ABSTRACT
Introduction: Three types of burfi (a sweet confection), namely, foxtail millet burfi (FMb), barnyard millet burfi (BMb) and control Bengal gram flour burfi (CBGFb) were developed for the consumption of diabetics. Methods: The flour blends for FMb and BMb contained 43% of foxtail millet and barnyard millet flour, respectively and 57% of bengal gram flour. The CBGFb was prepared by using 100% Bengal gram flour and served as control. The burfis were analysed for sensory quality, acceptability, storage stability, nutritional quality, glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL). Results: All the three burfis were acceptable to diabetic as well as non-diabetic subjects and could be stored easily for 15 days under ambient conditions. The millet burfis possessed fibre and starch contents which contributed to a low GI value of 37.5 for FMb compared to the control. The GL values were 14.7, 17 and 17.9 for FMb, BMb and CBGFb, respectively. Conclusion: The millet, especially foxtail millet which had a low GI value has the potential of being served to diabetics in the form of sweets.