Carbohydrate composition of finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica)

Abstract

Carbohydrate make-up of different varieties (ie, Hamsa, Purna and Indof) of Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) has been studied. All the millets contain about 63 to 70% total carbohydrates of which, based on the whole grains, free sugars account for 0.46 to 0.69%, starch 56.0 to 61.0% cellulose 0.70 to 1.80%, pentosans 5.50 to 7.20%. 70% ethanol-extractable sugars were xylose (1.5 to 4.3%), fructose (8.6 to 15%), glucose (9.9 to 15%), sucrose (31 to 35%), maltose (9 to 11.0%), raffinose (8.6 to 12%), maltotriose (5 to 6.1%), unidentified components (3 to 10%) and higher oligosaccharides (5to 9%). The watersoluble gums of the millets contain arabinose and xylose as the major sugar components together with minor amounts of mannose and galactose, and varying amounts of glucose. Hemicellulose A was found to consist mainly of glucans containing arabinose and xylose in minor amounts. Hemicellulose B contained arabinose and xylose with smaller amounts of glucose and galactose.