Development and Evaluation of Value-Added Iron Rich Spirulina Millet Mix Flour

Millets, called nutria cereals are grains that are long forgotten. They can be revived and value-added with iron rich ingredients like Spirulina to combat Iron deficiency anemia, currently a global public health issue. The objectives were to develop a value-added iron rich Spirulina Millet Mix Flour (SMMF), to evaluate its proximate principles- Iron and Calcium, study its shelf life and to study the sensory characteristics of traditional recipes incorporated with SMMF. The product was developed using sprouted Finger Millet, Foxtail Millet, Kodo Millet and Spirulina. The standardized SMMF was, evaluated and incorporated into traditional recipes at different levels, followed by sensory evaluation. The addition of 2.5g Spirulina had an overall acceptability of 6.860.83 per serving of sieved millet mix flour muffins. SMMF had a rich nutrient profile of 5.4g moisture, 2g ash, 378.84 kcals energy, 72.63g carbohydrates, 16.07g protein, 2.66g fat, 1.24g fiber, 299.6g calcium and 20.16g of Iron per 100g. A serving of SMMF can deliver 6.08mg of Iron that would be highly bioavailable. It had an excellent shelf life of a month, and a peroxide content-4.6 meq/kg. The sensory acceptance of SMMF at 0, 25, 50, 75 and 100 % into traditional recipes were significant for Dhokla (p less than.05), Burfi (pless than.10) and Chapathi (pless than.01). SMMF incorporated Onion pakora and Muffin had no significant difference (p less than.10). Of the traditional recipes modified, 50 % SMMF Chapathi and Burfi, 75 % SMMF Dhoklas and Onion Pakoras and 100 % SMMF muffins were the most accepted. Thus, by efficient combination of Spirulina and the humble Millets, SMMF can reach households and help tackle public health issues of Iron deficiency anemia.