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Millets like finger millet, foxtail millet, pearl millet, sorghum millet and other small millets are the ancient super grains and nutrition reservoirs for better health. In semi-arid regions, these are the important food and fodder crops, and primarily acquiring more importance in the world. 

Since our existence, we practiced to be fit and fine with the food as a single option traditionally to cure ourselves also which we come to know about their selection with long term experiences. It is a type of diet therapy where food works like medicine. Presently, we practice the same through medicinal diet therapy where selected foods and food supplements are suggested to be taken with medicine for longevity promotion and fit (Zou, 2016).

Fonio is an indigenous cereal crop of West Africa. Fonio grain belongs to genus Digitaria Haller that consists of 230 to 325 grass species, both annual and perennial. The fonio species is a part of Poaceae family, sub- family of Panicoideae, and the tribe of Paniceae. Fonio grains have a protective covering (husk) outside the kernel, similar to rice.

Teff (Eragrostis tef) popularly known as Williams love grass or super grain or annual bunch grass originated in Ethiopia, South Africa has recently gained popularity with widespread cultivation and consumption in India, USA, South Africa and Eritrea (Arendt and Zannini, 2013). It generates around 500 million USA dollars as income to local farmers of Ethiopia. It is the second most important cash crop (Minten et al., 2013). 

After long back of continuous steep turn down in cropping and consumption pattern of traditional grains, once again time is rolling back for them as is evident from available integrated meal or composite research formulations distributed all around the market. Today’s food market is segmented majorly with them and also emphasize more of healthy consumptions owe to adopted governmental strategy as a promotional trends such as subsidies, mid day meal programmes, selection of grain of the year by FAO, 2014 and revised labeling policies etc. are the real time examples. Present lifestyle, ongoing food habits, hike in grain prices, adulteration practices, demand in functional foods and many more reasons lead to the time which emphasizes on its own for consumption of traditional grains.

Plants have served as an important food source in the human diet since times immemorial. In recent times, available plant food sources are facing the threat of limitation due to many reasons viz., shrinking of agricultural land, changes in traditional lifestyles, population growth, rapid urbanization, changes in climate and a variety of plant diseases (Strange and Scott, 2005). Technological, development in agriculture and food processing are associated with both benefits and drawbacks impacting the human health globally with people suffering from chronic hunger, malnutrition to over-nutrition and nutritional imbalances.

The millets are a group of highly variable small seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for both human food and fodder. These are important crops in semi-arid and tropical regions of the world (in particular in Afro-Asian countries) due to their resistance to pests and diseases, short growing season and productivity under heat and drought conditions. Finger millet (Eleusine coracana L.) is a small seeded annual cereal which belongs to the grass family, Poaceae. 

The non-glutinous, easily digestible and alkaline forming characteristics make millets superior in nutritional point of view. Among various cultivated millets 6 in India, barn-yard millet, little millet, brown top millet, guinea millet and kodo millet are the most important minor millets (Nazni and Karuna, 2016). The Barnyard millet, Sawa millet or Japanese barnyard produces a crop within six weeks and considered as the fastest growing minor millets among the all minor millet (Veena et al., 2005). Japanese millet or Barnyard has several existing varieties.

Foxtail millet (Setaria italica) is one of the oldest cultivated millet with several varieties throughout the world with grains varying in colour from pale yellow, to gray, white and red. Archaeologists say that foxtail millet is so old that no wild plant of the species is known to exist today. Foxtail millet is known with several names in different parts of world and India (Table 1). Foxtail millet is thought to be native to China and is commonly cultivated in several regions of Africa, India, Russia, USA and Europe. It is an annual grass with erect and robust culms.

Millets, represents groups of small seeded cereals and grasses cultivated in Asian countries from ancient time and used for domestic purpose as feed and food. Being capable to grow under adverse environmental conditions (high temperature, dry land with limited rain) millets are the main food commodity of low income groups in various developing countries around the world.

Small millets such as foxtail millet, proso millet, finger millet, barnyard millet, kodo millet, fonio millet, teff and little millet and pseudo cereals such as buckwheat,quinoa, amaranth and cockscomb and chia are the oldest crops and staple food for millions of people around the world. Small millets and pseudo cereals are the main source of fodder and feed material for livestock.

Since times immemorial, cereals have always been the main source of the food for human population. Although the three major cereal crops, i.e., wheat, maize and rice have dominated the scene of food production for human sustenance, but due to climatic changes, water shortages and weakening global food security, world's attention has been turning towards achieving a sustainable food supply through long-forgotten grains such as, various millets, which are also resistant to drought and heat. These grain crops have been utilized by the human population not only for food but also as fodder for their animals.

Small millets and Pseudo cereals are staple food for millions of small and marginal farming community and household in developing and under developed countries. They are major source of fodder and feed material for livestock. They are nutritionally alike or superior to major cereal grains with additional advantage of proteins (gluten-free), enhanced fiber, lower glycemic index and bioactive phyto chemicals made them an appropriate balanced health food.

An atom consists of a positively charged nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The positive nuclear charge is due to the presence of protons which carry a mass of 1 and a charge of +1. Besides protons in the nucleus, there are neutrons which are heavier than protons. They carry no charge. Comparatively electrons have no mass (1836 times lesser than that of a proton) but they carry a charge of –1. Hence, the whole mass of an atom is likely to be concentrated in the nucleus.

Research related to biochemical analysis has been greatly benefited due to the development of chromatographic technique, since this technique makes it possible to resolve mixtures of closely related substances on a milligram to picogram range and to identify individual components by comparison with reference standard compounds. Chromatography ‘gives information where other analytical means have failed’ [Tswett, M. (1906) The macro-chemical and micro-chemical detection of carotene. Ber. Deut. Botan.Ges. 24 : 384- 393].

Mass spectrometry (MS) is a powerful and versatile analytical technique through which mass of an atom, or a molecule is assessed. It helps for identification and structure elucidation of various complex compounds. The instrument used is known as Mass Spectrometer. It serves the purpose of qualitative identification, confirmation as well as the quantification of an atom or a molecule. MS identification is conclusive because the mass spectrum of each substance is unique. In general, MS instruments are composed of a sample inlet, an ionization source, a molecule accelerator, a detector, an amplifier, and a recorder (Figure 7.1)

Interaction of radiant energy, exhibiting the properties of both waves and particles, with matter is dealt in spectroscopy. Matter may be defined as material, existing in solid or liquid or gaseous phase, which is composed of molecules, atoms, or ions. Atoms, molecules, and ions, irrespective of their physical state, remain in constant motion in a matter. Molecules may rotate, vibrate, and move from place to place in space. While radiant energy interacts with matter, these molecular motions are influenced to some extent. It is observed that radiations from ultraviolet and visible range of electromagnetic spectrum lead to the movement of bonding electrons from lowest energy state (ground state) to higher energy state (excited state) in the molecules, while absorption of IR radiation causes the molecule to vibrate more. Such changes, referred to as transition, are responsible for changing the molecular energy level.

Electrophoresis is an important separation technique for the charged molecules. Biologically important molecules, such as amino acids, peptides, proteins nucleotides, nucleic acids which carry electrical charge as they possess certain ionizable functional groups may be separated and identified from a mixture with the help of this technique. Some compounds that are non-polar in nature and do not possess any charge may be transformed to charge carrying derivatives. Thus, phosphate derivatives of carbohydrates may be separated and characterized utilizing electrophoretic techniques.

Centrifugation is a technique that promotes accelerated settling of particles in a solid-liquid mixture by the application of centrifugal force. The device that accelerates the separation with the help of centrifugal force is known as ‘Centrifuge’. The centrifuge consists of a fixed base or frame and a rotating part in which the mixture is placed and is then spun at high speed.

Indicators are the natural or synthetic chemical compounds that are used to detect the equivalence point in a volumetric analysis where unknown compound in a solution form is quantitatively estimated with the help of a known standard solution. The equivalence point, also known as the stoichiometric end point, is the point or stage of a titration reaction where the equivalent amount of the reacting substances are mixed together, and this point is identified by monitoring the rate of change in pH, conductivity, flow of current, adsorption, fluorescence, changing of solution colour, occurrence or disappearance of turbidity, flocculation or deflocculation, etc.