Vol. 10, Special Issue 1, Part E (2026)

Millets are nutritionally rich, climate-resilient cereals with significant potential to improve food and nutritional security. However, their utilization is often limited due to poor digestibility and the presence of anti-nutritional factors. Malting is a traditional bioprocessing technique known to enhance nutrient availability and functional quality of cereals. The present study aimed to develop composite malt flour from major millets such as pearl millet, sorghum, and finger millet and to evaluate the effect of malting on its proximate composition. The grains were malted through soaking, germination, and drying, followed by milling and blending into composite flour. Based on sensory evaluation, a composite ratio of malted pearl millet, malted sorghum, and malted finger millet in the proportion of 30:20:50 were selected for proximate analysis. Proximate analysis revealed low moisture content (3.78%), moderate protein (11.48%) and fat (4.50%) levels, appreciable ash content (1.79%), and high dietary fibre (6.30%). The findings confirm that malting significantly improves the nutritional quality and shelf stability of millet-based composite flour, supporting its potential application in health-oriented food products.