Finger Millet Bioactive Compounds, Bioaccessibility, and Potential Health Effects - a Review

Finger millet is among minor cereal grains that are underutilised. However, over the years, research interest in the millet has increased owing to its abundance of bioactive compounds. These compounds which include, among others, ferulic acid-rich arabinoxylans or feraxans, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, and quercetin have been associated with certain health promoting properties and have been found bioaccessible in the grain. Following the recent interest in natural curative substances over their synthetic counterparts in the treatment of food dependent diseases, finger millet has shown potential nutraceutical effects. Some important health effects such as antidiabetic, antioxidative, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties have been reported in recent trials with the grain. This review emphasises the dietary fibre - arabinoxylan, and phenolic compounds of finger millet and their properties, and further discusses available evidence on their bioaccessibility and bioactivity. The information presented will further explore the potential of finger millet utilisation, its bioactive compounds, bioaccessibility, and potential health benefits, in view of stimulating further research.