- Collab - lists.millets2023.space

Re: [Collab] Collab Digest, Vol 36, Issue 1
by Gary Wietgrefe 06 Jan '25

06 Jan '25

On behalf of all readers of this Collaboration email, I want to take this opportunity to thank Jonathon Landeck, Don Osborn, and Joni Kindwall-Moore for developing North America Millets Alliance and serving on the board for the past couple years. All three did a fantastic job of presenting all millets grown in North America and exposing potential for others. Jonathon, and his millet experience, will be missed on the North American Millet Alliance board, but I wish him the best in his transition to more family-oriented activities. There is so much millet experience, mostly hidden, in North America. It is my wish for 2025 and beyond that those with millet talent and knowledge feel free to pass it on through NAMA's collaboration emails, webinars, and other ways that will open through our website in 2025 and beyond....Gary Wietgrefe (NAMA board member) On Wed, Jan 1, 2025 at 5:01 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. A deep thank you to Jonathon Landeck (Don Osborn) > 2. "Andropogon(eae) millets"? (Don Osborn) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Tue, 31 Dec 2024 22:30:56 -0500 > From: Don Osborn <don(a)milletsalliance.org> > To: collab(a)lists.millets2023.space > Subject: [Collab] A deep thank you to Jonathon Landeck > Message-ID: > <CA+RHibU= > X8ar_pmDNpxbR3NHwQ9dKEUACL8ssLrvZARHCnAsVA(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8" > > Dear all, > > This is a note of gratitude to Jonathon Landeck, who is retiring from the > North American Millets Alliance as of today, the end of 2024. His work and > ideas over the last three plus years has been essential in developing NAMA, > and he will be missed. > > Jonathon and I are old friends, having both done graduate work at Michigan > State University (although overlapping only briefly) and having been > colleagues in Peace Corps staff. In late 2021 - the year when the UN > General Assembly set 2023 as the International Year of Millets - I > contacted Jonathon to ask if he'd be interested in doing something to mark > that Year and promote millets in the US. That was the earliest beginning of > what later became NAMA. > > We met Joni Kindwall-Moore (virtually) in early 2022, and shortly after > that, together founded NAMA. > > Many of you will recall his role in emceeing many of the Millets Webinars > we did in collaboration with the University of Missouri in 2023. However > much of his role with NAMA was behind the scenes, in regular meetings, > discussions, and external contacts. > > While we wish Jonathon and his family well, in his next chapter, we would > like to assure you that NAMA is still very active, We welcomed a new member > of our leadership group, Gary Wietgrefe not long ago, and although we are > now back to three members, we are continuing our work and also developing > new plans. > > Anyway, thank you again, Jonathon! Happy New Year to you and yours and to > all our friends, colleagues, and supporters! > > Don > > Don Osborn, PhD > (East Lansing, MI, US) > North American Millets Alliance >

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"Andropogon(eae) millets"?
by Don Osborn 01 Jan '25

01 Jan '25

As we close out December, in which adlay is our millet of the month, I wanted to zoom out a bit to consider that three of the millets - adlay, sorghum, and Taiwan oil millet - and only these three, are in a botanical tribe called Andropogoneae. One can identify various groups among the millets, based on various criteria, but this particular botanical one - the Andropogoneae tribe - seems interesting for several reasons: * Corn (maize) and sugar cane are also in this botanical tribe * Sorghum is the subject of a discussion among some as to whether it is a millet or not. (We promote it among the millets - nobody really loses in that.) It is in, any event, by far the most cultivated of these grains * Adlay (Job's tears) has the largest grain among the millets - sorghum is second (and pearl millet, of the larger Paniceae tribe, is third) * Taiwan oil millet *(Spodiopogon formosanus)* is the only one of the millets cultivated as a perennial (altho on a very small scale) Is it useful to have a name for this unique small group of three? "Andropogoneae millets" would be accurate. Shortening the first name by three letters and a syllable to "Andopogon millets" is tempting. However "Andropogon" is also the genus name for some species of clumping perennial grasses, some of which are quite tall. (Interestingly, both sorghum and Taiwan oil millet were apparently once included in this genus). In any event, I will leave this idea there. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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A deep thank you to Jonathon Landeck
by Don Osborn 01 Jan '25

01 Jan '25

Dear all, This is a note of gratitude to Jonathon Landeck, who is retiring from the North American Millets Alliance as of today, the end of 2024. His work and ideas over the last three plus years has been essential in developing NAMA, and he will be missed. Jonathon and I are old friends, having both done graduate work at Michigan State University (although overlapping only briefly) and having been colleagues in Peace Corps staff. In late 2021 - the year when the UN General Assembly set 2023 as the International Year of Millets - I contacted Jonathon to ask if he'd be interested in doing something to mark that Year and promote millets in the US. That was the earliest beginning of what later became NAMA. We met Joni Kindwall-Moore (virtually) in early 2022, and shortly after that, together founded NAMA. Many of you will recall his role in emceeing many of the Millets Webinars we did in collaboration with the University of Missouri in 2023. However much of his role with NAMA was behind the scenes, in regular meetings, discussions, and external contacts. While we wish Jonathon and his family well, in his next chapter, we would like to assure you that NAMA is still very active, We welcomed a new member of our leadership group, Gary Wietgrefe not long ago, and although we are now back to three members, we are continuing our work and also developing new plans. Anyway, thank you again, Jonathon! Happy New Year to you and yours and to all our friends, colleagues, and supporters! Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Health and medicinal qualities of adlay (Job's tears)
by Don Osborn 30 Dec '24

30 Dec '24

Adlay, or Job's tears - our millet of the month in again in December - gets a lot of attention for its nutritional and purported medicinal properties, including possible anti-carcinogenic effects. The grains have long been used in Chinese traditional medicine, and there is ongoing research on effects of the compounds they contain. Several articles show the range of research. I believe that these have not been posted previously to this list, except for the Kuo et al article, which Gary shared last year. * Weng W.F., et al. "Adlay, an ancient functional plant with nutritional quality, improves human health." Frontiers in Nutrition. 2022 Dec 22;9:1019375. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2022.1019375. PMID: 36618703; PMCID: PMC9815450. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9815450/ ("Adlay has anti-tumor, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, blood sugar-lowering, and blood lipid-lowering effects.") * Chen, Jan-Yow, et al. "Preventive effects of coixol, an active compound of adlay seed, in NGF-differentiated PC12 cells against beta-amyloid25-35-induced neurotoxicity" Asian Biomedicine, vol. 18, no. 5, Sciendo, 2024, pp. 224-235. https://doi.org/10.2478/abm-2024-0030 ("Our novel findings suggested that coixol was a compelling agent against beta-amyloid peptide-induced neurotoxicity.") * Lee C.K., et al. "Adlay Consumption Combined with Suspension Training Improves Blood Lipids and Pulse Wave Velocity in Middle-Aged Women." Healthcare (Basel). 2023 May 15;11(10):1426. doi: 10.3390/healthcare11101426. PMID: 37239711; PMCID: PMC10218412. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10218412/ ("... when adlay was consumed simultaneously [with performing suspension exercises], blood lipids and arterial stiffness were improved [in middle-aged women]") * Oya, Hiroko, et al, "The Effects of Adlay Tea Intake on Immune Homeostasis and Vascular Endothelial Function in Healthy Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Parallel-Group Comparative Study," Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology. 70, 280–287, 2024. https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jnsv/70/3/70_280/_pdf/-char/en ("... adlay tea is considered to have a preventative effect against lifestyle-related diseases through improving vascular endothelial function by effects to maintain immune homeostasis of the contained polyphenols.") * Kuo, Ching-Chuan, et al, "Adlay (薏苡 yì yĭ; 'soft-shelled job's tears'; the seeds of Coix lachryma-jobi L. var. ma-yuen Stapf) is a Potential Cancer Chemopreventive Agent toward Multistage Carcinogenesis Processes," Journal of Traditional and Complementary Medicine, 2(4): 267-275, 2012. ISSN 2225-4110, https://doi.org/10.1016/S2225-4110(16)30112-2. ("... we summarize recent research attempting to study the chemopreventive blocking and suppressing potential of adlay and its active components in scavenging electrophiles and reactive oxygen species, antimutagenicity, enhancing Nrf2-mediated detoxification and antioxidant effect, altering carcinogen metabolism, suppressing proliferation, decreasing inflammation, and enhancing antitumor immunity.") * Ahmad, R.; et al. "Nutritional and Phytochemical Profiles of Wild Adlay (Coix lacryma-jobi L.) Accessions by GCFID, FTIR, and Spectrophotometer." Preprints 2024, 2024020722. https://doi.org/10.20944/preprints202402.0722.v1 (version not peer reviewed) ("Research progress on functional ingredients on Adlay support the notion that adlay may be one of the best functional foods and further reveal the action mechanism of functional ingredients oils, polysaccharides, phenols, phytosterols, Kanglaite, Coixenolide coixol, Coixolin, naringenin, lactam, and resistant starch for combating diseases") Adlay (Coix lacrymae-jobi) is not grown commercially or at any scale for food (or health uses) in North America. It. or perhaps a hard-shelled variety, is grown sometimes as an ornamental plant. Hard-shelled varieties might be impractical to use for food. Adlay grain is imported as consumer packaged goods, and sold as adlay, Job's tears, or "Chinese barley" (it is not related to barley or pearled barley). You may find it online, or in markets specializing in Asian foods. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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A millet recipe
by Robin Asbell 28 Dec '24

28 Dec '24

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Holiday greetings
by Don Osborn 26 Dec '24

26 Dec '24

Quick note to wish for those who observe, a Merry Christmas / Happy Hanukkah! If anyone has done anything special with any millet during this holiday season, please share it with us later. Don Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Video of Zoom talk about proso millet grain standards
by Don Osborn 21 Dec '24

21 Dec '24

The video of Gary Wietgrefe's presentation on Thursday 19 Dec., entitled "NAMA Proso Millet Grain Standards Review," is available to view at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVS9c7Doq1o DO, EL, MI, US NAMA

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"Grading Proso Millet for All Markets"(video)
by Don Osborn 18 Dec '24

18 Dec '24

In the run up to Thursday's (12/19) Zoom meeting on the proposed proso grain standards, you may be interested to view Gary's short (~4 min.) video entitled "Grading Proso Millet for All Markets." It's at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lquS2H3XC5Y . This is not the same as the coming presentation, but explains some of the whats and whys about the proposed standards. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Proso Millet Grain Standards - 12/19
by Don Osborn 18 Dec '24

18 Dec '24

Gary Wietgrefe has, in consultation with other experts and with reference to other documentation, put together a draft for Proso Millet Grain Standards for the US (attached). There is currently no such set of standards in the US (or in Canada). We are scheduling a webinar on Thursday, Dec. 19 in which he will present this important work, what went into it, and the hopes for its impact on the proso millet market. More information forthcoming. The webinar will be a chance to share comments on the proposal. You are welcome to share this with other experts in your respective networks. Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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Tortillas made with millets
by Don Osborn 09 Dec '24

09 Dec '24

Millets don't exactly spring to mind when tortillas are mentioned, but it's really no surprise that some people have been working at least one millet into their recipes. Here are a few examples: * Camilla Saulsbury, on the Powerhungry website, combines millet flour (presumably proso millet) & flaxseed meal (image, below left) https://www.powerhungry.com/2022/08/30/easy-millet-flax-tortillas/ * Anthony William, on the Medical Medium website, has a recipe using only millet flour (again, presumably proso millet; image, below right) https://www.medicalmedium.com/blog/millet-tortillas * The FAO website has a tortilla (and filling) recipe by Alessandro Vitale (aka "Spicy Moustache") using presumably proso millet. This was presented for the #IYM2023, and includes a video https://www.fao.org/millets-2023/recipe-book/recipe-detail/millet-tortillas… * Jeff Gelski. writing for Sosland Publishing's Baking Business discussed different grains including millet (proso) and sorghum in "Ensuring a successful gluten-free tortilla formulation." Several experts were quoted. (The Old El Paso product pictured in the article does not contain any millets, however.) https://www.bakingbusiness.com/articles/62515-ensuring-a-successful-gluten-… * Carla Spacher, on her website, has a sorghum tortilla recipe, which she also terms a "jowar roti recipe" https://glutenfreerecipebox.com/gluten-free-sorghum-tortillas-recipe/ * Finally, Hector Williams-Alanís, in a 2002 academic book chapter "Sorghum and Millet in Mexico" noted experiments making tortillas with sorghum and "minor millet" (possibly proso, but foxtail millet was also mentioned elsewhere). This article was summarized in a posting on this list 2 years ago https://lists.millets2023.space/pipermail/collab/2022-December/000117.html Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance

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