Harnessing the potential of germination and probiotic fermentation for enhancing aromatic amino acids in a...

Millets are nutrient-rich grains with functional food potential, but amino acid bioavailability is limited by anti-nutritional factors. Germination and fermentation can improve nutritional quality and aromatic amino acid content. This study investigates the effect of these processes on amino acid profile, probiotic viability, antioxidant potential, and chemical composition of pearl and proso millet. Amino acids were quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography. Significant increases (p ≤ 0.05) were observed in total amino acids (6.60-6.64%), aromatic amino acids (18.18-28.91%), tryptophan (69.35-70.11%), tyrosine (14.93-43.63%), and phenylalanine (12.45-17.03%). Probiotic viability (59-59.5%), antioxidant potential (24.07-25%), protein (26.7-37.28%), ash (33-34.9%), fiber (13.27-36.13%), and soluble solids (21.73-25.22%) also improved. Conversely, carbohydrate (8.35-10.89%), fat (6.74-19.04%), and pH (6.4-4.2) decreased. These treatments substantially enhanced amino acid content and overall nutritional quality, supporting the use of fermented millets in functional foods with both health-promoting and mood-regulating benefits.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10068-025-02041-4.