Anitha, S and Tsusaka, T W and Kane-Potaka, J (2023) Do Millets Contribute to Food Safety Better than Maize and Other Staple Crops and Commodities? In: Pandemics and Innovative Food Systems. Food Biology Series, 1 . CRC Press, USA. ISBN 978-1-003-19122-3
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Abstract
Millets (broadly classified to include sorghum) used to be traditional staple food crops across Africa and Asia, which were largely replaced by the Big 3, rice, wheat, and maize. Millets are known for their health and nutritional benefits; however, their benefits toward food safety in comparison to maize and other major crops are not often highlighted. Existing studies show that although occasionally contaminated with toxigenic strains of Aspergillus flavus, the overall aflatoxin contamination is less compared to maize, groundnut, sesame, and bambara nut. In cases of extreme temperature, aflatoxin contamination in millets can go high, particularly during droughts and floods. Yet, in general, millets are less susceptible to two major mycotoxins, namely, aflatoxin and fumonisin, are richer in iron and zinc, and have a low glycemic index and good lipid profile, which help reduce the risks of diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. Additionally, finger millet provides an alternative source of calcium, containing three times as much calcium and a similar bioavailability percentage as milk, which is useful not only for marginalized individuals who cannot afford milk but also for lactose intolerant individuals. In this chapter, aflatoxin contamination in millets is discussed in detail as compared to maize and other major crops, along with other food safety and nutritional advantages of consuming millets.
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| Divisions: | Strategic Marketing and Communication |
| CRP: | UNSPECIFIED |
| Series Name: | Food Biology Series |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Food safety, Millets, Nutrition, smart food |
| Subjects: | Others > Smart Foods Mandate crops > Millets Others > Food and Nutrition |
| Depositing User: | Mr Nagaraju T |
| Date Deposited: | 05 Feb 2024 05:48 |
| Last Modified: | 05 Feb 2024 05:48 |
| URI: | http://oar.icrisat.org/id/eprint/12430 |
| Acknowledgement: | The authors acknowledge Mr. Md. Irshad Ahmed for preparing the crop production map using the FAO data. |
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