February 2024 - Collab - lists.millets2023.space

Supposed downsides of millets as food
by Don Osborn 20 Jul '24

20 Jul '24

We are by now used to hearing about the advantages of the various millets as nutritious food that are easily digested, and which have added advantages for people with specialized diets (namely low GI and gluten-free). There are, however, a couple of negative issues one may come across: that millets are goitrogenic; and that they have their own forms of gluten. I'd like to air those here in the interests of wide coverage of millets' nutritional characteristics, and to elicit any relevant info from list subscribers. 1. *Goitrogenic effects?* There has been research including millets among the various foods containing compounds which interfere with iodine uptake or thyroid function. This quote from the Encyclopedia of Human Nutrition provides some context: "Goitrogens are dietary substances that interfere with thyroid metabolism and can aggravate the effect of iodine deficiency. Most goitrogens do not have a major clinical effect unless they are consumed at high levels and iodine deficiency is present." https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/g… (this page has several articles) The compounds at issue in millets (as well as in soybeans, apparently) are flavonoids, which may act to "impair thyroid peroxidase activity," ("The Latest Research and Development of Minerals in Human Nutrition") https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/veterinary-science-and-veterinary-medi… I understand from our NAMA colleague Joni Kindwall-Moore that concerns at least one person has raised about millets in particular on this count are not widely held. 2. *Other forms of gluten?* A relative mentioned that one researcher (Peter Osborne, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jnlZaMzZaSk ) proposes that all grains have some form of gluten, and that all of those may pose problems for gluten-sensitive people. For context: "Gluten is a family of storage proteins — formally known as prolamins — that are naturally found in certain grains, such as wheat, barley, and rye. "Many prolamins fall under the gluten umbrella, but they’re most commonly identified by the specific grains in which they’re found. For instance, glutenins and gliadins are the prolamins in wheat, secalins are found in rye, and hordeins are found in barley." https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-gluten Dr. Osborne notes the following "forms of gluten" (i.e., prolamins) in three millets, and states that these grains plus oats, corn, and rice are "oftentimes considered to be gluten free even though technically they are not..." (at about minute 5:25 in his video): * Millet (presumably proso, but this is not stated): panicin (40% of total protein) * Sorghum: kafirin (52% of total protein) * Teff: penniseitin (11% of total protein) (The table with forms of gluten that is used by Dr. Osborne in his video can also be viewed at http://www.allergy-details.com/gluten-allergy-c/gluten-allergy-and-types-of… ) On the other hand, a nice short item on millets and allergies notes that "Panicin is the prolamine gluten protein in [proso?] millet. Because this type of gluten does not activate celiac disease, it is considered gluten-free." https://www.allergy-details.com/gluten-free-diet/gluten-free-food-gluten-fr… I'll leave this here, with the caveat that I have no expertise in these issues, and so am not in a position to evaluate claims or research findings relating to them. I look forward to others' comments. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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The tastes of millets (was Re: Collab Digest, Vol 25, Issue 14)
by Don Osborn 27 Feb '24

27 Feb '24

Thank you Gary, for these thoughts. It would be interesting to hear some of your stories. There are certainly different ways to spin it - might it be more a question of a "neutral" taste? And that among some more than other millets? Personally, I tend to think of grains in general (and most starch) as having subtle flavors - altho a few have stronger character. So they are consumed with something else (which is served alongside, or on top, or cooked together with). Regarding millets, the genesis of my thinking comes from an experience in 1987. Coming back to the US from several years in West Africa, where among the foods I was introduced to was "millet," I came across "millet" in the bulk bin of a store, and bought some with the idea of reconnecting with that flavor. Its appearance was different, and the taste was not at all the same. This was my introduction to proso millet. I had been eating pearl millet in West Africa, More recently - and especially since 2022 - I've experimented a bit with several millets to get a sense of what makes them unique. No great revelations (I'm more of a kitchen hack than a cook, TBH), but a sense that there's more going on here than we hear about. Should we set up a taste text with a range of millets for culinary experts from North America? Or arrange for use of experimental kitchens to explore comparative characteristics of these grains? Some millets may fill this neutral role, while others might go well in diverse foods highlighting aspects of their natural flavor. Anyway, it would be good to hear otther people's thoughts as well. All the best, Don DO, EL, MI, US NAMA On Sun. Feb 25, 2024 at 2:46 PM, Gary Wietgrefe via Collab < collab(a)lists.millets2023.space> wrote: What an amazing beneficial approach. Millet neutral—no taste! This is positioning we could not have achieved with the best NAMA press release. Though I like to cook and have traveled internationally for 50 years, one of the hardest jobs of chefs wherever is to take local foods and disguise offensive tannins, flavors, or after-effects and have them enjoyed by locals and visitors. Promoting millet’s generally neutral tastes means that cooks, chefs, brewers, butchers, bakers and even candlestick makers can use millet. The Wall Street Journal may have found the perfect approach to massive millet market positioning. Now we can says, “Use millet in all foods. Millet tastes are so mild all food processors can take advantage of millet. ‘“It’s the World’s Hot New Superfood. It ‘Has No Taste,’” so it will fit into all cuisines to take advantage of local flavors….Gary Wietgrefe

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Re: [Collab] Help accessing a WSJ article on millets
by Don Osborn 27 Feb '24

27 Feb '24

Thank you, Dipak, your help is most appreciated. It's normal on just about any topic related to food and ag to have a range of opinions. So it's interesting to read about some of these regarding millets in this feature article. I'll put together a short response, but note in the meantime that the authors incorrectly stated that the Year of Millets was declared by PM Narendra Modi's government, and no mention was made of the UN's role. (India was of course a key proponent in the UN for that declaration). This simple factual misstatement would have been missed by the WSJ editors. All the best, Don DO, EL, MI, US NAMA On Mon. Feb 26, 2024 at 11:42 AM Dipak Santra <dsantra2(a)unl.edu> wrote: Don, thanks for sharing. I have attached the full article to share with the community. Dipak Santra, Ph.D. *Professor (Alternative Crops Breeding Specialist)* President, International Broomcorn Millet Association Department of Agronomy and Horticulture University of Nebraska–Lincoln Panhandle Research & Extension Center 4502 Ave I, Scottsbluff, NE 69361 *From:* Collab <collab-bounces(a)lists.millets2023.space> *On Behalf Of *Don Osborn *Sent:* Saturday, February 24, 2024 9:13 AM *To:* collab(a)lists.millets2023.space *Subject:* [Collab] Help accessing a WSJ article on millets *Caution:* Non-NU Email I recently came across reference to a Wall Street Journal feature article critical of millets that I'd like to read and probably respond to. Does anyone have access to WSJ who can share the text of the article (under fair use doctrine)? "It's the World's Hot New Superfood. The Snag: It 'Has No Taste.'" By Shan Li and Rajesh Roy. Wall Street Journal. Oct. 20, 2023 https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/supergrain-millet-healthy-india-modi-2cc8b9d4 You may write me off-list at don(a)milletsalliance.org Thank you in advance, Don

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Re: [Collab] India loves millet?
by Don Osborn 27 Feb '24

27 Feb '24

Thank you, Robin, for sharing this article . That's a very strong statement by Prasad Metrani: "Millet will completely take over white flour or whole wheat." I'm curious to know which millet or millets in particular he has in mind when making such a prognostication. That could be the beginning of a very interesting conversation about flavors and cooking/baking characteristics of various millets. All the best, Don DO, EL, MI, US NAMA Ref: https://www.hotelierindia.com/fb/millets-will-completely-take-over On Mon. Feb 26, 2024 at 9:44 AM, Robin Asbell wrote: Sent from my iPhone -- Collab mailing list Collab(a)lists.millets2023.space https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab

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Help accessing a WSJ article on millets
by Don Osborn 26 Feb '24

26 Feb '24

I recently came across reference to a Wall Street Journal feature article critical of millets that I'd like to read and probably respond to. Does anyone have access to WSJ who can share the text of the article (under fair use doctrine)? "It's the World's Hot New Superfood. The Snag: It 'Has No Taste.'" By Shan Li and Rajesh Roy. Wall Street Journal. Oct. 20, 2023 https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/supergrain-millet-healthy-india-modi-2cc8b9d4 You may write me off-list at don(a)milletsalliance.org Thank you in advance, Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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India loves millet?
by Robin Asbell 26 Feb '24

26 Feb '24

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Re: [Collab] Collab Digest, Vol 25, Issue 14
by gww374＠gmail.com 25 Feb '24

25 Feb '24

What an amazing beneficial approach. Millet neutral—no taste! This is positioning we could not have achieved with the best NAMA press release. Though I like to cook and have traveled internationally for 50 years, one of the hardest jobs of chefs wherever is to take local foods and disguise offensive tannins, flavors, or after-effects and have them enjoyed by locals and visitors. Promoting millet’s generally neutral tastes means that cooks, chefs, brewers, butchers, bakers and even candlestick makers can use millet. The Wall Street Journal may have found the perfect approach to massive millet market positioning. Now we can says, “Use millet in all foods. Millet tastes are so mild all food processors can take advantage of millet. ‘“It’s the World’s Hot New Superfood. It ‘Has No Taste,’” so it will fit into all cuisines to take advantage of local flavors….Gary Wietgrefe Sent from my iPhone > On Feb 25, 2024, at 5:00 AM, collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space wrote: > > Send Collab mailing list submissions to > collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > collab-request(a)lists.millets2023.space > > You can reach the person managing the list at > collab-owner(a)lists.millets2023.space > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of Collab digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Help accessing a WSJ article on millets (Don Osborn) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2024 11:13:23 -0500 > From: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> > To: collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > Subject: [Collab] Help accessing a WSJ article on millets > Message-ID: > <CA+RHibX7hdE5cWKv7Fh3W8zmwkiOV4_yKPEm8msf46Km6KvXLQ(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > I recently came across reference to a Wall Street Journal feature article > critical of millets that I'd like to read and probably respond to. Does > anyone have access to WSJ who can share the text of the article (under fair > use doctrine)? > > "It's the World's Hot New Superfood. The Snag: It 'Has No Taste.'" By Shan > Li and Rajesh Roy. Wall Street Journal. Oct. 20, 2023 > https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/supergrain-millet-healthy-india-modi-2cc8b9d4 > > You may write me off-list at don(a)milletsalliance.org > > Thank you in advance, > > Don > > Don Osborn, PhD > (East Lansing, MI, US) > North American Millets Alliance >

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New revision of the "millets triangle" for 2024
by Don Osborn 22 Feb '24

22 Feb '24

The "millets triangle" was introduced in 2022 as a way to bring all cultivated millets together in one conceptual schematic, which could be used to convey certain kinds of information about them. It was revised in that same year, and recently I revised it again (this 2024 version is attached). The subject of millets can be a bit daunting. There are many of them, their common names can be confusing, they come from different regions, and some are widely grown & consumed, white others are very local. And behind all of that, the grains we call millets are botanically somewhat diverse. The placement of millets in the diagram is organized with three sets of relationships in mind: 1. Level of production, considered ona global level. So the millets are listed on four levels according to some rough criteria. 1a. Sorghum, which in terms of area planted and quantity of grain harvested is in a class by itself - totalling perhaps twice the volume of all other millets combined. This is a global crop with total annual production in the neighborhood of 60 million metric tons. 1b. The 4 most produced grains surnamed "millet," namely pearl millet, foxtail millet, proso millet, and finger millet. These have production probably between 2-15 million MT/yr, with pearl millet on the upper end of that range, and the others in the single digits. (Pearl millet by itself is said to have as much production as all the rest of the millets.) Each of these is a significant crop in more than one world region, and is traded to some degree internationally. 1c. Several other millets that are significant grain crops mainly in one world region and have annual production well under 1 million MT. Additionally there is some wider trade in these grains or products made with them. 1d. Several more millets that tend to be more local, with production probably under 0.1 million MT/yr,sometimes well below that. Trade in these is generally more local or perhaps regional. Included on this level are three genera - Panicum, Setaria, and Echinochloa - in which some number of species are or have been grown or managed for food in certain limited areas 2. Geographic origin. With only very minor exceptions (important in their own right, but rarely discussed on a global level), all the millets we are talking about come from two continents: Asia and Africa. So, in this diagram, millets of Asian origin are mainly to the left and those from Africa to the right. 3. Botanic relationships. Millet species of the same sub-family (of Poaceae), "tribe," and genus are placed in proximity (adjacent cells), to the extent possible, given the above criteria. Changes from the previous version: * Adlay / Job's tears is moved up a level, and browntop millet down. The former appears to have a larger production (on the order of 0.2 million MT/yr) than the latter, which is produced mainly in India (one estimate of production there was ~0.02 million MT/yr). * The open "others" cell is now "Other Echinochloa species." This is based on the fact that species in this genus other than E. frumentacea and E. esculentus are discussed in the literature as being in active cultivation. These include E. colona, and some others in southern China. These "barnyard millets" are for me at least the most confusing part of the millets space. * Cells shifted on the 3rd and 4th levels to retain proximity of geographic origin and of botanic relationships. * Edits to nomenclature for the two African Digitaria millets, known collectively as fonio. For most purposes, including international marketing, "fonio" means D. exilis, the more widely cultivated of the two. The other one, D. iburua, which is local in parts of Nigeria and into Benin, Togo, and perhaps Niger, has been known as "black fonio," due to the dark appearance of its grain hulls. My impression is that this has led to a back formation of "white fonio" for D. exilis. Currently, one also sees the Hausa loanword for fonio - "acha" - used to distinguish D. exilis from D. iburua, which is by the same toke referred to as "iburu" (the local name in central Nigeria that is incorporated into its scientific name). So the current rendition of names for these two in the millets triangle attempts to cover all bases. * The cells for raishan and Guinea millet were rotated horizontally in order to accommodate their respective geographical origins and botanic relationships (i.e., keeping those in adjacent/contiguous cells per the above criteria). How to use the "millets triangle"? The triangle can be used as such to facilitate an introduction to millets. It is possible to shade or color selected cells in order to situate discussion of certain millets in the larger context of the group as a whole. In the attached image, there are two examples. What's next? This is an ongoing project, but I personally do not anticipate any major revisions at this time - unless anyone spots some serious error(s). A new presentation of it and potential uses is envisioned. It would be nice to have a more polished image than what I was able to produce with my current skills and available software, if anyone is interested in helping on that. A dynamic and hyperlinked version could be Since it is open source, others may modify or adapt it as they wish, but please note the source (per the CC license). One could arrange the millets in some other fashion. There is certainly nothing sacrosanct about a triangle or pyramid form for this subject - that is just what occurred to me when thinking about the relative production levels of these crops. The rest of the thinking about botanic relationships and geographical origin then seemed to layer well (if not always easily) onthat base. Anyway,feedback and suggestions are invited. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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SAVE THE DATE - International Year of Millets Closing Event - Friday 29 March 2024 - Hybrid Event
by Dimitrova, Zdravka (NSP) 22 Feb '24

22 Feb '24

[cid:image001.jpg@01DA64CD.4860AEE0] S A V E T H E D A T E Friday, 29 March 2024 | 9.30-14.00 (CET) | FAO HQ - Sheikh Zayed Centre _____________________________ International Year of Millets Closing Event H Y B R I D E V E N T (Zoom, FAO Webcast, FAO HQ - Sheikh Zayed Centre) Register here<https://fao.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMvc-CuqjsrHd0Ss9RNwxlBYQL4b_VJXFPh#/…> The International Year of Millets (IYM 2023)<https://www.fao.org/millets-2023/en> has successfully raised awareness and directed policy attention to: the nutritional and health benefits of millet consumption; the suitability of millets for cultivation under adverse and changing climatic conditions; and the benefits of creating market opportunities for small scale producers through promotion of sustainable production systems for millets.  Join the IYM 2023 Closing ceremony to hear the achievements and lessons learned, and the challenges and opportunities identified for future investments to strengthen millets value chains around the world. Together, let's sow the seeds for a sustainable and nourishing future! The IYM closing event will include: 9.30 – 10.30| Roundtable discussion<https://www.fao.org/webcast/home/en/item/6472/icode/>: Research and development for the millets sector 10.30 – 11.30| Panel discussion<https://www.fao.org/webcast/home/en/item/6472/icode/>: How have millets had an impact on your life? 11.45 – 12.45| Reception & Exhibition visit 12.00 – 12.45| Speakers’ corner for interactive discussions 13.00 – 14.00| Official closing ceremony<https://www.fao.org/webcast/home/en/item/6473/icode/> of the International Year of Millets 2023 Click here<https://www.fao.org/millets-2023/events/detail/international-year-of-millet…> to check out the full agenda. Official hashtags: #IYM2023 #YearofMillets For more information, please contact international-year-millets(a)fao.org<mailto:international-year-millets@fao.org>. [A group of bowls of grains Description automatically generated]Contact: NSP-Director(a)fao.org<mailto:NSP-Director@fao.org> or World-Pulses-Day(a)fao.org<mailto:World-Pulses-Day@fao.org>

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Heads up: Closing ceremony of the IYM, 29 Mar 2024
by Don Osborn 18 Feb '24

18 Feb '24

The closing ceremony for the International Year of Millets will be a hybrid event, based in Rome, and scheduled for 29 March 2024. I understand that more information will be made available this coming week, including how to register to attend either in-person or virtually. In the meantime, this page is public and findable by web search, so you can get a sense of what is to come: https://www.fao.org/millets-2023/events/detail/international-year-of-millet… It is typical of International Years that the formal conclusion is scheduled on a date after the end of the calendar year. Best to all, Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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