Phytochemicals with Health Benefits – Contribution from Brown and White Finger Millet (Eleusine Coracana) Varieties

Bearing in mind that millet market is currently growing, comparison of phytochemicals in two finger millet varieties with different seed coat colours (brown and white) has been carried out. The phytochemicals content was higher in the brown variety when compared to the white variety. Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis revealed the presence of propanamide, 2-butenedioic acid (E)-, diethyl ester, 2-amino-1-(o-hydroxyphenyl) propane, oleic acid, propan-1-one, 2-amino-1-piperidin-1-yl-, hexanedioic acid, bis (2-ethylhexyl) ester, guanidine, N,N,N’,N’-tetramethyl-, limonene, phthalic acid, 2-cyclohexylethyl butyl ester, actinobolin, n-hexadecanoic acid, 9,12-octadecadienoic acid (Z,Z)-, cyanoacetyl urea, tetracosane, fluoxetine and arginine in the finger millet grains. Phytochemicals are known to have antioxidant activity, and analysis by DPPH assay showed 85.77 percent in the brown variety and 62.18 percent in the white variety. Further studies are needed to isolate active compounds of the extract and correlate structural function relationships in order to propose their exact mechanism of action in various disorders. *Address for correspondence: Dr. Usha Antony Centre for Food Technology, Department of Biotechnology, Anna University, Chennai 600 025, Tamilnadu, India Phone: +914422358379, Fax: +914422350299, E-mail: twinkle19872001@yahoo.co.in INTRODUCTION Since earlier times, natural products have been used for maintaining health, with more intensive studies for natural therapies especially in the last decade. Traditional medicine is used by almost eighty percent of the population (Eloff 1998). Currently, there is an increased interest among consumers regarding the role of food in maintaining and improving human well-being. Foods are also known to contain bioactive components with therapeutic effects. Plants extracts are sources of antihypertensive, hypoglycaemic, hypolipidaemic, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic compounds. Therefore, such foods need be investigated to better understand their properties and efficiency. Millets are important components of a healthy diet, and their daily consumption could prevent cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers (Bhupathiraju and Tucker 2011). These beneficial effects of millets have been attributed to non-essential food constituents, known as phytochemicals or bioactive compounds, which have a relevant bioactivity when they are frequently consumed as a part of a regular diet (Mudgal et al. 2010). Millets are ranked sixth in the world for cereal production, and they are the major food source for people living with economically disadvantaged status in Africa and Asia (Kumari et