Millets as Functional Food, a Gift From Asia to Western World

Abstract Millets are a group of highly variable small-seeded grasses, mostly grown in Asia and the most important species are pearl millet, finger millet, proso millet, foxtail millet, and pearl millet. Proso millet is used for bird seed in the developed countries and for food in some parts of Asia. In China and Eastern Europe, foxtail millet is an important crop. Finger millet is widely produced in the cooler, higher-altitude regions of Africa and Asia both as a food crop and as a preferred input for traditional beer. Food security has been a major concern to the world’s population that is highly dependent on grains. Millets are nutritionally superior as their grains contain high amounts of proteins, minerals, flavonoids, polyphenols, and vitamins and could be used as functional food for prevention of noncommunicable diseases. Millets could be used to combat micronutrient malnutrition by bio-fortification of staple crops. Millets could be mixed in cakes, biscuits, cookies, bread, and pastries to provide proteins and the abovementioned micronutrients which may convert modern foods into functional foods.