Assessment of finger millet germplasm in relation tonutritional perspective

Finger millets serve as a major food in resource-poor countries of Asia and Africa by providing 75% of total calorie intake next to fine cereal grains and gluten-free cereal products. Finger millet an ideal crop for use as a staple food and for famine reserve. The crop has dual importance as source of food grain as well as straw for fodder. Thirty one finger millet germplasm with four checks were obtained from AICRP on Small Millets, Zonal Agricultural Research Station, Kolhapur and used in this investigation. Proximate composition and mineral content analyses revealed significant variations in crude protein (6.23-7.76%), crude fiber (2.30-3.55%), ash (1.83-2.77%), calcium content (273-383 mg 100 g-1), magnesium content (142-193 mg 100 g-1), and zinc content (2.13-2.98 mg 100 g-1). Highest iron content was observed in KFMG 2266 with 4.33 mg 100 g-1 and highest phosphorus content was recorded in KFMG 2261 with 268 mg 100 g-1. The germplasm lines viz., KFMG 2236, KFMG 2272, KFMG 2270 and KFMG 2233 were found superior for ash, crude protein, crude fiber and low-fat contents. In case of mineral composition, the germplasm KFMG 2232, KFMG 2233, KFMG 2266 and KFMG 2274 recorded maximum mineral content which are good for health perspective. Out of 35 finger millet germplasm studied KFMG 2236, KFMG 2272, KFMG 2270, KFMG 2232, KFMG 2233 and KFMG 2266 showed overall superiority for nutritional and health perspective.