Preparation of semolina from foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and evaluation of its quality characteristics.

Foxtail millet was evaluated for its potential to prepare semolina. It was observed that the millet needed
pre-treatment to obtain uniform sized semolina fractions. The pre-treated millet was evaluated for
dehusking efficiency, hardness, color and milling yield of the semolina fractions. It was observed that
steaming was beneficial compared to roasting and dry heat treatment. The millet steamed for 15 minwas
polished to two different grades and milled to prepare coarse and fine semolina. The yield of the coarse
semolina was 75% and that of the fine semolina was 18%. It was observed that fat, protein, dietary fiber
and ash contents decreased with increase in the degree of polishing. The fine semolina fractions contained
slightly higher fat and protein contents compared to their coarse counterpart. The solubility index
of coarse fractions was higher than that of the fine fractions at ambient temperature and the trend
reversed at 97 �C. The gelatinization temperature of fine fraction was comparatively higher than that of
the coarse semolina while viscosity parameters were higher for the coarse semolina compared to the fine
fraction. The studies indicated that the millet with 3% polishing was suitable for the preparation of
semolina with retained nutrient contents.