March 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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Seeking Pearl Millet Seed
by Steve DeWitt 24 Apr '24

24 Apr '24

I have been searching for a source of grain type Pearl Millet seed for planting in Oklahoma this Spring. There are plenty of forage hybrids available, but I’ve had no luck finding a shorter statured grain variety. 10 to 50 pounds is sufficient. Any referrals or contacts are greatly appreciated. Steve DeWitt Willow Creek Farms wcfarms2010(a)icloud.com Sent from my iPhone

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Re: [Collab] Collab Digest, Vol 26, Issue 6
by Gary Wietgrefe 01 Apr '24

01 Apr '24

Don, I appreciated your reply to the WSJ. Ignoring the article would confirm the premise. As David suggested, millet is a rice alternative, just like bulgar wheat. When millet reaches the U.S. food market share of bulgar wheat, millet needs to step up to the share of pearl barley, rye (breads), oats (rolled, meal, milk), then millet would be on its way to reaching the share of durum wheat, and etcetera...just like other grains are trying to get to millet's market share of wild birdfeed. Today's closing ceremony of International Year of Millets proved increased awareness of millets worldwide with speakers from Algeria, Australia, and Minnesota, plus the expected substantial representation of India and central Africa. It didn't just happen. India and the U.N. took the lead highlighting millet uses through news media. As suggested with waxy, someone, likely this group, needs to take the lead with U.S. millet news articles. It is not enough to just respond when some entity, as unlikely as the WSJ, randomly gives millet a bit of recognition....Gary Wietgrefe On Fri, Mar 29, 2024 at 6:01 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. Re: Reply to WSJ article on "millet" having "no taste" > (Don Osborn) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2024 09:06:41 -0400 > From: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> > To: "Brenner, David (CTR) - REE-ARS" <david.brenner(a)usda.gov> > Cc: Joni Kindwall-Moore <joni(a)snacktivistfoods.com>, > "collab(a)lists.millets2023.space" <collab(a)lists.millets2023.space> > Subject: Re: [Collab] Reply to WSJ article on "millet" having "no > taste" > Message-ID: > <CA+RHibXPTUq= > jwGGkyV9a3a2R1b2yS4xkmWJpkAAA21iXHuLqQ(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Thank you for your replies, > > Joni, the article does seem to be an outlier, which is not to suggest that > all coverage on millets has to be the same or uniformly positive. But here > I get the sense that the object was to find some catchy juxtaposition (per > clickbait, as you put it). It missed on some fundamentals, as I see it - > namely: omission of mention of the International Year of Millets; no a > clear indication that the authors understood that "millet" is not one > thing, culinarily; and no delving into the premise of "no taste." A more > productive angle, if they wanted to focus on the matter of flavors of > millets, might have been to ask if taste might be a factor in the decline > of popularity of millets relative to major cereal grains in India (since > that country was the setting for the effort we are reviewing), and if it > might be a factor in their revival. Not sure that would have worked either, > but it might have been more thought provoking. > > This short feature article does not seem to have had much play in any media > space, so it may not be helpful to write a formal reply. On the other hand, > it might be worth cultivating relations with food writers at the WSJ and > other news organizations. It's good that millets (even if just "millet") > got some recognition in this paper - has it run any straight news pieces on > millets or the IYM?. Maybe an invitation rather than a rebuttal would yield > a better harvest? > > David, I actually have a waxy (glutinous [not glutEn as we know], or > "sticky") proso millet in my kitchen. I've only used it as a grain > component in a stew, with the thought that its physical qualities help make > the sauce part more viscous (I'm more of a food hacker than a cook, but the > resulta aren;t bad. My impression generally is that the flavor isn't > significantly different. In the case of rice, for me, sticky rice is > comfortably in the range of rice flavors. If you have a market specializing > in Chinese foods, it should be easy to find sticky ("nuo") millets: proso > ("da-hwang-mi") or foxtail ("xiao-mi"). > > Regarding flavors of millets generally, I'd still like to see some "blind" > taste tests. Is there enough of a millets constituency at Iowa State to > arrange such a thing, say this fall? > > Best to all, > > Don > > DO, EL, MI, US > NAMA > > > On Mon, Mar 25, 2024 at 11:29?AM Brenner, David (CTR) - REE-ARS < > david.brenner(a)usda.gov> wrote: > > > If this were a taste race with rice some millets could win placing near > > bulgar wheat. I would like to enter waxy versions of millets in the same > > race, but I have never tasted them, so I just guess they are wonderful. > > Cooks make whole-plate compositions, as Don says. For example, we still > > have vanilla ice cream even though chocolate ice cream and sherbert are > > available. David Brenner > > > > ------------------------------ > > *From:* Collab <collab-bounces(a)lists.millets2023.space> on behalf of > Joni > > Kindwall-Moore <joni(a)snacktivistfoods.com> > > *Sent:* Monday, March 25, 2024 9:30 AM > > *To:* Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> > > *Cc:* collab(a)lists.millets2023.space <collab(a)lists.millets2023.space> > > *Subject:* [External Email]Re: [Collab] Reply to WSJ article on "millet" > > having "no taste" > > > > [External Email] > > If this message comes from an *unexpected sender* or references a > *vague/unexpected > > topic;* > > Use caution before clicking links or opening attachments. > > Please send any concerns or suspicious messages to: Spam.Abuse(a)usda.gov > > Yes, it was clear that it was just a 'click bait' silly article for the > > reasons you mentioned above Don. What a wasted of journalism space. We > > should write a rebuttal and approach the WSJ with it. > > > > On Sun, Mar 24, 2024 at 8:04?PM Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> > > wrote: > > > > Here is my reply to the Wall Street Journal article that characterised > > "millet" as a "superfood" with "no taste." Thank you again to Prof. > Dipak > > Santra for enabling us to access the full article. Thanks also to Gary > > Wietgrefe for his take on this issue, which I used in the third ("So > > what?") question I raised. This was posted to LinkedIn on Friday 3/22. > DO > > > > > > The Wall Street Journal ran a feature article last fall that was less > than > > favorable about hashtag#millets from the perspective of hashtag#flavor - > > "It?s the World?s Hot New Superfood. The Snag: It ?Has No Taste.?"* > > Although the authors cover some useful points - and one is never upset to > > see more discussion about millets - I'd like to engage with the premise > of > > "no taste." To do so I'll pose three questions: What are we talking > about? > > What are we expecting? & So what? > > > > First, however, wanted to express surprise that no reference was made in > > the article to the larger context of Indian P.M. Narenda Modi's interest > in > > these grains, namely, the International Year of Millets (2023). How could > > the authors and the WSJ editors fail to mention this observance, the > > promotion of which has been a major project of P.M. Modi's government, > and > > which was ongoing at the time of publication? > > > > My three questions about the article's premise that millets have no > taste, > > and thoughts about them, follow: > > 1. What are we talking about? The article is one of those which uses the > > singular "millet" throughout, and this generally raises the question of > > whether the authors are referring to (a) one specific kind of millet, > being > > unaware of other kinds, or rather (b) all kinds of millets, seen as > having > > the same characteristics. In this case, I'll assume that the authors > (Shan > > Li and Rajesh Roy) are aware of the plurality of millets, but for > whatever > > reason, treat them as so similar as to present as one thing in foods (b). > > > > In fact, millets are not the same. Personally I found this out years ago > > when buying one "millet" thinking it was another, and finding out that > the > > taste was totally different. Today, some millets like proso and fonio are > > described as having a slightly "nutty" flavor (this adjective is > admittedly > > overused), although I've also seen proso once compared to roasted corn > (not > > sure I'd agree, but it's clearly not without taste). Others, like little, > > kodo, barnyard, are flatter in taste, closer to rice. One author > described > > finger millet as having a chocolatey flavor. Pearl millet has yet another > > flavor, which I find unique. > > > > 2. What are we expecting? Grains in general have subtle flavors, and > > millets are no exception. They bring notes and textures to a dish or > > confection, as well as bulk (esp. in high-starch diets), but aren't there > > to dominate. Even bread, typically built around wheat flour, includes a > few > > or even many other ingredients - and then is eaten as a side or with a > > spread. > > > > 3. So what if they did have "no taste"? Who normally eats a grain without > > accompaniment of some sort? Even if a millet is perceived as being bland, > > I'd argue that the issue is what combinations work best with it. Food > > cultures of Asia and Africa may be well-established in this respect, but > > there is opportunity to experiment further everywhere - and that's the > key > > message I'd propose at this point. > > > > * WSJ, 20 Oct 2023 > > > https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/supergrain-millet-healthy-india-modi-2cc8b9d4 > > > > > > Don Osborn, PhD > > (East Lansing, MI, US) > > North American Millets Alliance > > > > > > -- > > Collab mailing list > > Collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > > https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab > > > > > > > > > > > > This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely > > for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this > message > > or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the > law > > and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe > you > > have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete > > the email immediately. > > >

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Reply to WSJ article on "millet" having "no taste"
by Don Osborn 28 Mar '24

28 Mar '24

Here is my reply to the Wall Street Journal article that characterised "millet" as a "superfood" with "no taste." Thank you again to Prof. Dipak Santra for enabling us to access the full article. Thanks also to Gary Wietgrefe for his take on this issue, which I used in the third ("So what?") question I raised. This was posted to LinkedIn on Friday 3/22. DO The Wall Street Journal ran a feature article last fall that was less than favorable about hashtag#millets from the perspective of hashtag#flavor - "It’s the World’s Hot New Superfood. The Snag: It ‘Has No Taste.’"* Although the authors cover some useful points - and one is never upset to see more discussion about millets - I'd like to engage with the premise of "no taste." To do so I'll pose three questions: What are we talking about? What are we expecting? & So what? First, however, wanted to express surprise that no reference was made in the article to the larger context of Indian P.M. Narenda Modi's interest in these grains, namely, the International Year of Millets (2023). How could the authors and the WSJ editors fail to mention this observance, the promotion of which has been a major project of P.M. Modi's government, and which was ongoing at the time of publication? My three questions about the article's premise that millets have no taste, and thoughts about them, follow: 1. What are we talking about? The article is one of those which uses the singular "millet" throughout, and this generally raises the question of whether the authors are referring to (a) one specific kind of millet, being unaware of other kinds, or rather (b) all kinds of millets, seen as having the same characteristics. In this case, I'll assume that the authors (Shan Li and Rajesh Roy) are aware of the plurality of millets, but for whatever reason, treat them as so similar as to present as one thing in foods (b). In fact, millets are not the same. Personally I found this out years ago when buying one "millet" thinking it was another, and finding out that the taste was totally different. Today, some millets like proso and fonio are described as having a slightly "nutty" flavor (this adjective is admittedly overused), although I've also seen proso once compared to roasted corn (not sure I'd agree, but it's clearly not without taste). Others, like little, kodo, barnyard, are flatter in taste, closer to rice. One author described finger millet as having a chocolatey flavor. Pearl millet has yet another flavor, which I find unique. 2. What are we expecting? Grains in general have subtle flavors, and millets are no exception. They bring notes and textures to a dish or confection, as well as bulk (esp. in high-starch diets), but aren't there to dominate. Even bread, typically built around wheat flour, includes a few or even many other ingredients - and then is eaten as a side or with a spread. 3. So what if they did have "no taste"? Who normally eats a grain without accompaniment of some sort? Even if a millet is perceived as being bland, I'd argue that the issue is what combinations work best with it. Food cultures of Asia and Africa may be well-established in this respect, but there is opportunity to experiment further everywhere - and that's the key message I'd propose at this point. * WSJ, 20 Oct 2023 https://www.wsj.com/world/asia/supergrain-millet-healthy-india-modi-2cc8b9d4 Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Join us for the International Year of Millets Closing Event - Friday 29 March 2024 - Hybrid Event (FAO and online) - REGISTER AND SHARE IT!
by Dimitrova, Zdravka (NSP) 28 Mar '24

28 Mar '24

[cid:0cb98e5bfffd928b01e69374d5728ebe8fa988cfe15879f33614cbd391977b9f] International Year of Millets Closing Event _____________________________ Friday, 29 March 2024 | 9.30-14.00 (CET) | FAO HQ - Sheikh Zayed Centre H Y B R I D E V E N T (Zoom, FAO Webcast, FAO HQ - Sheikh Zayed Centre) Click here<https://www.fao.org/millets-2023/events/detail/international-year-of-millet…> to check out the full agenda Register here<https://fao.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMvc-CuqjsrHd0Ss9RNwxlBYQL4b_VJXFPh#/…> Interpretation will be provided in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese The International Year of Millets (IYM 2023) Closing Event will include: 9.30 – 10.30| Roundtable discussion: Research and development for the millets sector 10.30 – 11.30| Panel discussion: How have millets had an impact on your life? 11.45 – 12.30| Light lunch & Exhibition visit (Atrium) 11.45 – 12.30| Speakers’ corner for interactive discussions (Atrium) 12.30 – 13.00| Cooking demonstration with Chef Binta (Atrium) 13.00 – 14.00| Official closing ceremony of the International Year of Millets 2023 Together, let's sow the seeds for a sustainable and nourishing future! Official hashtags: #IYM2023 #YearofMillets For more information, please contact international-year-millets(a)fao.org<mailto:international-year-millets@fao.org> and visit the IYM website<https://www.fao.org/millets-2023/en>. [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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Little millet was February's millet-of-the-month
by Don Osborn 25 Mar '24

25 Mar '24

(Apologies for the tardy posting about little millet, last month's millet-of-the-month. The March millet-of-the-month is foxtail millet - more on that coming soon.) Little millet (Panicum sumatrense) was February's millet-of-the-month. Here are a few items on this grain, followed by some perspectives on the Panicum genus. * The origin of this crop is said by some sources to be the Eastern Ghats region of India, about 2000-2700 years ago. However, some archaeobotanical evidence from the Harappan / Indus Valley civilization seems to indicate its use much earlier. * The plant and the grain of little millet are smaller than those of its cousin, proso millet (P. miliaceum), which was January's millet-of-the-month. * When cooking little millet, it has an almost earthy aroma, but the taste might be characterized as rice-like. Compare with proso millet, which is often described as having a "nutty" flavor. * For some information on little millet as food and part of a healthy diet, see this recent page: https://yummy-valley.com/blog/little-millet-benefits/ Of the 12 botanic genera represented among the millets, only the genus Panicum has two species that are grown at scale: proso millet and little millet (which are now our January & February millets-of-the-month, respectively). Another cultivated millet in this genus is the rare and almost lost "Sonoran millet," P. hirticaule of North America. A couple of dozen wild Panicums are mentioned in a 2022 report by Crop Trust, "Global strategy for the conservation and use of genetic resources of selected millets" (Annex VI). These figure in a larger list of relatives of millets drawn from the IUCN Red List. See: https://zenodo.org/records/7798294 A composite image is attached. On the left side, image is from Patil, E. Harshal, P.A. Vavdiya, G.D. Vadodariya and B.K. Patel. 2021. "A dual purpose, high yielding little millet (Panicum sumatrense) variety ‘GV-4’ (Ambika) for cultivation in Gujarat." Electronic Journal of Plant Breeding, 12(4):1321-1330. https://www.ejplantbreeding.org/index.php/EJPB/article/view/3951 The image on the right side is a personal photo. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Additional uses of the Collab list in 2024
by Don Osborn 24 Mar '24

24 Mar '24

The Collab list was begun in 2022 with a focus on the International Year of Millets (2023) in North America. In 2024 and beyond, we are hoping this list can continue to play a role in building the community of interest and action on millets. There's a revised list description on the Collab info page: https://lists.millets2023.space/mailman/listinfo/collab One thing we haven't done here before is encourage enterprises working on millet products to tell us about their work and what they offer. Along those lines, I'm going to approve a post from a non-subscriber sent earlier this year. Their business in India - Anika - is planning consumer packaged goods with millets, and possible manufacturing in the US. (Collab would limit such publicity to once every 6 months, as we see how ethis works.) We also like to hear more about research on millets, including in food processing. So I'll approve another post from a non-subscriber about research on millet flours in cookie doughs, received earlier this month. We do prefer that people subscribe to the list, so if you have friends, colleagues, or business associates who you think could benefit from and contribute to discussions here, please invite them to join us. One final note in this post - I apologize for the 4 week gap in posts. I've had to tend to a number of other matters, but will catch up. Best to all, Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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I would like to share with you "Mixolab thermo-mechanical behaviour of millet flours and their cookie ..."
by mhboyaci＠gmail.com 10 Mar '24

10 Mar '24

FYI: Best regards, Hikmet Here is the link to "Mixolab thermo-mechanical behaviour of millet flours and their cookie doughs, flour functionality and baking characteristics": https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0733521024000249 Dr. M. Hikmet Boyacioglu Cereal Scientist, Ph.D. Applications Development Specialist, KPM Analytics Adjunct Professor, Department of Grain Science and Industry, Kansas State University Graduate Faculty Associate, Kansas State University Associate Editor, Cereal Chemistry Editorial Board Member, Cereal Technology/Getreidetechnologie Contributing Editor, Baking & Snack Correspondent, World Grain Twitter: M.H Boyacioglu @ProfBoyacioglu

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