![Photo: Sorghum stalks and some products produced from sorghum grain. Link to photo information](/peth04/20041031222829im_/http://ars.usda.gov/is/graphics/photos/jun04/k11229-1i.jpg)
Sorghum stalks and some products produced from
sorghum grain. Click the image for more information about it.
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Sorghum--the
Next New Wave in Grains?
By Erin
Peabody
June 17, 2004 Is your breakfast cereal boring you? Or
perhaps you're one of the millions of Americans who must avoid bread products
that contain wheat, or the cereal proteins known as gluten. If so, sorghum
might be for you.
Agricultural Research Service
scientists in Manhattan, Kan., are trying to coax this lesser-known grain out
of its shell. Chemist Scott Bean at the ARS Grain Marketing and Production Research
Center is analyzing kernels of food-grade sorghum in hopes of bringing into
the mainstream new products made from the nutty-tasting grain, such as breads,
waffles and noodles.
Why? Some varieties of sorghum represent a surprising new source of
cancer-fighting compounds. Such whole-grain varieties contain high levels of
phenols and tannins, two plant compounds with a knack for mopping up cellular
byproducts called free radicals that can wreak havoc on cell membranes and
other delicate machinery within the human body. Sorghum brans are also high in
dietary fiber.
What makes sorghum attractive to many consumers, though, is not so much what
it contains, but what it's missing.
Because it lacks gluten--certain proteins present in wheat and two closely
related cereals, rye and barley--sorghum is considered safe for the 1 to 2
million people in the United States diagnosed with celiac disease, also known
as gluten intolerance.
Unfortunately, according to Bean, these gluten proteins in grains, such as
wheat, are what give dough made from wheat flour its desired visco-elasticity.
By studying the function of sorghum proteins, Bean aims to find cultivars
that will lead to a good-tasting, finely-textured sorghum bread. Bean is
working with collaborators from Ireland and Germany to see which food-grade
varieties produce a winning bread.
In addition to investigating which sorghum varieties lend themselves to
better loaves of bread, Bean and colleagues at ARS'
Hard Winter Wheat Quality Laboratory
in Manhattan are researching optimal recipes for baked goods, like waffles and
cookies, made from the grain. The researchers also hope to create a quick and
yummy breakfast food for those with gluten intolerance, especially children.
ARS is the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's chief scientific research agency.
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