Pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br) is a staple food in many
developing countries and constitutes the major source of essential nutrients in
semi-arid and arid regions of Africa and India. The knowledge about the
nutrient content of autochthonous pearl millet ecotypes is scarce. In this
study, biochemical analysis of six Tunisian pearl millet ecotypes has been
investigated. Results provide evidence of differences in polyphenols content,
antioxidant potential and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity among the
studied ecotypes. These three parameters were found significantly correlated.
Moreover, some ecotypes were shown to be potentially quite important
sources of health promoting antioxidants. The studied biochemical properties
could be used as criteria of selection for a specific food application especially
the integration of this cereal in diverse industrial nutritional products.Biserno proso (Pennisetum glaucum (L.) R. Br) osnovna je hrana u mnogim
zemljama u razvoju i predstavlja najveći izvor osnovnih hranidbenih sastojaka u polupustinjskim
i pustinjskim regijama Afrike i Indije. Znanje o nutricionističkom sastavu
autohtonih ekotipova bisernog prosa je površno. U ovoj studiji obrađena je biokemijska
analiza šest tuniskih ekotipova bisernog prosa. Rezultati dokazuju razlike u količinama
polifenola, antioksidans potencijala i polifenol oksidacijske (PPO) aktivnosti unutar
proučavanih ekotipova. Utvrđeno je da su ova tri parametra međusobno povezana.
Štoviše, neki ekotipovi mogli bi se iskoristiti kao kriterij selekcije za određenu primjenu
u prehrani, pogotovo pri korištenju ove žitarice u raznim prehrambenim proizvodima
