The humble millets are breaking culinary stereotypes, as the ongoing international trade fair on millets and organics in Bengaluru proves. On display are various food items made from millets, ranging from pizza and burgers to chocolate items and popcorn.
University of Agricultural Sciences-Raichur has come out with more than 100 millet-based products, which is said to be the highest for any institution in Karnataka. They include millet pizza, burger, sweets, popcorn, cake, muffins, donuts, cookies, bread and flakes besides millet-based cold coffee.
Baked chakkuli
UAS-Raichur has also come out with millet chakkuli, which is baked and not fried. UAS-Raichur Assistant Professor Sudha Devi says that this foxtail-based chakkuli is healthier than the conventional one for several reasons, including the fact that it is not fried.
These products do not have any preservatives or maida component. “We have used whole wheat flour instead of maida,” she says. At the same time, the shelf life of some of these millet-based bakery products like bread are shorter when compared with the conventional ones, as they do not use preservatives. “But these millet-based products are healthier,” she says.
Rice look-alikes
The university has produced restructured particles of Little Millet that resemble rice grains both in shape and colour with the help of moulds. “This is mainly to cater to the interests of those who want even millets to be like rice,” she says.
UAS-Raichur Assistant Professor Umesh Hiremath says, “These products have been developed by the Centre of Excellence of Millets, which had been established at the university about five years ago.”
According to him, the university is the first Institution in Karnataka to have a centre dedicated to millets. The centre has been providing short and long-duration training to entrepreneurs on millet-based products.
Value-chain park
The university is getting ready to set up a Millet Value Chain Park, which will cover end-to-end solution starting from sowing seeds to value addition of the produce. The proposed park, which was sanctioned in 2021, is likely to be set up in about six months, he says.
