Effects of acute consumption of a beverage based on extruded whole-grain pearl millet flour on glycemic and insulinemic control, food intake, and appetite sensation in eutrophic adults: A randomized cross-over clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: Whole-grain pearl millet is a nutritious cereal source of dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and bioactive compounds. It offers health benefits such as glycemic control and satiety. Extrusion cooking for diverse formulations, including beverages, can alter its chemical composition, impacting the nutritional value. This study aimed to evaluate the sensory acceptability of an extruded millet flour beverage and its acute effects on glycemic index (GI), glycemic and insulinemic response, food intake, and subjective appetite sensations in euglycemic and eutrophic adults. METHODS: This is an acute, single-blind, randomized, controlled, cross-over clinical study comprising 14 euglycemic and eutrophic adults. Initially, beverages based on whole extruded millet flour were developed, and sensorially and chemically analyzed. Next, a clinical trial was conducted with participants undergoing four sessions and consuming one of the following options: extruded millet beverage, a maltodextrin control beverage, or a glucose solution administered in two separate sessions. Blood glucose, insulin, and appetite responses were assessed over a 2-h period, in addition to determining the GI of the beverages and analyzing food intake in the 24 h following each session. RESULTS: The extruded millet flour strawberry-flavored beverage had the best sensory acceptance and was classified as having as high GI. Consumption of the extruded millet beverage showed similar glycemic and insulinemic responses, as well as appetite control and food intake of the subjects, when compared with consumption of the maltodextrin control beverage. CONCLUSIONS: Intake of the extruded millet beverage maintained glycemic and insulinemic responses, appetite control, and food intake in euglycemic and eutrophic subjects.

Germinated and non-germinated cooked whole millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) flours show a promising effect on protein quality, biochemical profile and intestinal health in vivo.

Millet is a promising cereal with high amounts of dietary fibre and protein, and in addition, bioactive compounds with health-promoting functional properties. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of germinated and cooked whole millet flour (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br.) on protein quality, biochemical profile and intestinal health in vivo. Thirty-two male Wistar rats (21 days old) were separated into four groups, which received a casein control diet (CC; n = 8), a free protein diet (aproteic; n = 8) and two treatment diets: non-germinated millet (NM; n = 8) and germinated millet (GM; n = 8) for 29 days. The whole millet flours presented an adequate essential amino acid profile, except for lysine. The GM group presented a higher protein efficiency ratio and net protein ratio compared to the NM group. Weight gain, Lee index, and food efficiency ratio were lower in the treatment groups, compared to the control group. The GM group had lower plasma glucose, uric acid, cholesterol, and faecal pH compared to the other groups. The treatment groups presented lower triglyceride levels, higher levels of acetic and propionic acids, a larger thickness and depth of the colonic crypts, and a higher expression of PepT1 genes than the CC group. In conclusion, the millet flours demonstrated potential for controlling the lipid profile and biometric measurements. Additionally, the whole germinated millet flour provided better protein quality and improved intestinal morphology and functionality. These results indicate that the consumption of millet could be increased in human food, and considering its potential health benefits, it could be an alternative for dietary diversification, and germination is a good processing option.