This book explores emerging technologies and scientific innovations for millets, the climate-smart and nutritionally rich crop. It integrates theory with application, covering every stage of the millet value chain, from cultivation and processing to product development and market dynamics. Key topics include precision agriculture, automation in millet processing, smart packaging and waste valorization within a circular economy framework. Dedicated chapters examine nutritional fortification, fermentation for prebiotic and probiotic development and the application of AI and IoT in millet-based systems. Detailed sections on protein and starch extraction, novel processing techniques and functional ingredient development provide practical insights into industrial and research applications. Emphasizing both global market opportunities and regulatory frameworks, this book equips students with the analytical tools and scientific understanding needed to address real-world challenges in sustainable food production. Case studies, current research developments and technological advances enrich the learning experience, making it a valuable resource for coursework, laboratory training, and thesis work.
With its interdisciplinary focus and applied approach, this book serves as a reference for students and researchers in food science, agricultural engineering and nutrition.
Dr. Jayasree Joshi T
Dr. Jayasree Joshi T has completed her doctoral program in Food Process Engineering from the Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India. She holds a Master’s degree in Food Process Engineering from the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management, Thanjavur (NIFTEM-T), and a Bachelor’s degree in Food Technology from Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kerala, India, where she was awarded a Gold Medal for outstanding academic performance. She has over eight years of experience in teaching and research. Her primary research interests include millet processing, grain storage, non-thermal processing, process modelling, and optimization. She has authored and co-authored more than 50 research publications and has received several best paper and poster awards at national and international technical platforms. She has also received the Young Scientist (Educator) Award 2026 during the International Conference on Food Properties (ICFP6) held in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Best Reviewer Award 2025 from the Journal of Agricultural Engineering of India (JAEI), by the Indian Society of Agricultural Engineers.
Dr. Pavuluri Srinivasa Rao
Dr. P. Srinivasa Rao is a professor in the Agricultural and Food Engineering Department, Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, India. He has more than 30 years of teaching and applied research experience in Food Process Engineering and Technologies. He is a leading Indian researcher in the field of millet processing and non-thermal processing. Other research interests include process equipment design, extrusion processing, bioactive extraction and encapsulation, and grain storage engineering. Dr. Rao has supervised 20 PhD students; of them, two theses have been awarded the Jawaharlal Nehru Award (outstanding doctoral research) by ICAR, New Delhi. He and his team have published about 154 international and 9 national research publications in refereed journals, 10 book chapters, and one edited book volume. Dr. Rao has also handled various high-value projects sponsored by the World Bank (NAIP), ICAR, MoFPI, SPARC, MHRD (MoE), DST, and DFPD (FCI), and has developed novel methods for future-generation food processing in India. He has served as chairperson of the ISAE Kharagpur chapter and as an Honorary. Secretary, Kharagpur Local Centre, Institution of Engineers (India). He has also contributed to ISAE as Associate Editor of the Journal of Agricultural Engineering, apart from being a regular reviewer of several reputed international journals.
