Digestibility, total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum ) as affected by combination (malting and extrusion) processing

In this experiment, a new ready-to-eat meal was developed with pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum), using malting and extrusion processing alone and in combination. Samples included raw pearl millet, extruded raw pearl millet, extruded malted pearl millet and extruded (50% raw + 50% malted) pearl millet. The effects of the processes on the digestibility, total phenolic contents (by Folin-Coicalteau) and antioxidant activity (by oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) and ferric ion reducing antioxidant power (FRAP)), physical properties (expansion ratio (ER), water absorption index (WAI) and water solubility index (WSI)), were assessed and statistically analysed using one-way ANOVA. The processes had a significant effect (p ≤ 0.05) on ER, WAI, and WSI; protein and starch digestibility as well as antioxidant activity (FRAP), but not on total phenolic content and antioxidant activity (TEAC and ORAC).DUT and CPU