Development of weaning food with prebiotic effects based on roasted or extruded quinoa and millet flour.

Weaning is the gradual process of introducing solids or semisolid foods into an infant's diet, in order to ensure their healthy growth. This study developed two kinds of formula weaning food based on roasted or extruded quinoa and millet flour, and evaluated their quality. A fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS)/galacto-oligosaccharide (GOS) mix was added to provide the prebiotic potential. The protein contents of the roasted quinoa-millet complementary food (RQMCF) and extruded quinoa-millet complementary food (EQMCF) were 16.7% and 17.74% higher, respectively, than that of commercial millet complementary food (CMCF). Both RQMCF and EQMCF provided sufficient levels of energy and minerals. Extrusion provided the foods with a lower viscosity, and higher solubility and water absorption ability than roasting. In vitro digestion results showed that EQMCF exhibited the highest starch and protein digestibility (89.76% and 88.72%, respectively) followed by RQMCF (87.75% and 86.63%) and CMCF (83.35% and 81.54%). The digestas of RQMCF and EQMCF after in vitro digestion exhibited prebiotic effects by promoting the growth of the probiotics (Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus delbrueckii). These results will contribute to developing complementary weaning foods for infants. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: This study has shown that extrusion is an efficient and stable processing method for producing infant complementary foods with low density, balanced nutrition, and high levels of starch and protein digestibility. Extruded quinoa-millet prebiotic complementary food can also promote the proliferation of probiotics. This will provide a new direction for developing novel infant formula weaning foods.

Comparative Physicochemical Evaluation of Starch Extracted from Pearl millet seeds grown in Sudan as a Pharmaceutical Excipient against Maize and Potato Starch, using Paracetamol as a model drug.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the current study was to compare the physicochemical and disintegrant properties of pearl millet starch with other starches using paracetamol as model drug. METHODOLOGY: Determination of percentage yield, Physicochemical, micrometrics characteristics of starch/granules, drug excipients compatibility studies and evaluation of prepared paracetamol tablets were measured using official techniques. RESULTS: The yield of the millet starch ranged from 30 to 40%. Moisture content 8.77%, pH 5.7, Swelling capacity 1.2, Hydration capacity 1.748, Moisture uptake 11.8%, Amylose 24.6%, with poor flowability and compressibility. No significant difference in hardness, friability% & disintegration times for formulations containing millet starch to that containing potato and maize starch (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: From the study, Millet seeds locally cultivated in Sudan gave a high yield of starch, has same physicochemical properties as maize and potato starch so can be used as an alternative to those starches.

Rheology and tribology properties of cereal and legume flour paste from different botanical origins.

Paste made from eight types of cereal grains (low fiber containing grains [LF grains]: rice, sticky rice, black rice, and millet; and high fiber containing grains [HF grains]: wheat, buckwheat, oat, and barley), and four types of legumes (soybean, red bean, kidney bean, and mung bean), were studied in terms of particle size, rheological, and tribological properties. Sticky rice and soybean pastes showed lower yield stress, viscosity and consistency coefficient than other pastes. Most cereal pastes showed a major peak at approximately 160 µm except for oat and barley, while legume pastes showed mono modal profiles except for soybean. Tribological results showed that starch tended to develop type A friction profiles, showing a typical Stribeck curve; bran/fiber tended to develop type B profiles, showing an ascent curve with clear onset of hydrodynamic regime; protein and lipids promoted type C profiles, showing a flat plateau shaped curve. Water soluble polysaccharides in grains or legumes could improve the paste lubrication. In general, 5% of the black rice paste and sticky rice in the LF grain group, and the soybean paste in the legume group, showed a low friction coefficient (µ) in the entire entrainment speed range; barley paste and oat paste in the HF grain group showed relatively low µ at low entrainment speed (0.5 mm/s) and medium entrainment speed (5 and 10 mm/s), respectively.

Nano-reduction of starch from underutilised millets: Effect on structural, thermal, morphological and nutraceutical properties.

Starch nanoparticles from pearl (Pe) and proso (Pr) millets were characterised for morphological, thermal, rheological and nutraceutical properties which are important parameters to be considered for predicting applicable domain of nanoparticles in food and other industrial applications. In the present study after using collision ball milling to achieve the nano-reduction, dynamic light scattering (DLS) revealed the average hydrodynamic particle diameter of 636 nm and 417 nm for nano-reduced pearl (PeN) and proso (PrN) millet starches. Further the nano-particles produced were having greater stability, as revealed by the data obtained for zeta potential. X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed loss of crystallinity in starch granules whereas attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) showed no difference in the basic functional groups but decrease in intensity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to elicit the changes in surface topography of starch granules upon nano-reduction. Post nano-reduction treatment various thermal transition temperatures significantly shifted to lower values. Results of anti-oxidant assays for prediction of nutraceutical potential revealed significant increase upon nano-reduction.

Potential for smart food products in rural Myanmar: use of millets and pigeonpea to fill the nutrition gap.

BACKGROUND: The present study examined the potential for 'Smart Food' with respect to contributing to the Sustainable Development Goal 2 of ending malnutrition by 2030, using a small-scale capacity building case study in Oe Be Village, Myingyan district, Mandalay region, Myanmar. Within the study site, refined white rice is the major staple, followed by vegetables and animal source food in inadequate quantities. The protein intake in this particular dry zone community meets only 50% of the daily requirement and even less for those children aged less than 23 months. Therefore, to determine the acceptance and opportunity for legumes and millets which are produced locally, nutritious formulations were introduced for various age groups. In addition, a sensory evaluation of the recipes was conducted to test the acceptance of the nutritious products. RESULTS: Two weeks of the inclusion of millets and pigeonpea in the diets of children aged 6-23 months had a positive impact on wasting, stunting and underweight (P = 0.002, 0.014 and 0.023, respectively). Moreover, the acceptability of these new food products by the children was found to be high. These results indicate an unexplored opportunity for specific millets rich in iron, zinc and calcium, as well as for pigeonpea rich in protein, if prepared in a culturally acceptable way. CONCLUSION: The impact and acceptability of this small scale and short-term intervention indicate the potential for Smart Food products in filling the nutrition gap arising from the traditional food consumption habits in the dry zones of Myanmar. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry.

Modifying the dough mixing behavior, protein & starch digestibility and antinutritional profile of minor millets by sprouting.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of sprouting (0, 12, 24, 36, 48 hr) on enzyme activity, protein solubility, dough mixing behavior, anti-nutritional components and in vitro starch and protein digestibility of minor millets. Sprouting decreased starch, fat, protein and ash contents while the dietary fiber content, amylase and protease activity significantly (p < 0.05) increased. Sprouting promoted a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in anti-nutritonal components like phytic acid and condensed tannin. The protein solubility enhanced that also resulted in improved protein digestibility (in vitro) of sprouted millets. Sprouting exerted a significant (p < 0.05) effect on mixolab dough rheology indicating a decrease in dough consistency (C1), peak and final viscosity whilst protein weakening and breakdown increased (p < 0.05). This process produced an increase in free glucose thereby improving rapidly digestible starch and increasing glycemic index. A significant (p < 0.05) reduction in resistant starch along with slowly digestible starch was promoted during sprouting. In conclusion, sprouting provides millet flours with modified nutritional quality and better technofunctional properties than the raw flours that may suggest their potential utilization in complementary food formulations and baked products.

Minerals and their bioavailability in relation to dietary fiber, phytates and tannins from gluten and gluten-free flakes.

Flakes are an assortment of grain products mainly consumed for breakfast. Most of them are important source of nutrients including minerals. Twenty commercial flakes from different raw materials were included in this study, both gluten (barley, rye, spelt, wheat) and gluten-free (amaranth, buckwheat, corn, quinoa, millet, oat, rice, teff). The content of minerals (Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na and Zn), dietary fiber (total, soluble and insoluble), tannins and phytates was determined. Moreover, the phytates:mineral molar ratios and the percentage of the realization of mineral requirements were calculated. For the first time the mineral bioavailability from the gluten and gluten-free flakes was evaluated and compared. It allowed indicating amaranth and teff products as flakes with the highest impact on the realization of daily requirements for minerals, especially for magnesium and iron. This aspect is particularly important for people on a gluten-free diet who often represent mineral deficiencies.

Effect of exogenous phytase added to small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) on the fractional and total absorption of zinc from a millet-based porridge consumed with SQ-LNS in young Gambian children: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Dietary phytate inhibits zinc absorption from composite meals in adults. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of adding exogenous phytase to a small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplement (SQ-LNS) on zinc absorption among young children. METHODS: In a double-blind randomized controlled trial, intraindividual differences in fractional and total absorption of zinc (FAZ and TAZ, respectively) from a millet-based porridge containing SQ-LNS with and without phytase were measured in 30 asymptomatic children 18-23 mo of age in the Kiang West district of The Gambia. Using a crossover design, children received for 1 d each porridge test meals with 20 g SQ-LNS containing 8 mg zinc and either 1) exogenous phytase or 2) no exogenous phytase. The test meals were provided on consecutive days in randomized order. FAZ was measured using a triple stable isotope tracer ratio technique with Zn-67 and Zn-70 as oral tracers and Zn-68 as the intravenous tracer. RESULTS: Twenty-six participants completed the study. The prevalence of stunting and wasting were 20% and 13%, respectively; no children had low plasma zinc concentrations (<65 µg/dL). Total mean ± SD dietary zinc intake from the test meals was 7.3 ± 2.2 mg (phytate:zinc molar ratio = 3.1 ± 0.3, not accounting for phytase activity). Mean FAZ increased from 8.6% ± 1.3% to 16.0% ± 1.3% when exogenous phytase was added to the SQ-LNS product (P < 0.001). Mean TAZ from test meals containing SQ-LNS with phytase was more than double that from test meals containing SQ-LNS without phytase (1.1 ± 0.1 mg and 0.5 ± 0.1 mg, respectively; P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of exogenous phytase to SQ-LNS increased both FAZ and TAZ. These results suggest that phytate reduction may be an important strategy to increase zinc absorption among young children. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02668133.

Nutritional and functional roles of millets-A review.

The available cultivable plant-based food resources in developing tropical countries are inadequate to supply proteins for both human and animals. Such limition of available plant food sources are due to shrinking of agricultural land, rapid urbanization, climate change, and tough competition between food and feed industries for existing food and feed crops. However, the cheapest food materials are those that are derived from plant sources which although they occur in abundance in nature, are still underutilized. At this juncture, identification, evaluation, and introduction of underexploited millet crops, including crops of tribal utility which are generally rich in protein is one of the long-term viable solutions for a sustainable supply of food and feed materials. In view of the above, the present review endeavors to highlight the nutritional and functional potential of underexploited millet crops. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Millets are an important food crop at a global level with a significant economic impact on developing countries. Millets have advantageous characteristics as they are drought and pest-resistance grains. Millets are considered as high-energy yielding nourishing foods which help in addressing malnutrition. Millet-based foods are considered as potential prebiotic and probiotics with prospective health benefits. Grains of these millet species are widely consumed as a source of traditional medicines and important food to preserve health.

Stable isotope and dental caries data reveal abrupt changes in subsistence economy in ancient China in response to global climate change.

Prior to the introduction of wheat and barley from Central Asia during the Neolithic period, northern Chinese agricultural groups subsisted heavily on millet. Despite being the focus of many decades of intensive interest and research, the exact route(s), date(s), and mechanisms of the spread and adoption of wheat and barley into the existing well-established millet-based diet in northern China are still debated. As the majority of the important introduced crops are C3 plants, while the indigenous millet is C4, archaeologists can effectively identify the consumption of any introduced crops using stable carbon isotope analysis. Here we examine published stable isotope and dental caries data of human skeletal remains from 77 archaeological sites across northern and northwestern China. These sites date between 9000 to 1750 BP, encompassing the period from the beginning of agriculture to wheat's emergence as a staple crop in northern China. The aim of this study is to evaluate the implications of the spread and adoption of these crops in ancient China. Detailed analysis of human bone collagen δ13C values reveals an almost concurrent shift from a C4-based to a mixed C3/ C4- based subsistence economy across all regions at around 4500-4000 BP. This coincided with a global climatic event, Holocene Event 3 at 4200 BP, suggesting that the sudden change in subsistence economy across northern and northwestern China was likely related to climate change. Moreover, the substantially increased prevalence of dental caries from pre-to post-4000 BP indicates an increase in the consumption of cariogenic cereals during the later period. The results from this study have significant implications for understanding how the adoption of a staple crop can be indicative of large-scale environmental and socio-political changes in a region.

New insights into Early Celtic consumption practices: Organic residue analyses of local and imported pottery from Vix-Mont Lassois.

The rich Mediterranean imports found in Early Celtic princely sites (7th-5th cent. BC) in Southwestern Germany, Switzerland and Eastern France have long been the focus of archaeological and public interest. Consumption practices, particularly in the context of feasting, played a major role in Early Celtic life and imported ceramic vessels have consequently been interpreted as an attempt by the elite to imitate Mediterranean wine feasting. Here we present the first scientific study carried out to elucidate the use of Mediterranean imports in Early Celtic Central Europe and their local ceramic counterparts through organic residue analyses of 99 vessels from Vix-Mont Lassois, a key Early Celtic site. In the Mediterranean imports we identified imported plant oils and grape wine, and evidence points towards appropriation of these foreign vessels. Both Greek and local wares served for drinking grape wine and other plant-based fermented beverage(s). A wide variety of animal and plant by-products (e.g. fats, oils, waxes, resin) were also identified. Using an integrative approach, we show the importance of beehive products, millet and bacteriohopanoid beverage(s) in Early Celtic drinking practices. We highlight activities related to biomaterial transformation and show intra-site and status-related differences in consumption practices and/or beverage processing.

Proanthocyanidins in cereals and pseudocereals.

Proanthocyanidins (PAs) are a class of oligomeric flavonoids found in a variety of plant foods. Intake of PAs in human diet has been associated with a reduced occurrence of various chronic disorders. Cereal and pseudocereal grains are staple food items. Grain genotypes containing PAs can be developed as functional foods to efficiently improve human health. This review summarises the occurrence of PAs in diverse grains, including rice, wheat, barley, sorghum, millets, buckwheat, and some forage grasses. Great diversity in PA structure and composition has been recorded. The biological activities of the grain PAs, such as antioxidant, antiinflammatory, anticancer, and antidiabetic capacities, are also reviewed. The bioavailability and metabolism of grain PAs in human digestive tract are discussed. Future research directions are suggested on how to improve our understandings of the chemistry of PAs in cereals and pseudocereals and of the biological properties for human health applications.

Digestible indispensable amino acid scores of nine cooked cereal grains.

True ileal digestibility (TID) values of amino acid (AA) obtained using growing rats are often used for the characterisation of protein quality in different foods and acquisition of digestible indispensable amino acid scores (DIAAS) in adult humans. Here, we conducted an experiment to determine the TID values of AA obtained from nine cooked cereal grains (brown rice, polished rice, buckwheat, oats, proso millet, foxtail millet, tartary buckwheat, adlay and whole wheat) fed to growing Sprague-Dawley male rats. All rats were fed a standard basal diet for 7 d and then received each diet for 7 d. Ileal contents were collected from the terminal 20 cm of ileum. Among the TID values obtained, whole wheat had the highest values (P<0·05), and polished rice, proso millet and tartary buckwheat had relatively low values. The TID indispensable AA concentrations in whole wheat were greater than those of brown rice or polished rice (P<0·05), and polished rice was the lowest total TID concentrations among the other cereal grains. The DIAAS was 68 for buckwheat, 47 for tartary buckwheat, 43 for oats, 42 for brown rice, 37 for polished rice, 20 for whole wheat, 13 for adlay, 10 for foxtail millet and 7 for proso millet. In this study, the TID values of the nine cooked cereal grains commonly consumed in China were used for the creation of a DIAAS database and thus gained public health outcomes.

Effect of skimmed milk and vegetable powders on shelf stability of millet-based composite flour.

BACKGROUND: Millet porridge is a major complementary food used in Uganda but it is limited in protein and micronutrients such as zinc and beta-carotene. Addition of milk and vegetable powders are known to greatly improve the nutrient content of millet flour. However, there was limited information on the shelf stability of the resultant composite flour. This study aimed at assessing the effect of milk and vegetable powders on the shelf stability of millet-based composite flour. RESULTS: There was a general increase in the moisture content, peroxide value (PV), free fatty acids (FFA), thiobaturic acid (TBA) and total plate count (TPC) of both composite and millet flours over the eight weeks storage period. However, higher moisture content, PV, FFA, TBA and TPC values were recorded in the composite flour compared to millet flour (control) at each sampling interval. Sensory evaluation results revealed that panelists preferred porridges prepared from millet only compared to those from composite flour. The degree of liking of porridges from both composite and millet flours generally decreased over the storage period. However, both porridges were deemed as acceptable by the end of the storage period. The TPC also remained below 105 cfu g-1 which is the maximum limit recommended by the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS). CONCLUSION: The study findings indicated that the addition of milk and vegetable powders negatively affected the stability of the composite flour. We recommend further studies to stabilize the product during storage. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Traditional Malian Solid Foods Made from Sorghum and Millet Have Markedly Slower Gastric Emptying than Rice, Potato, or Pasta.

From anecdotal evidence that traditional African sorghum and millet foods are filling and provide sustained energy, we hypothesized that gastric emptying rates of sorghum and millet foods are slow, particularly compared to non-traditional starchy foods (white rice, potato, wheat pasta). A human trial to study gastric emptying of staple foods eaten in Bamako, Mali was conducted using a carbon-13 (13C)-labelled octanoic acid breath test for gastric emptying, and subjective pre-test and satiety response questionnaires. Fourteen healthy volunteers in Bamako participated in a crossover design to test eight starchy staples. A second validation study was done one year later in Bamako with six volunteers to correct for endogenous 13C differences in the starches from different sources. In both trials, traditional sorghum and millet foods (thick porridges and millet couscous) had gastric half-emptying times about twice as long as rice, potato, or pasta (p < 0.0001). There were only minor changes due to the 13C correction. Pre-test assessment of millet couscous and rice ranked them as more filling and aligned well with postprandial hunger rankings, suggesting that a preconceived idea of rice being highly satiating may have influenced subjective satiety scoring. Traditional African sorghum and millet foods, whether viscous in the form of a thick porridge or as non-viscous couscous, had distinctly slow gastric emptying, in contrast to the faster emptying of non-traditional starchy foods, which are popular among West African urban consumers.

Chemometric analysis of minerals in gluten-free products.

BACKGROUND: Numerous studies indicate mineral deficiencies in people on a gluten-free (GF) diet. These deficiencies may indicate that GF products are a less valuable source of minerals than gluten-containing products. In the study, the nutritional quality of 50 GF products is discussed taking into account the nutritional requirements for minerals expressed as percentage of recommended daily allowance (%RDA) or percentage of adequate intake (%AI) for a model celiac patient. Elements analyzed were calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc. Analysis of %RDA or %AI was performed using principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). RESULTS: Using PCA, the differentiation between products based on rice, corn, potato, GF wheat starch and based on buckwheat, chickpea, millet, oats, amaranth, teff, quinoa, chestnut, and acorn was possible. In the HCA, four clusters were created. The main criterion determining the adherence of the sample to the cluster was the content of all minerals included to HCA (K, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn); however, only the Mn content differentiated four formed groups. CONCLUSION: GF products made of buckwheat, chickpea, millet, oats, amaranth, teff, quinoa, chestnut, and acorn are better source of minerals than based on other GF raw materials, what was confirmed by PCA and HCA. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Gluten-Free Flours from Different Raw Materials as the Source of Vitamin B1, B2, B3 and B6.

Gluten-free (GF) products are those with a natural absence or acceptable level (<20 mg/kg) of gluten. They should be a part of a diet for people with gluten-related disorders, like celiac disease. Recently the popularity of a gluten-free diet (GFD) has risen extremely, because a lot of healthy individuals exclude gluten from their menus. According to the literature data on nutritional deficiencies in the GFD, this trend seems to be risky. This paper describes the nutritional value of 14 flours from different GF raw materials from the aspect of B-group vitamin content (B1, B2, B3, B6). Vitamins were determined using high performance liquid chromatography after enzymatic and acid hydrolysis of the samples. The vitamin contents significantly differed in the analysed flours. The content (in 100 g of the product) of vitamin B1 ranged from 0.01 mg (amaranth flour) to 0.60 mg (teff flour), vitamin B2 from 0.03 mg (GF flour with oats) to 0.22 mg (buckwheat flour), vitamin B3 from below 0.01 mg (amaranth flour) to 6.02 mg (millet flour), and vitamin B6 from 0.03 mg (acorn flour) to 0.69 mg (amaranth flour). The content of vitamins in the analysed GF flours was also compared to gluten-containing flours. Obtained results indicate that flours from teff, millet, chestnut, buckwheat, and amaranth are better sources of certain B-group vitamins than flours from corn, rice, and some flours with gluten.

Stable C &N isotopes in 2100 Year-B.P. human bone collagen indicate rare dietary dominance of C4 plants in NE-Italy.

C4 plants (e.g. maize, millet), part of our current diet, are only endemic of reduced areas in South-Europe due to their need of warm climates. Since the first vestiges of agriculture in Europe remains of C4 plants were recorded but their overall proportion in the human diet remains unknown. Therefore, isotopic (δ13C and δ15N) composition of bone collagen from the skeletal remains (human and animals) of a Celtic population, Cenomani Gauls, from Verona (3rd to 1st century BC) in the NE Italy provide a new perspective on this matter. The δ13C collagen values of 90 human skeletal individuals range between -20.2‰ and -9.7‰ (V-PDB) with a mean value of -15.3‰. As present day C4 plants have δ13C values around -11‰, which is equivalent to -9.5‰ for samples of preindustrial age, the less negative δ13C values in these individuals indicate a diet dominated by C4 plants. This palaeodietary study indicates that some European populations predominantly consumed cultivated C4 plants 2100 year B.P. This is supported by the paleobotanical records and ancient Roman sources (e.g. Pliny the Elder), which indicate that millet was a staple food in South-Europe.

Simultaneous inclusion of sorghum and cottonseed meal or millet in broiler diets: effects on performance and nutrient digestibility.

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the use of sorghum, cottonseed meal and millet in broiler diets and their interaction when they are used simultaneously. In Experiment 1, a corn-soybean meal control diet was compared with eight experimental treatments based on low tannin sorghum (S30, S45 and S60), cottonseed meal (CM15, CM40) or both ingredients included in the same diet (S30/CM40, S45/CM25 and S60CM15). Results showed that BW gain was not affected by the inclusion of sorghum or cottonseed meal. However, feed intake tended to be affected by the cereal type with the highest values with sorghum-based diets. Feed conversion ratio increased (P<0.001) with sorghum-based diets compared with the control diet, whereas a combination of cottonseed meal and sorghum in the same diet did not affect the feed conversion ratio. Significant differences (P<0.001) were observed in apparent ileal digestibility (%) of protein and energy with the cottonseed meal and sorghum/cottonseed meal-based diets having lower protein and energy digestibility compared with corn-based diets. In Experiment 2, a control diet was compared with six diets in which corn was substituted at 60%, 80% or 100% by either sorghum or millet and other three diets with simultaneous inclusion of these two ingredients (S30/M30, S40/M40, S50/M50). Single or combined inclusion of sorghum and millet resulted in similar feed intake and growth performance as the control diet. Apparent ileal digestibility of protein and energy was higher with millet-based diets (P<0.001). Total tract digestibility of protein in sorghum and millet-based diets tended to decrease linearly with the increasing level of substitution. Sorghum-based diets resulted in lower total tract digestibility of fat compared with millet and sorghum/millet-based diets (P<0.001). Higher total tract digestibility of starch were obtained with the control diet and millet-based diets compared with the sorghum-based treatments. Results of the two experiments suggest that broiler growth performance was not affected by the dietary level of sorghum, millet or cottonseed meal. Nutrient digestion can, however, be affected by these feed ingredients.