ORIGINAL ARTICLE Development of nutricereals and milk-based beverage: Process optimization and validation of improved nutritional properties Ashwani Kumar 1,2 | Amarjeet Kaur 1 | Vidisha Tomer 1,2 | Prasad Rasane 2 | Kritika Gupta 2 1 Department of Food Science and Technology, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab, India 2 Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India Correspondence Ashwani Kumar, Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, Punjab, India. Email: ashwanichandel480@gmail.com Abstract The present study was conducted to develop finger millet and oats based functional beverage. The nutricereals were ground into coarse flour and blended in various proportions (90:10– 50:50) to prepare the drink. The functional drink, optimized using response surface methodol- ogy, was prepared using malt-drink (diluted formulation of finger millet: oat in the ratio 60:40) and double toned milk (40:60–60:40). The final optimized product was found to be rich in die- tary fibers (1.23%) viz. β-glucan (101.33 mg/100 mL), and the antioxidants like total polyphenols (52.33 mg/100 mL). The drink was low in fat (1.26%), cholesterol (3.10 mg/100 mL), and lactose (1.75%). Sensory acceptability of the selected beverage (7.21) was at par with the sweetened cattle milk (7.52) on a 9-point hedonic scale. The overall cost of ready to serve drink was INR 10 (serving size 200 mL), ensuring the economic feasibility of the drink. Practical applications Finger millet is a rich source of calcium, iron and zinc; and oats are rich in beta-glucan. Incorpo- ration of finger millet and oats improve the overall functional properties of milk. The comple- mentation of the finger millet with oats can further enhance the physical as well as the functional properties of the milk. The dietary fiber content of the nutricereal based beverage was also increased, which makes it a potential prebiotic. The drink also provides an improved way for the introduction of millets in futuristic food products. 1 | INTRODUCTION The international community, through the United Nations, has devel- oped and adopted a comprehensive agenda to end most sensitive challenges prevalent throughout the world (Rosa, 2017). The rate of occurrence of non-communicable diseases has outnumbered those of communicable diseases, which suggest an immediate need to acceler- ate the production and development of nutrient-rich, low-cost func- tional foods, which can not only combat hunger but also ensure nutritional security and aid in health maintenance. Recent trends in food products involve the development of com- posite foods that are derived from different raw materials. Using differ- ent raw materials, complements and adds to the nutritive value of the developed food product. There has been a transition from a food- focused approach to nutrient-focused approach, which is evident by recent research (Chavan, Gat, Harmalkar, & Waghmare, 2018; Hassan, Aly, & El-Hadidie, 2012; Sharma, Mridula, & Gupta, 2014). Ensuring food and nutrition security is a big challenge for India. India houses nearly 67% of the global malnourished population (Rosa, 2017). NFHS- 4 data reveals that even today, up to 80% of rural children are not meeting 50% of the RDA for various nutrients (Indian Institute for Pop- ulation Sciences, 2017). The nutrient deficiency is not only prevalent among the low-income population of the country but also high-income group as they are becoming increasingly dependent on ready to con- sume food products particularly fast foods and are suffering from vari- ous health disorders. The current situation of the country suggests a shift towards the development of ready to consume nutrient-dense food products. Coarse cereals like millets and oats, being rich in vital nutrients and functional components, are a great choice among food technolo- gists. Millets as a whole are rich in both macronutrients and micronu- trients and are nutritionally similar or superior to the major cereals. They are rich in good quality proteins (10–11%) and dietary fiber (up to 38%) (Kumar, Tomer, Kaur, Kumar, & Gupta, 2018). High con- centration of minerals (1.7–4.3%) in millets provides them an edge over other cereals for the development of functional food products. Received: 22 November 2018 Revised: 16 January 2019 Accepted: 21 January 2019 DOI: 10.1111/jfpe.13025 J Food Process Eng. 2019;e13025. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/jfpe © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 1 of 9 https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpe.13025