Great question Don. On Fri, Jan 2, 2026 at 10:33 AM Don Osborn <don@milletsalliance.org> wrote:
Happy New Year 2026 to all!
Here's something I'm looking into today. California law AB 1830 took effect yesterday (1/1/26) and requires processors of corn masa flour (which is used for tortillas, for example) to fortify their products with folic acid. This is a key nutrient missing from this staple, and diets deficient in this nutrient in pregnant women can lead to birth defects.
Folic acid fortification was already mandated by the FDA for enriched wheat, rice, and corn flour, but not masa. So this CA law extends benefits to largely Hispanic populations that use a lot of masa. See https://www.supermarketperimeter.com/articles/13589-california-law-for-folic...
So here's the question I have: Could sufficient levels of folic acid in masa be achieved by mixing in a certain percentage of a millet flour, while not greatly changing the character or palatability of the masa?
When Hector Williams-Alanís wrote about millets in Mexico, he noted small millet (species not specified) worked well at 1:9 proportions in tortillas, and even at 100%. https://lists.millets2023.space/archives/list/collab@lists.millets2023.space...
Folic acid levels in masa now required by the CA law are 0.7 mg / lb.for dry masa, and 0.4 mg / lb for wet masa.
Folic acid levels vary among millets, and varieties of any given millet. From a quick search, it looks like millets in general have higher levels of this than corn, and foxtail and pearl millets tend to be the highest.
One research article on foxtail millet showed: "When N (N+) was supplied, the folate levels of 29 foxtail millet cultivars ranged from 42.36 ± 2.91 to 72.89 ± 0.50 μg per 100 g grains and 42.84 ± 1.60 to 69.20 ± 2.13 μg per 100 g grains for 2020 and 2021, respectively..."/* The highest level showed in this research would be the equivalent to.0.33 mg / lb
So, if my math is correct, mixing any millet flour into masa does not appear likely to reach the folic acid levels required by Calif. AB 1830. I'd be pleased to be proven incorrect on this ....
Don Osborn, PhD (East Lansing, MI, US) North American Millets Alliance
Note: * Wang Y, Wang JS, Dong EW, Liu QX, Wang LG, Chen EY, Jiao XY, Diao XM. "Foxtail millet [*Setaria italica* (L.) P. Beauv.] grown under nitrogen deficiency exhibits a lower folate contents." Frontiers in Nutrition 2023 Jan 18;10:1035739. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1035739. PMID: 36742438; PMCID: PMC9889834. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9889834/