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

Carbohydrate make-up of different varieties (ie, Hallllla, Puma and IndoO of Finger
millet (Eleusi/le 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, flee sugars account for 0.46 to 0.69%, starch 56.0 to 61.0% cellulose 0.70 to
l80o/o, pentosans 5.50 to 7.lD%. 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%), maltotrlose (5 to 6.1 %), unidentified components (3 to
1O%) and higher oligosaccharides (510 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 contaiuing arabinose and xylose in minor
amounts. Hemicellulose B contained arabinose and xylose with smaller amounts of
glucose and galactose.