See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/376641016

Trends in Packaging of Millets and Millet-Based Processed Products

Article in Current Food Science and Technology Reports · December 2023

DOI: 10.1007/s43555-023-00013-5

CITATIONS READS

0 1,136

4 authors:

Prachi Jain Lokesh Kumar

Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
5 PUBLICATIONS 6 CITATIONS 17 PUBLICATIONS 302 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

Suman Singh Kirtiraj K. Gaikwad

Yonsei University Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee
62 PUBLICATIONS 2,291 CITATIONS 128 PUBLICATIONS 3,468 CITATIONS

SEE PROFILE SEE PROFILE

All content following this page was uploaded by Kirtiraj K. Gaikwad on 19 December 2023.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Current Food Science and Technology Reports
https://doi.org/10.1007/s43555-023-00013-5

Trends in Packaging of Millets and Millet‑Based Processed Products

Prachi Jain1 · Lokesh Kumar1 · Suman Singh2 · Kirtiraj K. Gaikwad1

Accepted: 28 November 2023

© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023

Abstract
Purpose of Review This review aims to provide updated information on the recent innovation of packaging of millets and
millet-based processed products.
Recent Finding Millets are cereal crops dominantly cultivated in Asian and African countries with nutritional values com-
parable to or even higher than staple cereals like rice. However, their utilization is limited due to a lack of awareness among
consumers which might have affected the advancements of post-harvest technologies such as effective preservation and
packaging for millets. In this review, we investigated millet as a potent underutilized cereal crop by summarizing the cur-
rent innovations in the active and high-barrier packaging of millet and millet-based products to increase its shelf stability.
Summary Recent studies suggest that aluminum laminates can effectively minimize the effect of moisture, air, and light
on extruded millet products, along with better microbial stability. Similarly, a study in 2022 reported that the use of active
packaging involving oxygen scavengers significantly prevented pest infestation in foxtail millet grain pouches and increased
their storage time. Moreover, few recent attempts at utilizing modified/unmodified millet starch along with active ingredients
as edible packaging demonstrated its potential to be applied as food packaging material with required coating or film bar-
rier properties. Therefore, in light of sustainability, use of millet-based packaging can be a potential alternative to harmful
plastics. Moreover, millet as nutri cereals can improve food security and the economy of a country. Through this review, we
conclude that research has already begun on exploring millet potential as edible packaging. However, to increase their global
access, enhanced preservation and storage technologies are required for millet and millet-based packaging.

Keywords Millets · Packaging · Shelf life · Antimicrobial · Edible film · Storage stability · Oxidation

Introduction consumer and industry requirements, ensures food safety, and

has minimal environmental impact (Marsh & Bugusu, 2007).
Packaging is critical in protecting the value invested in a product In the present food system, post-harvest losses are quite high
so that it can deliver its intended output with the least amount for both the consumer end and the farm (storage) end (Hengs-
of waste (Russell, 2014). In terms of food packaging, the pack- dijk & De Boer, 2017). Food packaging can play a crucial role
age has four basic essential functions: containment, protection, in decreasing post-harvest losses through improved packaging
convenience, and communication. An ideal food packaging against physical, chemical, and biological hazards.
material contains food in a manner that is cost-effective, fulfils Millets are among the oldest known foods to humanity and
are important cereal sources of arid and semi-arid regions of
* Suman Singh
the world. These are hard and small-seeded cereals that are
kirtiraj.gaikwad@pt.iitr.ac.in capable of growth under marginal conditions of moisture and
* Kirtiraj K. Gaikwad
soil fertility [1]. Millets are excellent food sources for minimal
simanki.singh27@gmail.com rain-fed regions where other cereal crops fail to give sufficient
yield. Millets belong to Panicoideae, a grass sub-family, and
1
Department of Paper Technology, Indian Institute are classified along with other staple cereals like maize and
of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee 247667, Uttarakhand,
India
sorghum [2]. Millets are highly nutritious, energy-loaded cere-
2
als with a high-quality amino acid profile that contains both
Department of Food Engineering, Institute of Food Science
& Technology, VCSG Uttarakhand University of Horticulture
essential and sulfur-containing amino acids. Millets are mainly
and Forestry, Majri Grant, Dehradun 248140, Uttarakhand, grown and consumed in Asian and African countries. They are
India

13
Vol.:(0123456789)
 Current Food Science and Technology Reports

globally underutilized superfoods with only small quantities spoilage. Edible packaging can help maintain food quality for
being produced in developed countries. longer periods and reduce food waste to some extent [6]. The
Despite being tolerable to harsh conditions like low soil millet starch can be used to provide the base for edible films [7].
fertility, low moisture, and high temperatures, their global use The bar graph depicts the recent trend in the number of publica-
is very limited [3]. The millet grains possess a hard seed coat tions for the packaging of millet and millet products (Fig. 1).
which increases their shelf life but at the same time makes them This review paper gives a deep insight into the underu-
difficult to cook in a convenient form. Therefore, processed tilized superfood millet and discusses important quality
millets in forms like ready-to-cook or ready-to-use products characteristics of some major and minor millet. A brief
gain consumer preferences. Currently, few millet-based prod- discussion is given on the collective international efforts
ucts are available in the market like noodles, cookies, pasta, and to promote millet and its products. This is further followed
flakes. These products are promising as they provide nutrition by spoilage mechanisms such as temperature and humidity
and health benefits along with satisfying consumer demands that drastically affect millet and millet products. The paper
for healthy food alternatives with respect to gluten-free and also provides an overview of the current packaging systems
functional food products [4]. This market is expected to grow involved for millets as well as the present and future scope
with growing awareness around millet through the combined of millet-based films and coating in reference to sustainable
effects of government, farmers, and industries. packaging.
The scope of millet packaging is to encourage millet pro-
duction by farmers as well as millet consumption in terms
of convenience for consumers. New packaging technologies
have to be incorporated in such a way that it produces inte- 2023 International Millet Year
grated pest management (IPM) farmer-friendly packages
that help in pest management. Another important aspect Millets, namely finger millet is claimed to be the foremost
of millet packaging is the packaging of its processed forms cereal crop used by humans for domestic purposes [8]. In
like ready-to-eat or ready-to-use products [5]. The package the current scenario where the global agrifood system falls
should be designed with appropriate barrier properties that short to feed a rapidly growing global population, switching
keep the product safe until consumer consumption. to resilient cereals like millets seems ideal. Millets are highly
In terms of sustainability, the use of non-biodegradable poly- nutritious and are often termed nutri cereals; moreover, mil-
mers poses a great challenge. With millets being in focus, mil- let production significantly contributes to hunger elimina-
let-based packaging seems promising. The use of edible films is tion, sustainable development, and adaptation to climate
slowly gaining popularity as they may provide multiple barriers change and rural empowerment [9]. However, the use of
against many factors like moisture, oxidation, and microbial millet remains limited to only localized trade.

Fig. 1  Number of published

articles related to the pack-
aging of millet and millet
products (searched on the Web
of Science with the following
keywords: “millet packaging”,
“millets product packaging”,
“millet starch packaging film”,
and “millet starch films” from
the year 2012 to December
2022)

13
Current Food Science and Technology Reports

To address the underutilization of this superfood, the in various types of millet waste such as husk, straw, bran,
United Nation General Assembly has dedicated the entire and stalk core.
year of 2023 as the International Year of Millets. This
announcement was made on the 75th Session on March 21
by the United Nation General Assembly and the Food and Millet‑Based Processed Products
Agriculture Organization (FAO) was regarded as the lead
agency [10]. India came up with the proposal to mark 2023 Functional foods refer to any modified food or ingredient
as a timely reminder to create opportunities around millets that can provide certain desirable health benefits beyond
to benefit farmers and consumers globally [9]. The Asian basic nutrition [14]. Millets have a great potential to serve
and African continents are the leading millet producers in as functional foods. A study analysis of millet’s chemical
the world and among the Asian countries India and China composition revealed that millets contain high amounts of
are the top producers [3]. free and bound phenolic acids. These phenolic compounds
reduce oxidative damage in the body and further reduce the
risk of degenerative diseases like cancer and cardiovascular
Millets: an Underutilized Superfood disorders. Similarly, most millets are hypoglycaemic with a
GI value under 55. This property makes them important low-
Cereals have become the principal foods of the human GI food that is beneficial for diabetic patients as they help
world. The worldwide demand is growing exponentially. prevent insulin spikes. Moreover, millet is also a great source
Traditional cereals like wheat, rice, and maize are consumed of soluble and insoluble dietary fibres. Soluble fibre can help
in large quantities globally; however, their ever-growing regulate blood glucose levels, while insoluble dietary fibre
needs and rapid urbanization are making them non-afford- can help improve bowel movements [15]. Some of the most
able to developing and underdeveloped countries. Cereals common millet products that are readily available in the mar-
like millet hold great potential to be used as conventional ket are millet flakes, noodles, pasta, and bakery products.
cereal alternatives [11]. Millets are unique cereals due to
the high amounts of proteins, calcium, and dietary fibres Puffed Millet Products
present in them [12]. It is also loaded with phytoconstituents
and many essential vitamins and minerals that support nutri- Puffing cereal grains is a long-used way to develop ready-to-
tional requirements. Millet products are also categorized as eat breakfast cereals. Popping improves nutritional value by
probiotic and prebiotic food materials with many gut health decreasing or inactivating antinutritional factors [16]. This
benefits. Many bioactivities are present in millets which are process also significantly increases the bioavailability of
responsible for their antioxidant potential, and this activ- minerals and improves the texture of the product [4]. Nowa-
ity further helps prevent damage in cell membranes from days, breakfast cereals mainly comprise maize that is either
free radicals. The polyphenols present also exerts various plain or mixed with sweeteners or salt. Millet-based break-
bioactivities such as antimicrobial, antidiabetic, anticancer, fast cereals are better alternatives to conventional maize or
and free radical scavenging [11]. Millets are broadly classi- corn cereals as they are high glycaemic foods and regular
fied into two categories, namely pearl millet, finger millet, consumption may trigger spikes in blood sugar levels.
sorghum, and minor or small millets [13]. The minor millets
except for proso millet have a smaller grain size than pearl Millet Noodles
millet [3]. Millet grain is a rich source of starch, protein,
and lipids but millet waste such as bran, straw, and husk Noodles are among the favourite food choices preferred
also contains cellulosic materials. Table 1 summarizes the mostly by all age groups. It is a convenient food that can be
composition of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin present prepared in a few minutes [16]. Millet noodles are currently

Table 1  Percentage of cellulose, Type of millet Waste part Cellulose (%) Hemicellu- Lignin (%) Reference
hemicellulose, and lignin lose (%)
present in the waste part of
different types of millets Pearl Husk 55.60 16.20 12.60 (Midhun Dominic et al. 2022)
Pearl Stalk core 52.49 25.42 10.54 (Yadav et al. 2019)
Proso Straw 36.68 17.31 19.38 (Zhang et al. 2019)
Foxtail Bran 17.30 47.83 8.63 (Zhu et al. 2018)
Pearl Husk 50.44 23.17 13.19 (Abba et al. 2017)
Pearl Straw 37.7 29.6 18.8 (Vijayanand et al. 2016)

13
 Current Food Science and Technology Reports

present in the market and their demand is constantly increas- activity through interventions like suitable packaging with
ing due to better nutritional values provided by millets over appropriate barriers against considerate factors.
refined wheat flour–based noodles. These are gut-friendly
and low in the glycaemic index. Various studies in the past Effect of Storage Relative Humidity
have worked on the preparation of noodles based on millet
flour with supplementation of other flours such as pulse flour Among the many reasons for millet flour being underutilized
and Bengal gram flour [4]. Supplementing cereal flour with is its highly unstable nature during storage. This is due to
lentil flour is a great way to increase its nutritional value. oxidative and hydrolytic rancidity. Moisture content is an
important factor to be considered as it is affected by stor-
Bakery Products age conditions. Cereal flour like millet flour usually has low
moisture and therefore less prone to microbial spoilage. But
Bakery products have always been in trend, and the popu- prolonged storage is shown to affect moisture content. Mil-
larity of bread, cakes, muffins, etc. is increasing constantly. let flour generally contains 6–13% of the average moisture
Wheat flour in its whole, as well as refined form, is the most content and this value had been shown to increase with an
important flour in bakery products [17]. Incorporating mil- increase in storage time. High moisture content during stor-
let in bakery products can significantly improve the nutri- age is related to an increased incidence of moisture-triggered
tional content in terms of fibre and micronutrients as well as hydrolytic rancidity which leads to an increase in peroxide
the health benefits of traditional bakery products. Constant value as well as free fatty acids production due to higher
efforts are being made to replace wheat flour portions with proteolytic and lipolytic activities. All these further result
millet flour. Millets like finger millet and foxtail millet are in inferior sensory properties and loss of nutrients. Mois-
currently being utilized in many bakery products like muf- ture content is also a positive factor for microbial spoilage,
fins, cakes, cookies, and biscuits. Previous studies have indi- and unwanted microbial growth is a matter of concern. High
cated that bakery products with millet flour in the required moisture content can accelerate microbe growth and hamper
proportions were successfully produced and had overall food safety as well as the quality of the product [18••].
acceptability in terms of texture, flavour, and appearance [4].
Effect of Storage Temperature

Spoilage Mechanism of Millet and Millet Temperature is one of the important factors that catalyse
Products chemical reactions including reactions that cause food dete-
rioration. As reported earlier, millets contain fats with the
Traditional practices that have been long used to store whole highest being in pearl millet. Fat oxidation can cause ran-
millet grains work exceptionally well. These traditional meth- cidity and off-flavour in the disintegrated millet kernels.
ods include storing millet whole grains in earthen pots, tying Lipase, an enzyme that catalyses fat hydrolysis, is found in
bundles, and digging underground pits. This system works the aleurone layer of pearl millet which upon milling comes
well for reducing cases of moisture accumulation and insect in contact with the substrate (fat) and triggers chemical
infestation. Placing neem leaves to keep pests away also reactions leading to rancidity. This reaction needs an ambi-
helps in increasing the shelf life of intact millet kernels to ent temperature to occur which is 25–60 ◦ C [20]. Storing
up to 4 years. The main issue is the dehulling of millet grain, millet flour with pre-heat treatments to inactivate lipase or
which is required before it can be used as a food product. below the ambient temperature range seems ideal. Moreo-
The processing of millet grains leads to cell wall rupture and ver, microbial spoilage can occur in millet products easily
disintegration in the intact grain structure; this further makes at room temperature if suitable barrier properties are absent
the grain prone to deterioration by factors like microbes, in the food product package.
enzymes, and moisture, which incite spoilage. Various stud-
ies in the past have indicated that whole-grain millet flour
with high fat content shows evident spoilage signs at ambient Requirement of Packaging Systems
conditions in a time span of 10–15 days [18••]. for Millets and Their Products
Foxtail millet contains over 4% lipid content which is
comparatively higher than many cereal crops like rice. The Proper storage of grains is a crucial component of the whole
good amount of unsaturated fats present in millet is highly production system. In recent years, a post-harvest loss of 9%
prone to lipid oxidation that leads to loss of flavour and qual- was reported due to pest infestation. This significant food
ity [19]. Therefore, incorporating millet flour in food prod- loss points toward the urgency to make efforts to reduce
ucts to achieve considerable shelf life requires the removal these losses [21]. The packaging system plays an important
of constituents that can trigger spoilage or decrease their role in determining the shelf life of a product. The current

13
Current Food Science and Technology Reports

retail packaging system for millets is mainly focused on to the functionality of the food product. For rigid packaging
using majorly three types of packaging material. These of millet products, materials like glass, paperboard, high-
materials are polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and density polyethylene, metal cans, and tetra packs are cur-
paperboard. Other than this glass, oriented polypropylene rently being used. To serve the purpose of flexible packag-
(OPP), laminates, and metals are also being used according ing and stand-up pouches, polypropylene and OPP are used.

Table 2  Commercial packaging systems for millets and processed millet products with their packaging form and material used

Millet’s Packaging Packaging

Sr. no. Manufacturer Image of package
products material form

1 Ragi laddo Millet amma Glass Rigid bottle

Oriented
Stand-up
2 Millet murukku Tru millets polypropylene,
pouch
laminates

Flexible
3 Bajra biscuit Harika Polypropylene
pouch

Issvari Stand-up
4 Organic millets Paper
pouch

Finger millets
5 Millets noodles Paper board Rigid box

Millet butter Rectangular

6 Saaral Paper board
cookies box

Millet milk Isola-bio Tetra pack Rigid pack

7

13
 Current Food Science and Technology Reports

Table 2  (continued)

8 Millet milk
Health paradise Metal can Rigid can
powder

Finger millet High-density

9 Rigid bottle
drink Venba polyethylene

10 Fudgy Slurrp farm Paper board Rigid box

chocolate

Flexible
Millet flex Millet guru Paper/polyprop pouch with
11
ylene window

Flexible
Pro-nature
12 Foxtail millets Polypropylene pouch with
window

Table 2 gives an overview of the packaging system used for packaging materials used in the study were PE, PP, and poly-
commercial as well as processed millet products along with ethylene terephthalate (PET). Several factors like moisture
insights into their packaging form and material currently content, ash content, and insect infestation rate were consid-
being used. ered. The authors reported that among all three packaging
materials, PET was found to be the most suitable for the
High‑Barrier Packaging retail packaging of millet. It had a lower insect infestation of
about 2.18% and minimized nutrient losses. Similar experi-
The most important function of a package is to provide pro- ments have also been conducted on millet-based products.
tection against factors that can decrease the quality of the In an experiment, pearl millet sourdough extruded snacks
food product. A package simply protects food from loss of in two different packaging materials were assessed based
nutrients, colour, and aroma along with spoilage activators on barrier properties against microbial growth. These pack-
like oxygen, moisture, and microorganisms [22]. Therefore, aging materials were aluminium laminate and high-density
the barriers of the packaging system must be compatible polyethylene (HDPE). The results concluded that aluminium
with the food requirements to provide appropriate protec- laminate packaging minimized the influence of moisture,
tion. Since millet and millet products are highly prone to air, and light and maintained better microbiological stability
oxidative and hydrolytic rancidity during storage, there than HDPE packs [23].
is a need for high-barrier packaging against moisture and In another experiment, popped pearl millet bar was
oxygen. Joshi et al. [21] experimented on dehusked foxtail evaluated against factors like moisture, textural, sensory
millet to assess the effect of packaging material on it. The attributes, and microbial load during storage at an ambient

13
Current Food Science and Technology Reports

temperature for 3 months. The popped millet bar sample common cereals like wheat, corn, and rice as well as from
was tested in two different packaging materials that were underutilized cereals like millet. Figure 2 demonstrates
HDPE and metalized-polyester polyethylene pouches. The various methods for millet starch isolation and utilization
study results suggested that a metalized film pouch was more of extracted starch in the food, pharmaceutical, and packag-
suitable than HDPE pouches in terms of both stability and ing industries. Similar to other cereal starches with slight
acceptability. The product also remained chemically and functional modification through the addition of components
microbiologically safe and stable during the entire storage or additives, millet starch can also be employed to produce
period [24]. an edible film for packaging purposes with required bar-
rier properties. Various kinds of millet starch have been
Active Packaging for Millets and Millet Products modified by physical, chemical, and heat treatment for the
fabrication of packaging films, as thoroughly discussed in
Active packaging is a way to increase the shelf life of food Table 3. In 2017, an attempt was made to prepare starch
products in order to increase, maintain, or improve the con- film from foxtail millet. This film had clove oil as an active
ditions of packaged foods. An active packaging system is component in it. The foxtail millet starch film was tested on
designed in a specific way to intentionally absorb or release the queso blanco cheese variety and successfully decreased
substances from or into the surrounding that is harmful or lipid oxidation and microbial growth. The experiment result
beneficial for the product [25]. By far, not much work has suggested that foxtail millet starch with clove leaf oil can
been reported on the active packaging of millets. Recently possibly enhance the shelf life of the sample. Therefore, it
in 2022, a study was published by Divija et al. on the active was concluded by the authors that millet-based edible films
packaging of foxtail millets by use of oxygen scavengers could be used as active packaging material for dairy prod-
in form of sachets against the mortality of Tribolium cas- ucts [7]. Another experiment demonstrated the use of pearl
taneum, a pest prevalent in stored food grains. At the end millet starch for the production of edible films/coatings.
of the study, it was reported that grain pouches with oxygen
scavenger sachets have a 100% mortality rate of the bee-
tles. The oxygen scavengers absorbed all the oxygen in the
grain pouch and created a safe storage space for foxtail millet
grains. Among all the packaging materials that were used in
the study, multi-layered pouches worked best in combina-
tion with oxygen scavengers [26•]. Active packaging holds
great potential for increasing the storage stability of millets.
A lot more work and research need to be done in the area of
millets and processed millet products to create active barri-
ers against common spoilage factors like moisture, oxygen,
light, and pest.

Millet Starch–Based Edible Film

and Coatings

With the advancement of packaging technologies, edible

films have become an innovative approach to reducing the
current use of plastics in the food industry. Eco-friendly
packaging is completely biodegradable and does not harm
the environment. These biodegradable packaging materi-
als are usually made up of starch and non-starch polysac-
charides, lipids, plant or animal-based proteins, chitin, and
gums. These combinations can be used singly or in combina-
tion [27]. Among this, starch films have been studied exten-
sively and constant research is going on to integrate their
use in the food packaging industry and reduce the plastic
dependency on food products.
Fig. 2  Different starch extraction methods (chemical, enzymatic,
Starch is among the most widely used base materials ultrasonic) from millets and utilization of extracted starch in food,
for producing edible films. It can be isolated from some packaging, and pharmaceutical industries applications

13
 Table 3  Research carried out on modification of millet starch for packaging film fabrication

13
Millet type Starch modification method Results Produced packaging type Reference

Kabog millet Blended with pectin Improved hydrophobicity Edible coating (Rentsch et al. 2022)
Pearl millet Films were reinforced with cellulose nanocrys- Films showed considerable improvement in Biodegradable nano-composite films (Bangar et al. 2022)
tals and stabilized pickering emulsion water barrier properties, tensile strength,
Young’s modulus, and antimicrobial proper-
ties with the addition of clove bud oil
Pearl millet Starch modification using octenyl succinic Increased water solubility and water vapour Starch-based biodegradable films (Siroha et al. 2022)
anhydride (OSA) barrier properties
Finger millet Extracted starch blended with various concen- Increased thermal stability and elongation at Edible film (Gautam et al. 2022)
trations of sorbitol breakpoints
Pearl millet Cross-linking with sodium trimetaphosphate Prepared films showed improved barrier and An edible film containing fenugreek oil (Dhull et al. 2021)
and addition of fenugreek oil mechanical properties, while the fenugreek oil
addition enhanced the antimicrobial potential
Pearl millet Cross-linking modification using epichlorohy- Prepared films had higher opacity, tensile Biodegradable starch films (Siroha et al. 2021)
drin strength, and lesser water solubility and
moisture content
Pearl millet Physical-heat-moisture, microwave, and sonica- Prepared films had less moisture, higher solu- Biodegradable starch films (Punia Bangar et al. 2021)
tion treatment bility, and opacity content
Barnyard millet Cross-linking modification using sodium Lowered water vapour permeability, higher Starch-based biodegradable films (Sharma et al. 2021)
trimetaphosphate tensile strength, and solubility
Pearl millet Extracted starch blended with carrageen gum Improved tensile strength and decreased water Edible composite film (Sandhu et al. 2020)
vapour permeability
Sorghum Cross-linking through the addition of sodium Increased thickness with cross-linked starch Biodegradable starch films (Mehboob et al. 2020)
trimetaphosphate and sodium tripolyphos- Acetylated starch films were more water-
phate soluble
Acetylation through the addition of acetic anhy- Dual modifications showed improved water
dride and a combination of the above methods vapour barrier properties and increased
mechanical strength
Pearl millet Acetylation and hydroxypropylation Retarded water vapour permeability and Biodegradable starch films (Shaikh et al. 2019)
improved transparency for acetylated starch
Increased water solubility and flexibility for
hydroxypropylated starch
Teff millet Addition of camu-camu extract Improved antioxidant, water barrier mechanical Packaging material with antioxidant agent (Ju and Song 2019)
properties and prevents lipid oxidation
Proso millet Addition of curcumin Improved antioxidant and barrier properties Starch-based biodegradable films with cur- (Baek and Song 2019)
against UV–visible light and water cumin
Foxtail millet Addition of clove leaf oil Antimicrobial, antioxidant, and barrier proper- Packaging film containing clove leaf oil (Yang et al. 2018)
ties against UV light
Current Food Science and Technology Reports
Current Food Science and Technology Reports

With a varying degree of acetylation and hydroxypropyla- resources and is biodegradable [31]. The word sustain-
tion, the developed films had improved properties. Films ability has become a buzz nowadays in the food packaging
with hydroxypropylation demonstrated improved flexibility, industry. Packaging plays a crucial role in the food indus-
water solubility, and transparency and thus were made suit- try; it not only helps prevent food loss and waste but also
able for packaging of fresh vegetables. The film based on helps in reducing energy use from transportation and goods
acetylated pearl millet starch demonstrated excellent mois- shipping. However, the packaging industry generates a lot
ture barrier properties and was found suitable for packaging of plastic waste that negatively impacts the environment.
dehydrated foods [28•]. Similar experiments with barnyard The growing consumer awareness over the environmental
millet starch incorporated with borage seed oil produced impact due to plastics will definitely drive change to create
edible films with high antioxidant activity and ultraviolet a circular loop for plastic usage where they are recycled
light barrier properties [29]. Therefore, it was suggested that rather than discarded as well as for sustainable packaging
millet starch–based films can be successfully used in food based on renewable resources [32].
packaging systems for the production of active edible coat- The most common definition of sustainability is to meet
ing and films that can successfully maintain food safety as the present needs without compromising the needs of future
well as extend a product’s shelf life [30]. generations. In terms of food packaging, it means the devel-
opment of packaging systems that can successfully reduce
environmental impact, it emphasizes the use of biodegrad-
Trends and Challenges for Sustainable able or edible packaging materials, nanomaterials, and plant
Packaging of Millets and Millet Products extracts. Figure 3 represents the millet starch–based active
edible films and coating incorporated with bioactive plant
The sustainable packaging coalition defined sustain- extract for food packaging applications. The active edible
able packaging as packaging that over the course of time packaging exhibits antioxidant, antimicrobial, moisture, and
reduces its environmental impact and footprint or in simple gas barrier properties, which eventually enhance the shelf
words a packaging that does not further deplete natural life of food products. Smart and green packaging can work in

Fig. 3  Schematic representation of millet starch–based edible films and coatings incorporated with natural plant-based bioactive extract exhibit-
ing antioxidant, antimicrobial, moisture, and gas barrier properties

13
 Current Food Science and Technology Reports

combination or synergistically to serve a multi-purpose food it on a commercialized scale. Hence, extra efforts are indeed
packaging system with no negative impact on food safety needed to incorporate the use of millet in the sustainability
[33]. The Sustainable Packaging Alliance (SPA) defines four paradigm.
levels with their principles in the definition of sustainable
Author Contribution PJ: investigation, visualization, data curation,
packaging. The SPA aims to differentiate between the macro writing — original draft. Revision of manuscript. LK: data curation
and micro levels of packaging components. The macro lev- SS: conceptualization, methodology, resources, manuscript editing and
els include society which is associated with prosperity and review, supervision. KKG: conceptualization, methodology, resources,
well-being the functional performance component which manuscript editing and review, supervision, project administration,
funding acquisition.
includes efficiency and effectiveness of the packaging sys-
tem, and the environmental level associated with impact and Funding Author K. K. Gaikwad would like to sincerely thank the Sci-
waste prevention. The micro level consists of human and ence and Engineering Research Board (SERB), Government of India,
eco-toxicological soundness [34]. for the financial support provided under the Start-Up Research Grant
(SRG) (SRG/2021/001549).

Challenges Data Availability No new data was generated.

Declarations
In the food packaging sector, successful innovations are
generally focused on practical convenience, ease to use, and Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent This article does not
customer attractiveness. Some of these so-called sustainable contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any
innovations are marketed in the name of sustainability with- of the authors.
out a full and fair assessment of their overall environmental Competing Interests The authors declare that there are no conflicts
aspect. In recent years, bio-based packaging is being stud- of interest.
ied and experimented extensively. However, technical issues
with these bio-based materials are still causing hindrances
to their large market uptake. Currently, bio-based packag-
ing development is restricted by many factors like social, References
technical, economic, and many controversial ambiguous
claims of sustainability [35]. Moreover, the word sustain- Papers of particular interest, published recently, have
ability is misunderstood by consumers. Many global surveys been highlighted as:
have reported that consumers misinterpret the meaning of • Of importance
sustainability as recyclability, although many of them were •• Of major importance
aware of the importance of environmental impact but failed
to understand the full meaning of sustainability [36]. A lot of 1. Saini S, Saxena S, Samtiya M, Puniya M, Dhewa T. J Food Sci
work still needs to be done to make sustainability a practical Technol. 2021;58:4465.
concept. The traditional paradigm of waste management is 2. Amadou I, Gounga ME, Le GW. Millets: nutritional composi-
tion, some health benefits and processing-a review. Emir J Food
losing its context in current sustainability goals, and a holis- Agric. 2013;501–8.
tic approach is indeed needed to meet future community and 3. Nithiyanantham S, Kalaiselvi P, Mahomoodally MF, Zengin G,
industry challenges. Abirami A, Srinivasan G. Nutritional and functional roles of
millets—a review. J Food Biochem. 2019;43(7):e12859.
4. Jaybhaye RV, Pardeshi IL, Vengaiah PC, Srivastav PP. J Ready
to Eat Food. 2014;1:32.
5. Yousaf L, Hou D, Liaqat H, Shen Q. Millet: a review of its
Conclusions nutritional and functional changes during processing. Food Res
Int. 2021;142:110197.
Millets are promising cereal crops for the future. The use of 6. Kumar L, Ramakanth D, Akhila K, et al. Edible films and
millet can lower the burden on common staple cereals and coatings for food packaging applications: a review. Envi-
ron Chem Lett. 2022;20:875–900. https://​doi.​org/​10.​1007/​
provide more food security to underdeveloped and devel- s10311-​021-​01339-z
oping countries. Recently millets have been put in focus 7. Yang SY, Cao L, Kim H, Beak SE, Song KB. Utilization of
through international efforts and more research and studies foxtail millet starch film incorporated with clove leaf oil for
are awaited on them in the coming decades to increase their the packaging of queso Blanco cheese as a model food. Starch-
Stärke. 2018;70(3–4):1700171.
access globally through improved packaging interventions. 8. Mahajan P, Bera MB, Panesar PS, Chauhan A. Millet starch: a
Edible films have been in focus for the past few years, and review. Int J Biol Macromol. 2021;180:61–79.
use of millets to develop edible packaging materials seems 9. Hassan ZM, Sebola NA, Mabelebele M. The nutritional use
considerable as well as a great alternative to plastics; how- of millet grain for food and feed: a review. Agric Food Secur.
2021;10:1–14.
ever, some problems still remain unsolved in order to apply

13
Current Food Science and Technology Reports

10. Shahidi F, Chandrasekara A. Millet grain phenolics and their 31. Kadam AA, Singh S, Gaikwad KK. Chitosan based antioxi-
role in disease risk reduction and health promotion: a review. J dant films incorporated with pine needles (Cedrus deodara)
Funct Foods. 2013;5(2):570–81. extract for active food packaging applications. Food Control.
11. Nithiyanantham S, Kalaiselvi P, Mahomoodally MF, Zengin G, 2021;124:107877.
Abirami A, Srinivasan G. J Food Biochem. 2019;43:e12859. 32. Stark NM, Matuana LM. Mater Today Sustain 2021;15:100084.
12. Devi PB, Vijayabharathi R, Sathyabama S, Malleshi NG, Priya- 33. Han JW, Ruiz-Garcia L, Qian JP, Yang XT. Food packaging: a
darisini VB. J Food Sci Technol. 2014;51:1021. comprehensive review and future trends. Compr Rev Food Sci
13. Saxena R, Vanga SK, Wang J, Orsat V, Raghavan V. Millets for Food Saf. 2018;17(4):860–77.
food security in the context of climate change: a review. Sustain- 34. Sonneveld K, James K, Fitzpatrick L, Lewis H. in 22nd IAPRI
ability. 2018;10(7):2228. Symp. 2005; pp. 1–9.
14. Deshmukh RK, Gaikwad KK. Natural antimicrobial and 35. Guillard V, Gaucel S, Fornaciari C, Angellier-Coussy H, Buche
antioxidant compounds for active food packaging applica- P, Gontard N. The next generation of sustainable food packaging
tions. Biomass Conv Bioref. 2022; https://​doi.​org/​10.​1007/​ to preserve our environment in a circular economy context. Front
s13399-​022-​02623-w. Nutr. 2018;5:121.
15. Bora P, Ragaee S, Marcone M. Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2019;70:714. 36. Nordin N, Selke S. Packag Technol Sci. 2010;23:317.
16. Verma V, Patel S, Emirates J. Food Agric. 2013;169. 37. Akhila K, Ramakanth D, Rao LL, Gaikwad KK. UV-
17. Goswami D, Gupta RK, Mridula D, Sharma M, Tyagi SK. LWT blocking biodegradable film based on flaxseed mucilage/
- Food Sci Technol. 2015;64:374. pectin impregnated with titanium dioxide and calcium chlo-
18.•• Sruthi NU, Rao PS, Trends Food Sci Technol. 2021;112:58. ride for food packaging applications. Int J Biol Macromol.
Findings of this study discuss the problems associated with 2023;239:124335.
storage and shelf life of millet product (flour). 38. Ragaee S, Abdel-Aal E-SM, Noaman M. Food Chem.
19. Wang R, Chen Y, Ren J, Guo S. Cereal Chem. 2014;91:262. 2006;98:32.
20. Kumar RR, Bhargava DV, Pandit K, Goswami S, Mukesh 39. Saleh AS, Zhang Q, Chen J, Shen Q. Millet grains: nutritional
Shankar S, Singh SP, Rai GK, Tara Satyavathi C, Praveen S. quality, processing, and potential health benefits. Compr Rev
Food Chem. 2021;361:130031 Food Sci Food Saf. 2013;12(3):281–95.
21. Joshi PP, Biradar R, Mathad P, Jha V. J Appl Packag Res. 40. Chethan S, Malleshi NG. Food Chem. 2007;105:862.
2018;10:5. 41. Ananda GK, Myrans H, Norton SL, Gleadow R, Furtado A,
22. Fereydoon M, Ebnesajjad S. Plast Film Food Packag. 2013;71. Henry RJ. Wild sorghum as a promising resource for crop
23. Adesina A. J Food Process Technol. 2021;12:1. improvement. Front Plant Sci. 2020;11:1108.
24. Singh R, Singh K, Nain MS. Curr Sci 2021;120. 42. Das S, Khound R, Santra M, Santra DK. Beyond bird feed:
25. Day BPF, Potter L. Food Beverage Packag Technol. Proso millet for human health and environment. Agriculture.
2011;251:262. 2019;9(3):64.
26.• Divija SD, Kishor Kumar HD, Subramanya S. Int J Trop. Insect 43. Sharma N, Niranjan K. Food Rev Int. 2018;34:329.
Sci. 2022;42:1175. Findings from this study suggest that use 44. Yang T, Ma S, Liu J, Sun B, Wang X. Grain Oil. Sci Technol.
of active packaging such as incorporation of oxygen scaven- 2022;5:156.
ger in millet storage can prevent pest infestation. 45. Gaikwad KK, Singh S, Negi YS. Ethylene scavengers for
27. Shaikh M, Haider S, Ali TM, Hasnain A. Physical, thermal, active packaging of fresh food produce. Environ Chem Lett.
mechanical and barrier properties of pearl millet starch films as 2020;18:269–84.
affected by levels of acetylation and hydroxypropylation. Int J 46. Sharma K, Chauhan ES. Pharma Innov J. 2018;7:3.
Biol Macromol. 2019;124:209–19. 47. Renganathan VG, Vanniarajan C, Karthikeyan A, Ramalingam
28.• Punia S, Kumar M, Siroha AK, Kennedy JF, Dhull SB, White- J. Front Genet. 2020;11:500.
side WS. Carbohydr Polym 2021;260:117776. Findings from
this study suggest that millet starch modification through Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds
various methods can improve millet-based packaging film exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the
characteristics and barrier properties. author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted
29. Cao TL, Yang S-Y, Bin Song K. Coatings 2017;7:183. manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of
30. Punia Bangar S, Sandhu KS, Rusu AV, Kaur P, Purewal SS, Kaur such publishing agreement and applicable law.
M, et al. Proso-millet-starchbased edible films: an innovative
approach for food industries. Coatings. 2021;11(10):1167.

13

View publication stats