-
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5. Finger millet panicles
The inflorescence is a panicle with 4-19 finger-like spikes that
resembles a fist when mature, hence the name finger millet
Source: (de Wet, 2006; Quattrocchi, 2006)
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6. Why its important?
◦ Due to their greater resistance to pests and diseases,
◦ Good adaption to a wide range of environment and their
good yield of production,
◦ Can withstand significant levels of salinity,
◦ Short growing season,
◦ Resistant to water logging,
◦ Drought tolerant,
◦ Requires little inputs during growth and
◦ With increasing world population and decreasing water
supplies represents important crops for future human use
Despite these unique characteristics, it has been
neglected for many years
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7. Why Finger millet?
 According to the World Summit on Food Security at
least 70% more food production is required by 2050
to feed the ever increasing population
 It would require annual increases of approximately
44 million tons, which is 38% above current annual
increases in food production (Tester and Langridge,
2010).
 Under this scenario, finger millet has gained focus
of scientific research for their extraordinary potential
to grow under high temperature, low moisture and
poor soils.
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8. Health benefits of Finger Millet
 Finger millet/ Ragi for losing weight:
◦ Ragi gets digested at a slower rate thus keeps one away from
intake of excessive calories
◦ Fibres present in ragi give a feeling of fullness thus controls
excessive food consumption
 • Finger millet/ Ragi for bone health:
◦ An excellent source of natural calcium for growing children
and aging people
◦ Ragi keeps diseases such as osteoporosis at bay and could
reduce risk of fracture
 Finger millet/ Ragi for diabetes:
◦ Finger millet’s phytochemicals help in slowing digestion
process. This helps in controlling blood sugar level in condition
of diabetes.
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9. Contd…
 Finger millet/ Ragi for lowering blood cholesterol:
◦ Finger millet contains amino acids Lecithin and Methionine
which help in bringing down cholesterol level by eliminating
excess fat from Liver.
 Finger millet/ Ragi for anaemia:
◦ Ragi is a very good source of natural Iron hence,
consumption helps in condition of Anaemia
(Source: Sudha Devi G., Vilas, A. Tonapi, 2017, Nutritional and
Health benefits of Millets. ICAR-IIMR, PP 112)
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10. THANK YOU
ARJUN SINGH_M.TECH_NIFTEM_18-
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