![]() For instance, some studies reported in vitro antioxidant activities of the grain thus, it is believed to improve the hemoglobin level in the human body and help prevent malaria, anemia, and diabetes. It was also recently proven to be a significant source of bioactive compounds including polyphenols, especially very rich in flavonoid derivatives which are rare in the other common grains.Įven though more studies are yet to be conducted, a range of health benefits have so far been established due to the grain’s physical and nutritional properties. The grain is also high in iron content and other minerals such as calcium, copper, and zinc compared to other cereal grains consumed as whole grain flours such as wheat, maize, barley, and sorghum. The grain of the crop provides relatively higher protein content with an excellent balance and a complete set of essential amino acids. Food products of teff are rich in crude fiber as the whole grain flour of the crop incorporates the bran of the grain. The most attractive property is its gluten-free nature that gives it a big potential to be utilized in a wide range of food products to help people with celiac disease. The total population consuming teff products on daily basis in Ethiopia alone has currently reached more than 30 million. It is successfully introduced and cultivated in many parts of the world including the USA, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. Recently, there is a growing interest on the crop since its grain is gaining global popularity for its outstanding nutritional properties. Giving increased focus to such underutilized and understudied food crops like teff contributes to food and nutrition security, healthy food availability, income generation for livelihoods of small-scale farmers, and environmental services in the current depleting plant resources and increasing world population. It is an unexplored and underexploited grain crop that needs increased attention by researchers for many purposes. But less is known about the crop by the academic and scientific communities outside Eritrea and Ethiopia. Teff is more preferred by farmers and consumers over many other common Eritrean and Ethiopian grain crops such as wheat due to its agronomic traits and uses. Therefore, teff can be considered as a low-risk crop since it can be cultivated and thrived in a wide range of ecological conditions including under harsher environmental conditions where many other cereals fail. Teff grain is also tolerant to storage pests. It grows in a diversity of environmental conditions extending from lowlands to highlands. The crop is a stress-tolerant, domesticated about 3,000 years ago. The genus Eragrostis consists of about 350 varieties. Teff ( Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) (Poaceae) is an indigenous Ethiopian annual crop cultivated mainly for its small grain used in the preparation of a pancake-like staple food called injera (Amharic, Tigrinya). These call for huge research opportunities to explore the nutritional and functional properties of the grain. The grain is linked to several health benefits including prevention and treatment of diseases such as celiac disease, diabetes, and anemia. The growing global demand for the grain is due to its gluten-free nature, high level of essential amino acids (EAA), high mineral content, low glycemic index (GI), high crude fiber content, longer shelf life, and slow staling of its bread products compared to that of wheat, sorghum, rice, barley, and maize. Thus, the crop is being successfully introduced and cultivated in many parts of the world including the USA, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. The popularity of the crop is rapidly increasing throughout the world because of its attractive nutritional and functional properties. Teff grain is the smallest of all whole flour grains in the world with a length of about 1.0 mm and a width of about 0.60 mm. The crop is mainly cultivated in Ethiopia and Eritrea where it is used in preparing a pancake-like staple food called injera. Teff ( Eragrostis tef (Zucc.) Trotter) (Poaceae) is an annual crop with a very tiny grain. ![]()
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