Development and characterisation of Pearl millet balls: Effect of moisture content on functional and pasting, and structural properties of flour and on globulation of balls

Sago is a popular starch -based food ingredient in India, used in several cuisines for diverse gastronomic experiences. Tapioca starch from has been explored for sago production. The sago industry has a high demand for chemical- and residue -free starch -based balls, and there has been a lot of investigation into viscosity and gelling properties. Millets are ubiquitous sources of nutrition and have a profound role in rendering nutritional value. Thus, this study utilized pearl millet flour in pearl millet ball preparation at varied hydration levels (30, 40, and 50% db). The functional properties of pearl millet flour were assessed and it was observed that moisture content played a crucial role in the sizing of pearl millet balls. Furthermore, 40% moisture content -sized pearl millet balls were found to exhibit good quality attributes. The water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, solubility index, and swelling power of pearl millet balls were found to be 1.32(g/g), 1.54(g/g), 6.4(%), and 4.1(g/g), respectively. The obtained results proved that millet flour can be a potential candidate for making nutritious sago. Overall, this study forms the proof of concept for tapping the potential of pearl millet in the development of millet -based valuable food products.