Milletin

Milletin is a term that has appeared in some botanical and nutritional literature as a label for certain seed-associated compounds in millet species. There is no single, universally accepted definition of milletin, and usage varies by source. In some contexts, milletin has been used to refer to seed storage proteins in millets, proposed as a distinct class separate from the well-characterized globulins, glutelins, and prolamins that accumulate in the millet endosperm. In other texts, milletin is used more loosely to denote unspecified millet-derived proteins or peptides.

Because the term is not standardized, there is little consistent data on milletin's molecular weight, composition, or function. Modern millet proteomics tends to classify seed proteins using established families (globulins, glutelins, prolamins) rather than the umbrella term milletin. Some nutritional studies on pearl millet or finger millet may mention milletin in passing, but data are not consolidated.

Milletin has been reported in pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and other millets such as finger millet (Eleusine coracana) and foxtail millet (Setaria italica) in limited studies, though naming is inconsistent.

Significance: Given the lack of standard definition, milletin currently has minimal practical application beyond studies of millet seed composition; it does not correspond to a widely recognized compound or product. Researchers typically refer to millet proteins as a group rather than milletin. Related topics include millet, pearl millet, finger millet, and foxtail millet.