Effect of grain aging and hydrothermal pretreatments on the quality of pearl millet flakes

World’s growing demand for healthy and gluten-free products has highlighted the need for nutritious alternatives, among which millets have emerged as a promising option. Pearl Millet being nutritive, gluten-free has high potential for value-added processing, though it are limited owing to quality deterioration during storage. This study focused on the effects of grain aging and hydrothermal pretreatments (short soaking tempering method and thermosonication) on the engineering, functional, and sensory qualities of pearl millet flakes. The grains of five different conditions were as follows: fresh pearl millet, pearl millet stored at ambient conditions at 30 ℃, and refrigerated conditions at 4 ℃ for 8 months, hydrothermal treatment using the-short soaking tempering method and thermosonication were subjected to product development flakess). Pearl millet flakes were evaluated for flake yield, broken%, dimensional and density properties, functional characteristics (water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity, and water solubility index), and sensory attributes using a nine-point hedonic scale. The short soaking tempering method and thermosonication pretreatment significantly improved flake yield, reduced breakage, enhanced expansion, and improved functional and sensory attributes. Among the five conditions, the short soaking tempering method treated flakes exhibited superior acceptance across all the properties, producing lighter and well-expanded flakes with a consumer acceptance score of 7 (like). This study indicates that, unlike rice, fresh pearl millet grains are more suitable than aged grains for manufacturing quality products. Additionally, appropriate pretreatment of pearl millet enhances its suitability for producing ready-to-cook flakes.