Effect of Selective Fermentation on Nutritional Parameters and Techno-Functional Characteristics of Fermented Millet-Based Probiotic Dairy Product

The primary goal of this study was to assess the effect of selective fermentation on the nutritional and technofunctional characteristics of fermented millet -skim milk -based product. The product was made with HHB-311 biofortified pearl millet (PM) flour, skim milk powder, and isolated cultures (either alone or in combination) of Limosilactobacillus fermentum MS005 (LF) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG 347 (LGG). To optimize fermentation time, time intervals 8, 16, and 24 h were explored, while the temperature was kept 37 degrees C. Results of protein digestibility showed that LF (16 h) and LGG (24 h) fermented samples had significantly higher ( P < 0.05 ) protein digestibility of 90.75 +/- 1.6% and 93.76 +/- 3.4%, respectively, than that of control (62.60 +/- 2.6%). Further, 16 h fermentation with LF showed enhanced iron (39%) and zinc (14%) bioavailability. The results suggested that LF with 16 h fermentation is most suitable for making millet -based fermented products with superior technofunctional attributes and micronutrient bioavailability.