**2.3. Nutritional benefits**

Millets are rich sources of nutrients for both humans and animals. Saleh et al. [19] have compiled detailed information on the nutritional advantages of several millets. The grains of most millets possess levels of protein comparable to those of wheat but higher than those of rice [20] (Table 1). In addition, the seeds of finger millet contain valuable amino acids especially methionine [20], which is lacking in the diets of hundreds of millions of the poor who live on starchy staples such as cassava. Other reports indicate that finger millet is rich in lysine, threonine and valine [21, 22] while proso millet has plentiful leucine, isoleucine and methionine [23]. The seeds of fonio are also nutritious, especially in amino acids such as leucine, methionine and valine [24, 25]. Since proso millet is rich in essential amino acids including leucine, isoleucine and methionine, the protein quality of the grain is higher than that of wheat [23].

The grains of extensively cultivated pearl millet contain high amounts of starch, fibres and minerals [26, 27]. In general, millets have high amounts of vitamins, calcium, iron, potassium, magnesium and zinc [28].

The straws and crop residues of millets are also the main source of livestock feed for farmers in developing countries. In Ethiopia, compared to the straw from other cereals, the straw of tef is the most palatable to livestock and fetches the highest price [29].

### **2.4. Health-related benefits**

In addition to being nutritious, millets are also considered to be a healthy food. Two recent reviews examined the health-related benefits associated with millets [19, 6]. A number of leading newspapers and media have recently indicated the potential of millets particularly tef as a global lifestyle crop [30–32]. This is particularly due to the lack of gluten in the grain of tef [33] (Table 1). Gluten is a substance present in wheat and other grains that causes celiac disease or other forms of allergies. Similar to tef, several other millets, particularly foxtail millet, do not contain gluten.

Six millet species (namely kodo, finger, proso, foxtail, little and pearl millets) were shown to have an anti-proliferative property and might have a potential in the prevention of cancer initiation [34, 35]. The anti-proliferative property of these millets is associated with the presence of phenolic extracts. Among the first four millets indicated above, the maximum phenolic content was obtained in kodo millet while the minimum was in foxtail millet [36].

Finger millet is also a popular food among diabetic patients because of its low glycaemic index and slow digestion due to high fibre content [37]. The glycaemic index of little millet was also lower than that of rice, wheat and sorghum; hence, it is considered to be an antidiabetic grain [38]. The composition of useful antioxidants and related products could be enhanced through processing the grain. A study in little millet showed that the levels of phenolics, flavonoids and tannins were substantially increased by germinating, steaming and roasting soaked grains [39].
