Alternative Grain Crops: Introducing the Kabog Millet from the Philippines as a Functional Food Ingredient ^†

Cultivating ancient crops improves food security by diversifying our staple foods. An example of ancient Philippine crops is the kabog millet, an ecotype of Panicum miliaceum. Little is known about its nutritional quality; hence, the nutritional value of kabog millet was analyzed in comparison to rice and to a reference millet sourced from local supermarkets in Switzerland. We found that whole grain kabog millet has a dietary fiber and ash content almost three times of black rice, protein levels almost double of white rice and 1.5 times higher than black rice, total phenolic acid content more than double than black rice and more than five times higher than the reference millet, and a total carotenoid content that is almost 2.5 times higher than the reference millet and almost five times higher than black rice. To assess the antioxidant activity, DPPH, 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), and Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) were used. The antioxidant activities of the whole kabog millet were significantly higher than the reference millet in all three assays. By giving attention to underutilized, ancient crops, we are not only saving biodiversity and our planet, but we are also breathing new life into these forgotten ancient treasures.