Development and nutritional profiling of ready to eat breakfast cereal using popped Sorghum bicolor and Eleusine coracana

This study presents the development of a novel breakfast cereal formulated from popped sorghum and popped finger millet, enriched with a blend of seeds, nuts, raisins, jaggery and honey. The objective of this study was to formulate, optimize and evaluate nutrient efficiency of breakfast cereal that can be easily accepted by all individuals. Popped sorghum and popped finger millet were selected as the base ingredients owing to their nutrient potential. For optimization, The Box-Behnken design of Design Expert Software (version 13.0; StateEase 2023) was used with four independent variables (popped sorghum, popped finger millet, nuts and seed mix, and flavour mix) and three dependent variables (protein, energy and overall acceptability). The physiochemical analysis revealed that the optimized product showed a 7.8±0.01 pH value, a bowl life of 3.2 minutes, 0.79±0.03 bulk density and good oil absorption and water absorption capacity. The nutrient analysis revealed that optimised breakfast cereal contains 1.32±0.02% moisture, 2.43±0.05% ash, 61.00±0.1g carbohydrates, 354.41±0.7kcal energy, 10.24±0.2g protein, 8.53±0.05g fat and 5.25±0.10 crude fiber. Through micromineral estimation, it was found that breakfast cereal contains calcium 15.6% of Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) whereas other minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and copper accounted for more than 33% of the RDA of moderately active males. The antioxidant profile revealed that the breakfast cereal showed DPPH radical scavenging activity (%) 92.56±0.03%, IC50 value 57.86±0.02 μg/g, TPC 67.20±0.01 mg GAE/100 g and TFC 78±0.17%. On comparison with commercial product, the formulated breakfast cereal stands out better in terms of protein and microminerals. This product aligns with current consumer trends favouring nutritious and convenient options that cater to diverse dietary needs. The rich nutritional profile positions it as an appropriate choice for health-oriented consumers.