Substitution of maize with sorghum and millets in traditional processing of Mahewu, a non‐alcoholic fermented cereal beverage

Abstract

SummaryThere is growing interest in Sub‐Saharan Africa for substituting maize with climate‐smart crops like sorghum and millets in local food processing. We conducted a survey to explore current variations in processing and consumption practices for Mahewu, a traditionally fermented cereal beverage from Zimbabwe. Processing involved cooking a cereal porridge, adding cereal flour or malt as a starter ingredient, and fermenting for 12–48 h. Ingredient availability was the main driver for porridge ingredient choice (42% of respondents) with the most preferred being maize (55% of respondents), pearl millet (22%) and sorghum (9%). Final product taste had the most influence on starter ingredient choice, with most respondents preferring pearl millet flour (23%), finger millet malt (22%), wheat flour (17%), and sorghum malt (13%). Our study proves that maize can be replaced with sorghum and millet in Mahewu processing, thus increasing the climate‐resilience of future food systems, and demonstrates that traditional practices harbour clues for adapting current practices.

Comparative Evaluation of Health-Promoting Compounds, Physicochemical and Microbiological Properties of Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] Based Mahewu Produced by Different Traditional Brewers in Thohoyandou, South Africa

“…This will endanger food and nutrition security, especially for rural households that rely on maize production. Thus, scientists need to search for a substitute for maize in food production and processing with a special focus on climate-friendly crops such as sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) [3]. Sorghum is a reliable emerging alternative for mahewu production because it can grow in harsh conditions, it is rich in phytochemicals, and it is nutritionally superior to maize [4].…”