The UN General Assembly declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, aiming to raise global awareness about the cereal's potential contributions to the SDGs, with a specific focus on SDG2 (zero hunger), SDG3 (good health and wellbeing), and SDG13 (climate action).
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Once overshadowed in traditional Indian cuisine, millets have gained popularity worldwide due to their exceptional nutritive value, empowering small farmers, addressing food security concerns, and offering various agricultural benefits. By increasing the prevalence of millets in diets across the globe, both in developing and high-income countries, by just 10%, there can be a significant increase in nutrient supply while simultaneously reducing the environmental burden.
Millets boast high nutritional content, rich in minerals, dietary fibers, proteins, and antioxidants. Furthermore, they are drought-resistant crops that thrive in poor, low-fertility soils under dryland conditions. This makes them a valuable asset for combating climate change and reducing synthetic fertilizer and pesticide usage.
The history of millets goes back thousands of years, with common millet (Panicum miliaceum) dating back to Neolithic China 10,000 years ago. Today, several types of millets are consumed globally, including sorghum (jowar), pearl millet (bajra), fonio (hungry rice or acha rice), finger millet (ragi), barnyard millet (jhangora), foxtail millet (kagni), and kodo millet. These varieties vary in color, size, and texture but share a similar nutritional profile.
Among the various millet types, finger millets have garnered attention due to their exceptionally high calcium content, making them a potent ally in combating mineral deficiencies prevalent in developing nations.
However, a critical challenge lies in the fact that millets are also rich in dietary fibers, which can hinder mineral bioavailability, meaning the body's ability to absorb minerals. To address this concern, a team of scientists supported by the WUN Global Research Group (Asia SDGs) embarked on a study to examine how dietary fibers impact mineral availability and metabolism in the human body.
The Global Research Group - Asia SDGs, initiated by the National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), aims to promote the best practices related to SDGs.
The study primarily focused on investigating how the primary dietary fiber in millets, arabinoxylan, interacts with calcium, zinc, and potassium. The findings revealed that the presence of two monosaccharides - xylose and arabinose - in the arabinoxylan structure significantly influenced the bioavailability of minerals.
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While dietary fiber was found to bind well with calcium and potassium ions, its binding capacity with zinc ions was relatively weak. The team highlighted that the high abundance of calcium in finger millets might be due to the unique structure of the dietary fiber. This finding opens up the possibility of developing high calcium biofortified millet varieties, which could play a crucial role in promoting bone health and addressing mineral deficiencies. However, the team emphasized that the ultimate bioavailability of calcium would depend on the gut metabolism of the mineral-fiber complex.
This groundbreaking research lays the foundation for further investigations into millet chemistry's impact on mineral bioavailability and the potential for different millet varieties to serve as rich sources of these vital minerals. Dr. Apramita Devi, the lead researcher from the University of California, believes that their research will pave the way for discovering millet types that are rich in bioavailable minerals, making them effective tools in promoting bone health and addressing mineral deficiencies in people of all ages. The study's findings bring hope for a healthier and more sustainable future, aligning with the objectives of the International Year of Millets and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
