Metabolomic Profiling of Finger Millet: Unlocking the Secrets of a Nutritious Staple Food

Vishal Gupta^1*Mahima Sharma^1*Sushil Kumar Gupta^2*Shaily Javeria¹ZAKIR AMIN³Suhail Ashraf⁴

• ¹Division of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, Chatha, India-180009, Jammu, India
• ²Directorate of Research, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of Jammu, Chatha, India-180009, Jammu, India
• ³ICAR-Central institute of Temperate Horticulture Srinagar, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, India
• ⁴Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India

Finger millet (Eleusine coracana) is becoming more and more popular as a functional food and possible source of nutraceuticals to avoid metabolic disorders, because of its high number of bioactive compounds. Despite finger millet's nutritional importance, through metabolomics profiling of its bioactive primary and secondary metabolites has not yet been thoroughly investigated. The aim of this study was to examine the comprehensive profiling of phytochemical compounds present in the local landraces of finger millet cultivated in the temperate region of District Kishtwar (Padder Valley) within the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Additionally, it evaluates the therapeutic potential of these metabolites for preventing various metabolic diseases. LC-HRMS/MS was used to perform comprehensive profiling of bioactive metabolites in finger millet, including both primary metabolites and secondary metabolites. ICP-MS was used to examine the mineral content in finger millet. The study identified fifty primary metabolites, assembling derivatives of amino acids, fatty acids, and carbohydrates, such as dehydroascorbic acid, niacin, xanthine, orotic acid, nicotinuric acid, gluconic acid, propionic acid, decanoic acid, and palmitic acid. Additionally, one hundred thirty-five secondary metabolites were also characterized, encompassing heterocyclic compounds, phenolics, flavonoids, alkaloids, and terpenes, such as 4-hydroxycyclohexylcarboxylic acid, 2-furoic acid, methyl cinnamate, mesitol, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, heptalactone, viburtinal, and geranic acid. Further, elemental analysis through ICP-MS revealed the presence of 10 macro and microelements, with magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), potassium (K), and phosphorus (P) being the most abundant. The study highlights finger millet as a rich source of bioactive primary and secondary bioactive compounds with significant therapeutic properties. These results showed finger millet's potential for creating functional foods with additional value for the management and prevention of metabolic diseases.