Foxtail millet: Properties, processing, health benefits, and uses

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica L.) is one of the earliest cultivated crops, extensively grown in the arid and semi-arid regions of Asia and Africa, as well as in some other economically developed countries of the world where it is more commonly used as bird feed. This article presents a comprehensive review of the physicochemical and health-functional properties of foxtail millet, and the processing technologies employed to improve these properties and develop more palatable food products. Foxtail millet contains significant levels of protein, fiber, mineral, and phytochemicals. Anti-nutrients such as phytic acid and tannin present in this millet can be reduced to negligible levels by using suitable processing methods. The millet is also reported to possess hypolipidemic, low-glycemic index, and antioxidant characteristics. This review concludes that, like most millet varieties, foxtail millet remains under-utilized as a food source. It is however receiving increased research and commercial attention, especially because its cultivation is not too demanding from point of view of agricultural inputs and it can grow in difficult terrains. It would be reasonable to surmise that foxtail millet has a promising role to play in enhancing nutritional and food security.