Extrusion cooking is a unique method for preparing pasta, which is generally produced from durum wheat semolina. However, preparation of pasta from sorghum is not practiced in India. Therefore, the present study was undertaken to develop and standardize pasta from sorghum cultivar, M35-1 and wheat semolina of 0.1 mm particle size. Sorghum and wheat semolina in different proportions (T1;S:W-50:50, T2;S:W-60:40,T3;S:W-70:30,T4; S:W-80:20, T5; S −100) were mixed with lukewarm water (40°C) in the cold extruder for 30 min and passed through the extruder with a screw speed of 80 rpm and at a temperature of 55°to obtain pasta of diameter (0.6 mm) and length (1.4 mm). The extruded pasta was dried at 70°C in a tray drier for 8 h, cooled and stored in polyethylene bags at room temperature. The pasta was subjected to physico-chemical analysis such as length, diameter, bulk density, water absorption, cooking time, cooking loss, moisture, water activity, alcoholic acidity, amylase, carbohydrates, fat, protein, fibre and ash using standard methods. Organoleptic characteristics such as color and appearance, texture, taste, flavor and overall acceptability, stickiness, bulkiness and firmness were evaluated at laboratory level by a panel of semi trained judges using 5 point hedonic rating scale. Among the various blends studied, the sorghum and wheat semolina with a combination of 50:50 (T1) and 60:40 (T2) and 70:30 (T3) were more acceptable than others. Well acceptable sorghum pasta can be developed from sorghum and wheat, thereby improving its nutritional composition.

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Purpose: Sugarcane juice (ScJ) is a natural drink popular in most tropical Asian regions. However, research on its effect in enhancing sports performance is limited. The present investigation was to study the effect of sugarcane juice on exercise metabolism and sport performance of athletes in comparison to a commercially available sports drinks. Methods:Fifteen male athletes (18-25 yrs) were asked to cycle until volitional exhaustion at 70% VO 2 max on three different trials viz. plain water (PW), sports drink (SpD) and ScJ. In each trial 3ml/kg/BW of 6 % of carbohydrate (CHO) fluid was given at every 20 min interval of exercise and a blood sample was taken to measure the hematological parameters. During recovery 200 ml of 9% CHO fluid was given and blood sample was drawn at 5, 10, 15 min of recovery.Results: Ingestion of sugarcane juice showed significant increase (P<0.05) in blood glucose levels during and after exercise compared to SpD and PW. However, no significant difference was found between PW, SpD and ScJ for total exercise time, heart rate, blood lactate and plasma volume. Conclusion:ScJ may be equally effective as SpD and PW during exercise in a comfortable environment (<30 0 C) and a more effective rehydration drink than SpD and PW in post exercise as it enhances muscle glycogen resynthesis.

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A few sorghum-based products have low GI (<55; coarse semolina upma, fine semolina upma, flakes poha and pasta) and all sorghum-based products (with the exception of sorghum roti) tested in the present study have lower GL than their respective wheat/rice-based foods. Consumption of low-GI and low-GL sorghum-based foods may help in decreasing postprandial blood glucose levels.