Amino Acid Profiles and Compositions of Different Cultivars of Panicum miliaceum L.

Amino acids are valuable nutrients, responsible for a variety of tasks in the human body. A favourable amino acid profile in gluten-free crops, such as millet, can thus be beneficial for human health, which is why 35 proso millet (Panicum miliaceum L.) samples, comprising 23 whole and 12 dehulled, were investigated regarding their amino acid profiles and compositions using acidic hydrolysis and ion-exchange chromatography with ninhydrin derivatization and subsequent detection with photometry. Results for amino acid compositions were compared with gluten-containing wheat and other gluten-free cereals. Furthermore, gained values were put in contrast to estimated essential amino acid requirements for adult humans. The study was able to show that cultivars of proso millet differ and that dehulling does not significantly influence the amino acid compositions. Furthermore, the results display that Panicum miliaceum L. holds more essential amino acids than other gluten-free grains and exhibits high amounts of leucine and alanine. The methionine content differs greatly between samples, which means that choosing certain cultivars is important to ensure a high content. The most abundant amino acids in proso millet grains are glutamic acid/glutamine (2.13 +/- 0.34 g per 100 g), alanine (1.06 +/- 0.18 g per 100 g) and leucine (1.36 +/- 0.24 g per 100 g). Graphic abstract