Chemical Composition, Fatty Acid and Mineral Content of Food-Grade White, Red and Black Sorghum Varieties Grown in the Mediterranean Environment

Abstract

Grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is a gluten-free cereal grown around the world and is a food staple in semi-arid and subtropical regions. Sorghum is a diverse crop with a range of pericarp colour including white, various shades of red, and black, all of which show health-promoting properties as they are rich sources of antioxidants such as polyphenols, carotenoids, as well as micro- and macro-nutrients. This work examined the grain composition of three sorghum varieties possessing a range of pericarp colours (white, red, and black) grown in the Mediterranean region. To determine the nutritional quality independent of the contributions of phenolics, mineral and fatty acid content and composition were measured. Minor differences in both protein and carbohydrate were observed among varieties, and a higher fibre content was found in both the red and black varieties. A higher amount of total saturated fats was found in the white variety, while the black variety had a lower amount of total unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats than either the white or red varieties. Oleic, linoleic, and palmitic were the primary fatty acids in all three analysed sorghum varieties. Significant differences in mineral content were found among the samples with a greater amount of Mg, K, Al, Mn, Fe, Ni, Zn, Pb and U in both red and black than the white sorghum variety. The results show that sorghum whole grain flour made from grain with varying pericarp colours contains unique nutritional properties.

Nutrient content of sorghum hybrid lines between Gadam and hard coat tannin sorghum cultivars

“…The findings of this study on protein content are in agreement with those of Badigannavar et al (2016), Jambunathan et al (1981), and Pontieri et al (2012) who reported protein content varying from 5.25% to 14.53%, 4.4 to 21.1%, and 7.44 to 9.66%, respectively.…”

“…(1981), and Pontieri et al. (2012) who reported protein content varying from 5.25% to 14.53%, 4.4 to 21.1%, and 7.44 to 9.66%, respectively. Other researchers have documented sorghum protein content range of 10.3% to 14.9% (Johnson et al., 2010), 9.06% to 18.58% (Hamad, 2006), 11.23% to 13.42% (Chung et al., 2011), and 9.06% to 18.58% (Gu‐Ayebeafo Okrah, 2008).…”

“…The differences in ash content among the F 1 hybrid sorghum could be attributed to the genotype as well as the amount and nature of ions available in the soil where the plant is growing (Akinsola, 1993). Different values for ash content among sorghum varieties has been reported by various researchers; for instance: 1.90% to 1.97% (Gassem & Osman, 2003), 1.43% to 1.61% (Chung et al, 2011), 1.01% to 1.56% (Abu et al, 2001), 0.80% to 2.50% (Moharram & Youssef, 1995), and 0.99% to 1.71% (Pontieri et al, 2012).…”

The Effect of In Vitro Digestion on Polyphenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Properties of Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) and Sorghum-Enriched Pasta

“…The phenol content of sorghum is a unique feature among cereal grains; hence this fact has drawn the attention of food scientists [ 4 ]. Polyphenolic compounds are characterized by various biological activities, e.g., inhibition of the growth of cancer cells [ 5 ].…”

Sensory analysis of pancakes made with sorghum flour, xanthan gum and microbial transglutaminase enzyme

“…In addition, different studies have proven that sorghum contains high levels of phenolic compounds (Awika et al, 2005) between 0.46 and 20 mg per g gallic acid equivalents (Li et al, 2021) and, therefore, rich in antioxidant properties (Awika et al, 2005). It contains fatty acids such as linoleic (35.7 %), oleic (37.6 %), palmitic (18.6 %), and 2.1 % linolenic acid (Pontieri et al, 2022). This is associated with protective effects against several chronic-degenerative diseases (Wu et al, 2018;Slavin, 2004).…”