Potential food applications of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and rapid screening methods of nutritional traits by spectroscopic platforms

Abstract

Sorghum is a drought-resistant crop widely spread in tropical regions of the American, African, and Asian continents. Sorghum flour is considered the main alternative for wheat flour, and it exhibits gluten-free nature. Generally, conventional wet chemical methods are used to analyze the nutritional profile of sorghum. Since many sorghum plants are available in breeding grounds, the application of conventional methods has limitations due to high cost and time consumption. Therefore, rapid screening protocols have been introduced as nondestructive alternatives. The current review highlights novel and portable devices that can be used to analyze the nutritional composition, color parameters, and pest resistance. Sorghum is often a traditional food item with minimal processing, and the review elaborates on emerging food applications and feasible food product developments from sorghum. The demand for gluten-free products has been rapidly increasing in developed countries. In order to develop food products according to market requirements, it is necessary to screen high-quality sorghum plants. Rapid analysis techniques effectively select the best sorghum types, and the novel tools have outperformed existing conventional methods.

Spatiotemporal distribution of Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) and its natural enemy Coccinella septempunctata (Linnaeus) in graniferous sorghum crops

“…Before planting, the area was homogenized using a leveling grid. Thilakarathna et al, 2022). Outside its aboriginal home, it is found in all the continents except for Antarctica.…”

Implications of husking process on the nutritional composition of sorghum grains: diverse varieties and regions

“…Sorghum crop is commonly known as a profit cereal grain due to its productivity and efficient resilience to various environments. It is a crucial component in agricultural practices across various regions (Jóvér et al ., 2020; Thilakarathna et al ., 2022). Climate change has led to an increase in the utilisation of sorghum in the Mediterranean due to advancements in agricultural practices for production and health benefits; addressing new challenges can contribute to food science research to expand sorghum production in the European region (Dahlberg et al ., 2011; Höhn & Rötter, 2014; Jóvér et al ., 2018).…”

“…Sorghum exhibits variations in pericarp colour, including white, black and red, which might affect the nutritional and antioxidant characteristics of the grain (Sedghi et al ., 2012). Moreover, in industry, it is advantageous for the grain colour variation to enhance the texture and appearance of end product responses within a product shape quality, which can allow for the creation of novel products based on the colour variation properties (Thilakarathna et al ., 2022; Omer et al ., 2023). All the mentioned characteristics indicated the crucial role of colour measurement for our tested sorghum varieties (Li et al ., 2023).…”

Does consumer knowledge of sorghum impact their liking? Investigating consumers preferences on sorghum biscuits using JAR (Just-About-Right) scale

“…The availability of sorghum products in the food market was determined mainly by gluten-free and low-glycemic index claims [8]. However, the application of sorghum in food products may be facing some challenges [15,16]. Sorghum lacks of the unique functional properties of wheat protein in terms of viscoelastic dough formation of gluten [16].…”

“…Despite the agronomic advantages of sorghum and its various nutritional benefits, yet this grain is rarely used as a food ingredient and is not widely used in processed foods [6,15]. Globally, sorghum is primarily known and used as feed for animal livestock, even though over half the production of sorghum grains was used for human consumption [6,9].…”