EFFECT OF VARIOUS TYPES OF FERMENTATION ON IN-VITRO PROTEIN AND STARCH DIGESTIBILITY OF DIFFERENTLY PROCESSED PEARL-MILLET

Pearl miller (Pennisetum typhoideum) grains were fermented with Lactob acilli and yeast alone, in combination and with natural flora at 30 de grees C for 48 h after giving various processing treatments viz, fine and coarse grinding, soaking, debranning, dry hear treatment, germinat ion and autoclaving after adding of water. Fermentation was carried ou t with Lactobacillus acidophilus and Rhodotorula isolated from natural ly fermented pearl miller and Lactobacillus acidophilus, Candida utili s and natural fermentation using freshly ground pearl millet flour as inoculum. All the processing treatments except coarse grinding improve d the protein and starch digestibility. Autoclaving enhanced the diges tibilities of processed samples which was further improved by differen t types of fermentation, the maximum being incase of germinated and na turally fermented pearl millet. A combination of Lactobacilli and yeas t was more effective in increasing the protein as well as starch diges tibility as compared to pure culture fermentation.