Revista de Processamento e Tecnologia de Alimentos

Abstrato

Studies on Nutritional and Anti-nutritional Contents of Finger Millet Varieties in Ethiopia

Mulate Zerihun*, Aserse Yenasew, Kebede Diada, Adane G/yohannes, Masresha Minuye, Amare Seyoum, Taye Taddese

In Ethiopia finger millet occupies 4% of the total area allocated to cereals grain production in the country. Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is one of the richest sources of nutrients compared to other minor cultivated cereal crops. Finger millet is rich in macro and micro nutrients indicating the crop has potential to enhance household food and nutrition security in the country. The present study was carried out to evaluate the nutritional and anti-nutritional value of released and improved finger millet varieties. Variation in proximate composition, minerals and anti-nutritional contents among twenty tone finger millet varieties were determined. The result showed that the proximate content was a significant (p>0.05) difference in the ash, moisture, protein, fat and fiber contents among the varieties. There was a significant (p>0.05) difference in calcium (Ca), iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) contents among the varieties. It contains the range between the protein (3.72- 7.68%), ash (2.04-3.42%), fat (1.024- 5.83%), moisture (10.87-14.27%), calcium (270-327mg/100g), iron (361.1-766.6mg/100g), zinc (102.4-583.0 mg/100g tannins (0.019-6.80%) and phytate (0.55-1.50%) contains. Therefore, this study showed finger millet had a lot of nutritional and anti-nutritional content of finger millet food products and it has an important impact on properties of finger millet. Anti-nutrients tannins and phaytate were negatively correlated to Fe and Zn contents. Therefore, when selecting finger millet for Fe and Zn the levels of anti-nutritional contents need to be considered.