CHANGES IN THE CARBOHYDRATES AND NITROGENOUS COMPONENTS DURING GERMINATION OF PROSO MILLET, PANICUM-MILIACEUM

Since germination has been found to increase the nutritive qualities o f grains, prose millet, a minor millet, was allowed to germinate for 1 -7 days and analysed for protein fractions, free amino acids, lysine, tryptophan, methionine, non-protein nitrogen, starch, and sugars. Over night soaking and germination up to 7 days significantly increased the free amino acids and total sugars while the content of dry weight and starch decreased. Increases in albumin and globulin and large decreas es in prolamin accompanied sprouting. The percent protein in germinate d grains was higher than in the initial grain as a result of dry matte r loss during germination. Further, there was an increase in lysine, t ryptophan and non-protein nitrogen contents during germination. No cha nge was noticed in methionine content.