Functional and Physical Properties of Instant Beverage Powder Made From Two Different Varieties of Pearl Millet

The objective of this experiment was to assess the effects of malting, extrusion and a combination of both processes on the physical and functional properties of the pearl millet flour (PMF) and pearl millet based instant beverage powder (PMIBP) produced. PMF and PMIBP were prepared by malting, extrusion and a combination of malting and extrusion cooking from two different varieties of pearl millet (Agrigreen (AgG) and Babala (Ba)). Malted pearl millets were produced by germinating at 30°C and 98% RH for 36 h, kilned at 50°C for 48 h then cooled to room temperature, ground and stored in a chiller at 5°C until used. Extrusion was carried out using a corotating twin-screw extruder under different parameters to obtain the pearl millet instant beverage powder. The different processes significantly (p ≤ 0.05) affected the colour (L, a & b) of AgG and Ba. Malting and extrusion significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced the peak viscosity of the starches from the raw pearl millet of both varieties of pearl millet as measured by rapid visco analyser (RVA). This can be considered as advantageous with respect to producing an instant beverage powder with a high nutrient content.