The CSIR-Central Food Technological Research Institute (CFTRI), Mysuru, which is a nodal agency for the Millet Mission that was launched after the declaration of 2023 as the International Year of Millets, is now preparing to come out with a compendium on millet recipes collecting recipes used by the people in various regions of the country for popularising consumption of millets.
The move is aimed at increasing the consumption of millets, providing diverse recipes in millets, considering their health benefits which will also be studied in detail at the institute.
This is in addition to the research being carried out at the CFTRI here where scientists are engaged in analysing the nutritional value of millets. As many as 100 millet varieties are being researched to evaluate their nutritional worth. Besides looking into various nutritional aspects in the varieties, the premier institute will also look at other factors that are lesser known that could throw more light on why millet consumption needs to be popularised.
Since the announcement of the Millet Mission, the CFTRI has developed more than 15 technologies on millets. This is in addition to about 40 technologies that are already launched by the institute and this includes ragi ball making machine which has been successfully adopted by various institutes and organizations considering its value.
CFTRI Director Dr. Sridevi Annapurna Singh told reporters in Mysuru on Tuesday, December 5, that the technologies had been transferred to the interested agencies and cited the example of a woman SHG at Bilikere near Mysuru which has successfully adopted the technologies and made products out of millets.
Recipe booklet on millets is under way and is also part of the Millet Mission for which the Government of India sanctioned a sum of ₹19 crore.
“We need to analyse the health aspects of eating millet. This will take some time and the process has begun. It’s an 18-month project and we are in the process of validating the information available. The millet recipe book may take about a year or two to get published,” she added.
The shelf life of millets was also being looked at, she said.
Tribal recipes of millets were also included in our research and the institute consulted the Janapada Loka near Bengaluru for throwing light on the recipes, Dr. Singh said.
The recipes will not just be confined to Karnataka but also other States where millets are popular and consumed regularly by the people. “Once the nutritional evaluation is done, we shall look into various other aspects such as preparation of foods and so on.”
Dr. Singh said the project had been supported by nine other CSIR labs and it’s a big project on the millets.
The institute is also studying whether the waste after millet processing can be converted into biodegradable items such as plates, cutlery and so on. Popularising millet consumption is our priority and clinical trials will have to be carried out to analyse certain aspects, she explained.
